88 ● Patrick Vakaoti
live-in volunteer, the author interacted with, supported, supervised, and
mentored the residents.
Although he found his time volunteering at the hostel personally fulfilling,
the author wondered whether he served the residents effectively. He often felt
inadequate, lacking the practical skills to complement his theoretical knowl-
edge of working with both individuals and groups. An introduction to group
work and group work skills at university would have contributed to a much
richer, more effective work experience. His situation was not unusual, and it
is probable that previous volunteers at the hostel and others working in simi-
lar environments had similar experiences. There was no practice manual, and
volunteers operated by instinct or whim, guided by the hostel’s philosophy
of providing its residents with the comfort of a home and supportive, caring
staff volunteers. The author ended his two years at the hostel with the insight
that his university qualifications had proven inadequate for his role and that
he required basic competencies for working effectively with young individu-
als and groups. Gaining these competencies was imperative, given his conviction
that his future lay with either professional work with young people or in a
community-oriented academic career. This experience was one of several that
led him to further studies to enable him to gain these competencies.
Supporting the Case for Applied SociologyWhile this experience illustrates the sociological influence of critical thinking
and reflexivity, it also highlights how one’s effectiveness in a work role can
be limited by a lack of education regarding how to act and respond appro-
priately to the social situation at hand. C. Wright Mills’s (1959) concept of
sociological imagination is still applicable, but the ability to make “sociologists
[become] aware of the practical and moral significance of their work” needs
to be translated into practice (Finkelstein 2009, 89). The author’s experience
and observations in the hostel were neither new nor unique to that situation,
but they serve to support Finkelstein’s (2009, 90) observation that “over the
past generation, the field of applied sociology and teaching and learning
sociological practice has struggled to develop in the discipline.”
This challenge has been recognized and addressed by sociologists them-
selves, making a stronger case for the teaching of practical or applied sociology.
Writing in the context of the United States, Finkelstein (2010, 97) proposed
four reasons for teaching applied sociology: “1) It promotes more effective
teaching and learning. 2) It is grounded in the roots of American sociology.
3) It helps produce change-based research; and 4) Students desire a sociology
they can use to engage the world and to help improve it.” These reasons are
not exhaustive, but they offer a starting point for consideration when teachers