Reflective learning and supervision : Understanding reflection and exploring supervision strategies for a supervisor training program in Guangzhou, China

Abstract

This research is a study of the author's own supervision practice in a supervisor training program conducted in Guangzhou, China. The author, who acted as both a supervisor and a researcher, planned this study based on her observations and reflections of her supervising experience in a placement in the same program from the previous year. There are two major purposes of this study. The first purpose is to understand how supervisor-trainees perform reflection and how they perceive reflection. The second purpose is to improve supervision and to search for better supervision strategies in order to promote trainees' reflective ability. This study adopted action research as the methodology. In addition to collecting trainee's comments on their experiences of reflection, the researcher also collected data on different supervision strategies. Using strategies included reflective log writing and individual, live and group supervision. For this study, the author also provided the supervisor-trainees with a two-hour pre-reflection class and a reflective learning guide. The author also analysed the sharing and evaluation of these additional actions. As a result of this study, the author found that reflection on the same issue topic appeared and developed across different reflection channels. This study calls this phenomenon a 'cross-channel' reflection. The availability of multiple channels with different characteristics gives trainees more than one point of entry to reflection and enables channel switching, which helps overcome reflection deadlock. The author suggests that both supervisors and supervisees take advantage of different reflection channels and flexibly use them in combination in order to promote reflection. For future practice, the author suggests the creation of an 'online to offline' (O2O) dialogical reflective supervision model that highlights the complementary functions of different channels. Moreover, reflection helps create a dialogical space for different perspectives. To help with the indigenization of social work in mainland China, it may be of particular value to invite a critical re-examination of both the Western approach to social work and the traditional Chinese practice of social work. The author recommends reclaiming the reflective approach in social work training.