AN EXAMINATION OF FIELD INSTRUCTOR TURNOVER IN RELATION TO AGENCY AND UNIVERSITY SUPPORT, JOB SATISFACTION, AND INTRINSIC SATISFACTION

Abstract

This study was concerned with the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards of field instruction as they relate to field instructors' decision to continue supervising students. All the field instructors of the New York University School of Social Work were asked to participate in the study, of which 91 percent (327) responded. The following were the four major areas investigated: agency supports; University supports; job satisfaction; and intrinsic rewards of field instruction.;The hypothesis that field instructors are more likely to plan to continue supervising students if their agencies are supportive of their efforts was confirmed. One surprising finding was that field instructors did not seem to be influenced in their judgments of agency support of field instruction by the amount of extra time that they had to devote to supervising their students.;There was a strong correlation between field instructors' feelings about their current association with N.Y.U. and their desire to be associated with N.Y.U. during the following year. The faculty advisor, the essential link between the field instructor and the University, was perceived as being more helpful with an increase in communication.;The field instructors' general satisfaction with their jobs and working conditions also influenced their plans to continue as field instructors.;The rewards that were studied arising from the content of the work itself (intrinsic rewards) were the following: teaching; sharpening practice skills; learning new ideas; contributing to the profession; and relieving the boredom of the job. As hypothesized, all the above variables correlated positively with field instructors' plans to take students the next year. Relieving the boredom of the job was found to be most important by correlation. Interestingly, when the field instructors were asked directly what they regarded as most influential in making their decisions, teaching was reported as most important and relieving the boredom of the job as least important.;As hypothesized, the quality of the student correlated positively with all the major variables of the study: satisfaction with agency supports; plans to continue with N.Y.U., satisfaction with teaching and the dependent variables of plans to continue field instruction.