Personality traits predictive of field performance for foundationyear MSW students: An exploratory study

Few students are screened out of social work programs (Gibbs, 1994; Rapp-Paglicci et al., 2006) and there has been an increase in malpractice claims against social workers recently (Reamer, 2005). Although gatekeeping the profession is considered an essential aspect of social work education, there has been scant empirical inquiry in this area. The existing literature does not provide conclusive information about the factors that predict student success in field performance. There has been some speculation that students' background characteristics may be relevant to field performance (Fortune, 2003; Regehr et al., 2001). Other professions have identified personality as an essential ingredient for success in field performance (Hojat et al, 2004). The purpose of this study was to identify personality factors predictive of MSW students' field performance.;Data were collected from 253 foundation year students entering the field, and their field instructors at the University of Maryland across an academic year in this exploratory, semi-longitudinal study. Surveys included measures derived from the social work literature, the most utilized psychology personality inventory, and demographics. GPA records and admissions ratings were also utilized in a multivariate statistical analysis. A new performance evaluation measure originated and utilized in social work and medical education in Canada represented the field performance rating (Bogo et al., 2006). Graduate GPAs for both semesters were also evaluated as an outcome measure and potential mediating variables of social support, stress, and self-efficacy were examined.;There was a correlation between the personality domain of Agreeableness and field performance in both semesters. Although personality did not predict field performance, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that personality did predict GPA. Findings suggest that certain personal attributes may be particularly relevant to performance in the MSW program. Significant predictors of graduate GPA included personality traits of Agreeableness, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, age, self-efficacy, and undergraduate GPA. Agreeableness, which was associated to both outcome measures in both semesters, may be particularly relevant to social work performance. Suggestions for future research include replication with broader samples, refinement of the outcome measure, and mixed method studies. This study has implications for social work educational gatekeeping policies and practice.