Abstract
In 2008, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) elevated field education by recognizing it as the signature pedagogy of social work education in the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS), aligning it to accreditation. This Banded Dissertation explores the current state of field education in relation to this landmark designation. In addition, a practice application is proposed to advance the role of field education in achieving a fully representative pedagogy for the field. The systems perspective combined with a systems approach to transformational leadership provided the framework for the scholarship. Product One is a conceptual paper that first identified the barriers that existed within the varying systems of the larger field education environment and then proposed a practice application to empower field directors and engage stakeholders in the pursuit of a field-centric environment in social work education. Product Two is a research study that used a content analysis to assess evidence of alignment with field education as signature pedagogy as a part of the accreditation process for undergraduate-level social work education programs. Product Three is a poster presentation of the findings of Products One and Two given at the 2020 National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Ohio peer-reviewed conference. This banded dissertation contributes to the literature by providing a comprehensive assessment of the barriers to achieving field education as signature pedagogy, with a focus on the relationship to accreditation. The proposed practice application serves as a system-wide strategy that can advance collaboration and innovation between social work education and practice to benefit all.