In an era when social work schools assimilate new strategies aimed at adjusting themselves to new challenges and dynamic changes, it is evident that students’ commitment to the profession is imperative, in addition to the acquisition of professional knowledge and skills.

The main goal of the study was to determine the perceptions of social work students, about their practical learning experience in institutions, assessing the effectiveness of interaction with professionals, student comfort for learning in practice institutions, students’ motivation, and the main barriers in their professional development.

The research involved a sample of 108 social work students from second and third year of bachelor's, from one university in the Western of Romania. A questionnaire containing 22 items was built by the researchers, using both quantitative research questions to measure the quantifiable variables under study and open-ended questions for understanding students’ experiences about practice in institutions. We chose a combination of quantitative and qualitative data gathering and analysis in order to better understand and explain students’ perceptions about their practice in institutions. The data was collected through an online self-administered survey, using Google forms.

We appreciate that our findings can be used in the detailed design of instructional-educational activities with an authentic outcome, especially related to practice in institutions. We believe that they must be clear, easy to understand and with a concrete applicability. Also, our study showed that it is necessary to enhance a creative curriculum to support student confidence and competence by facilitating a supported learning environment offered by practice supervisors in the social work institutions.

Keywords: Students’ practice, social work, motivation, authentic outcome.