A comparison of the reactions of pre-service and in-service social workers to microtraining.

This paper is concerned with the training of social work students in skills of interpersonal communication. In particular, it compares the attitudes of pre-service and in-service social workers, to a programme of microtraining incorporating skills analysis and CCTV recordings. It was found that while both groups were favourably disposed towards this form of training, the pre-service students were significantly more positive in their reactions to the training experience. Possible reasons for this difference are discussed, together with the ramifications for trainers involved in this type of work.