Directed Field Study

Requirements of the Student

Course Prerequisites:

PY 202 Research Design
3 of 5 Core courses in the psychology major

The Field Study students will:

take primary responsibility for defining and meeting their own learning needs and selecting a field study site from those available;
develop a learning contract that meets the approval of the faculty supervisor and the field study site supervisor;
abide by supervision and direction of the faculty and the field study site supervisor; in some cases, this may entail providing direct services to individuals, groups, families, and communities served by the field study site; in other cases, this may entail supporting field study site staff or working on a special project for the field study site;
plan their field study schedule and stick to it; dependability and professionalism are essential; notify the field study site supervisor in advance if they are going to be absent or late; be responsible for keeping a log of their hours and making up time lost due to absences;
meet agreed upon deadlines;
ask for the needed information, advice or supervision without being demanding; use good judgment in deciding whether to act independently or ask for help; take initiative in finding challenges and new learning opportunities;
maintain clear channels of communication with the faculty supervisor and the field study site supervisor; communicate major problems to the faculty supervisor; let the faculty supervisor know if there is a change in your supervision immediately;
maintain conduct and appearance appropriate to the setting;\
be respectful of clients and co workers; maintain confidentiality in discussing client and field study site issues;
integrate classroom learning with practice in the field; be reflective about the learning derived from the field study;
complete a Final Paper (see guidelines below)agreed upon by the student, the faculty supervisor and the site supervisor; this may be, but is not limited to, one of the following:
- Grant Application
- Critical Literature Summary
- 15 page Literature Review
- Portfolio of work + 10 page Literature Summary
- Empirical Paper
meet with the faculty supervisor and the field study supervisor at the end of the semester to complete an evaluation of the student's work;
help evaluate the field study site.
It is recommended that Field Study students keep a Journal or Field Notebook of their experiences, ideas, reflections, and observations.

Guidelines for Directed Field Study Final Project Papers

Literature Review – preferably to include outcome studies or effectiveness studies.
The gap (or lack of gap) between the application of psychology and the field study setting should be addressed.
Where an observation/quasi-experiment was conducted:
- Relate the particular observation/quasi-experiment to the literature.
- Report information that would be included in a method section of a lab report (e.g., number of participants, essential details of method).
- In the analysis, report the means, standard deviations or frequency information relevant to the observations. If significance tests are appropriate, then report these with supporting statistics. Tables/figures can be used if this helps convey the outcome of the observation.
- In a discussion, relate the outcome of the observation exercise to the literature as well as summarizing the results.

Requirements and Responsibilities of Psychology Faculty Supervisors

The Psychology Department Faculty Supervisor will:

be informed on College policies and requirements and their implication for the field study experience;
be available to confer with students about various placements during field study planning; initiate contact with proposed field study sites; verify placements with the student and the field study site;
maintain relationships with 2 field study sites, serving as a liaison between the field study site and the student;
consult on the development of the learning contract;
arrange to meet in person or by phone at the end of the field study with the field study site supervisor and student to do a final evaluation;
monitor student experience at the field study site;
evaluate student performance and file grades for students;
evaluate field study sites.

Requirements, Responsibilities, and Criteria of Field Study Site Supervisor

The Field Study Site Supervisor will:

meet with students interested in the field study site at the beginning of the academic year (or the previous semester) to arrange a placement;
develop an orientation or training process to facilitate the student's introduction to the field study site, its mission and clients;
identify a specific project / activity for the student to complete during the field study; students who have a clear identifiable project report greater satisfaction / learning as a result of this experience; Hours may break down in the following ways;
- 50 contact hours on site + 70 hours on Final Paper / 1 block credit
- 75 contact hours on site + 140 hours on Final Paper / 2 blocks credit
- Therefore,
  - 1 academic block = aprox. 13 hours / week on site
  - Extended Format for one year = approx. 2 hours / week on site (blocks 1 – 6)
  - Extended Format for one semester (typically first semester) = approx. 3 hours / week on site
provide the student with the opportunity to gain a broad identification with and understanding of the total agency; explain to the student how the agency makes decisions; facilitate visits / meetings / rotations with other agency personnel in order to gain this perspective;
help the student match his or her interests and field study opportunities within the broad scope of the field study educational objectives;
help the student develop individual learning contracts and strategies for learning specific to the field study site;
identify one or two reading assignments that will help the student appreciate the field study site;
challenge the student to make learning a conscious process and remember that the student is primarily in the role of learner at the field study site;
encourage healthy critical analysis on the part of the student;
hold regular supervisory conferences with the student to guide the student, answer questions, and discuss on-going projects;
contact the faculty supervisor if problems occur with the student's performance or carrying out of assigned tasks;
meet in person or by phone at end of field study with faculty supervisor and student to complete an evaluation.

Other Information

No “post-hoc” field study sites will satisfy Directed Field Study requirements.
Non-local field study sites are allowable with proper planning on the part of the student.