A qualitative evaluation of a student midwife placement teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL)

INTRODUCTION A shortage of UK midwives has put pressure on clinical placements and
supervision of student midwives. Alternative placement solutions are needed to provide
students with meaningful learning experiences. One such learning experience was a
placement undertaken by student midwives who attended a program teaching English to
speakers of other languages (ESOL). This study evaluated the impact of the placement on
student midwife learning and experiences of the ESOL participants.
METHODS The 2022 study employed a qualitative design using Kolb’s model of experiential
learning as a framework. Ten student midwives placed with the ESOL program and three
women enrolled in the program participated. Data were collected via online focus groups
with the student midwives and a face-to-face focus group with the women. Data were
analyzed using thematic analysis and Kolb’s model of experiential learning.
RESULTS Four themes were constructed: ‘Putting the scripts aside: expectations versus
the reality of being an educator’, ‘Adapting and personalizing teaching’, ‘We are learning
too: an environment for mutual learning’, and ‘Taking our learning forwards’. Students
faced barriers during their placement and had to adapt their teaching accordingly. They
gained crucial knowledge of the challenges faced by women who speak other languages.
The women valued the students’ input and together they forged a reciprocal learning
environment.
CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates how placing student midwives in a unique
non-maternity setting has benefits for student learning which are transferrable to future
practice. Importantly, it confirms that quality of learning during a novel placement is not
compromised for students or participants