From classroom to community: How social work students develop culturally responsive practice through rural field education

Abstract

This study examines how social work students develop culturally responsive practice through rural field education in Nepal. Using experiential learning, cultural responsiveness, social justice, and local–global perspectives, it explores how students transform classroom theories into situated community knowledge. It focuses on encounters with cultural difference, structural inequality, limited services, and local support systems, as well as the roles of reflection and supervision. The study argues that rural field education enables students to question assumptions, adapt communication and interventions, recognize community knowledge, and connect individual experiences with wider social conditions. Strengthening reflective supervision and university-community partnerships can enhance context-sensitive practice.