Teaching and learning preferences of ‘Generation Y’ occupational therapy students in practice education

Abstract Background: Healthcare professionals and students are expected to work according to evidence-based practice (EBP). The EBP work file, an online learning tool that covers all steps in the EBP process, is an approach to teaching and learning EBP. The aim of this study was to examine possible differences in occupational therapy students’ self-reported attitude, skills, use and implementation of EBP during their second-year clinical placement by comparing students who applied the EBP work file with students who did not use it.Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional comparative study was conducted. The sample comprised three cohorts (1, 2 and 3) of second-year occupational therapy students from Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and two cohorts (4 and 5) from Oslo Metropolitan University. Five cohorts in total took part in the study (n = 126 students). The students answered two questionnaires (“EBP Beliefs Scale” and “EBP Implementation Scale”) after completing their second-year clinical placement. The analysis was based on descriptive statistics and calculation of the frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations of all participating students’ scores on the two questionnaires. ANOVA with Bonferroni correction was conducted to analyse differences between the mean totals of the questionnaires. Results: The response rate was 57.3%. The average scores were 56.8 on the EBP Beliefs Scale and 15.8 on the EBP Implementation Scale. Students from cohort 5 (who had extra instruction and assignments via the EBP work file) had statistically lower scores than students form cohort 1 on the Implementation Scale. These students believed that EBP results in the best clinical care for patients, but they lacked confidence in their ability to use EBP. Conclusions: Additional EBP work-file assignments were insufficient to support students in the implementation of EBP during clinical placements. It is important to teach students EBP skills and to demonstrate how they can use this competency in their work with patients. Including clinical instructors in EBP teaching and learning seems essential.

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Personality Type in Occupational Therapy Students: Implications for Teaching and Learning Strategies

Occupational Therapy In Health Care ◽

10.1300/j003v18n01_09 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 83-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Paula Jamison ◽

Diane Dirette

Keyword(s):

Occupational Therapy ◽

Learning Strategies ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Personality Type ◽

Occupational Therapy Students ◽

Teaching And Learning Strategies

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Digital Storytelling as a Reflective Tool in Occupational Therapy Curriculum

Occupational Therapy International ◽

10.1155/2021/2463916 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Amshuda Sonday

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Focus Group ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Occupational Therapy ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Digital Storytelling ◽

Industrial Revolution ◽

Occupational Therapy Students ◽

Semistructured Interviews ◽

Inductive Analysis

With a shift in moving towards the 4th industrial revolution, digital storytelling has been identified as a novel way of facilitating teaching and learning. This paper will be aimed at offering an understanding of the experience and perspective of occupational therapy students in using digital storytelling as a reflective tool as an assignment as part of their undergraduate and masters occupational therapy curriculum at a university in South Africa. A descriptive qualitative study was undertaken, and five participants were purposively recruited. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted as well as a focus group with participants. An inductive analysis revealed two themes: Reflections on relevance within the occupational therapy curriculum and Is technology the new direction? The findings conclude that digital storytelling as a medium to showcase reflections on identifying formation was an innovative and novel way of documenting the reflective experiences of occupational therapy students.

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Evidence-based practice work file - A learning strategy for occupational therapy students during clinical placements: a descriptive cross-sectional study

10.21203/rs.2.18780/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Susanne Johnson ◽

Else Britt Bruset ◽

Kari Margrete Hjelle ◽

Malin Mongs ◽

Unni Sveen

Keyword(s):

Occupational Therapy ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Evidence Based Practice ◽

Clinical Placement ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Clinical Placements ◽

Occupational Therapy Students ◽

Second Year ◽

Ebp Implementation

Abstract Background Healthcare professionals and students are expected to work according to evidence-based practice (EBP). The EBP work file, an online learning tool that covers all steps in the EBP process, is an approach to teaching and learning EBP. The aim of this study was to examine possible differences in occupational therapy students’ self-reported attitude, skills, use and implementation of EBP during their second-year clinical placement by comparing students who applied the EBP work file with students who did not use it. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional comparative study was conducted. The sample comprised three cohorts (1, 2 and 3) of second-year occupational therapy students from Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and two cohorts (4 and 5) from Oslo Metropolitan University. Five cohorts in total took part in the study (n = 126 students). The students answered two questionnaires (“EBP Beliefs Scale” and “EBP Implementation Scale”) after completing their second-year clinical placement. The analysis was based on descriptive statistics and calculation of the frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations of all participating students’ scores on the two questionnaires. ANOVA with Bonferroni correction was conducted to analyse differences between the mean totals of the questionnaires. Results The response rate was 57.3%. The average scores were 56.8 on the EBP Beliefs Scale and 15.8 on the EBP Implementation Scale. Students from cohort 5 (who had extra instruction and assignments via the EBP work file) had statistically lower scores than students form cohort 1 on the Implementation Scale. These students believed that EBP results in the best clinical care for patients, but they lacked confidence in their ability to use EBP. Conclusions Additional EBP work-file assignments were insufficient to support students in the implementation of EBP during clinical placements. It is important to teach students EBP skills and to demonstrate how they can use this competency in their work with patients. Including clinical instructors in EBP teaching and learning seems essential.

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‘You actually see what occupational therapists do in real life’: Outcomes and critical features of first-year practice education placements

British Journal of Occupational Therapy ◽

10.1177/0308022620920535 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 83 (10) ◽

pp. 638-647

Author(s):

Anne Honey ◽

Merrolee Penman

Keyword(s):

Occupational Therapy ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Real Life ◽

Occupational Therapists ◽

First Year ◽

Life Outcomes ◽

Occupational Therapy Students ◽

Hands On ◽

Constant Comparative Analysis ◽

Practice Education

Introduction First-year practice education placements have numerous benefits for occupational therapy students but are resource intensive. In considering alternatives, it is critical to consider students’ voices to ensure that planned experiences enable students to achieve the outcomes they value and need. This study examined undergraduate occupational therapy students’ views about important outcomes and characteristics of first-year placements. Methods Focus groups were conducted with 18 occupational therapy students and analysed using constant comparative analysis. Findings Two overarching outcomes were valued: confirmation of occupational therapy as a career choice and experience to draw on for future learning and practice. These outcomes were achievable through four proximal outcomes: understanding occupational therapy; understanding clients; finding out about myself and developing skills. The extent to which the valued outcomes were attained was determined by eight critical experiences: observing an occupational therapist in action; seeing real clients with real issues; seeing positive impact; seeing the bigger picture; accessing the occupational therapist’s reasoning; hands-on doing; getting feedback on skills and thinking analytically/reflectively. Conclusion In designing first-year placements, practice educators and academics need to ensure that students are provided with experiences that incorporate reality, participation and making connections to a bigger picture of occupational therapy service provision.

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Personality Type in Occupational Therapy Students: Implications for Teaching and Learning Strategies

Occupational Therapy In Health Care ◽

10.1080/j003v18n01_09 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 18 (1-2) ◽

pp. 83-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Paula W. Jamison ◽

Diane Dirette

Keyword(s):

Occupational Therapy ◽

Learning Strategies ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Personality Type ◽

Occupational Therapy Students ◽

Teaching And Learning Strategies

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An exploration of evidence-based practice work files for occupational therapy students during clinical placements: a descriptive cross-sectional study

10.21203/rs.2.18780/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Susanne Johnson ◽

Else Britt Bruset ◽

Kari Margrete Hjelle ◽

Malin Mongs ◽

Unni Sveen

Keyword(s):

Occupational Therapy ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Evidence Based Practice ◽

Clinical Care ◽

Clinical Placement ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Clinical Placements ◽

Occupational Therapy Students ◽

Second Year

Abstract Background: Bachelor students of occupational therapy are expected to work in accordance with evidence-based practice (EBP). The EBP work file, a learning tool in a Word document format, covering all steps in the EBP process, is an approach to teaching and learning EBP. The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes and behaviours of occupational therapy students’ in relation to applying evidence-based practice during their second-year clinical placement. We compared cohorts who received training in EBP work files with those who did not receive such training.Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional comparative study was conducted. Five cohorts of second-year occupational therapy students took part in the study. The students answered two questionnaires, the EBP Beliefs Scale and the EBP Implementation Scale, after completing their second-year clinical placement. The analysis was based on descriptive statistics and calculation of the frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviations of all participating students’ scores across both questionnaires. ANOVA with Bonferroni correction was conducted to analyse the differences between the mean totals of the questionnaires. Results: In this study, 126 occupational therapy students participated (response rate = 57.3%). The students reacted positively to EBP, although few were practicing EBP. The students believed that EBP resulted in the best clinical care for patients, but they lacked confidence in their own ability to apply EBP. The students in Cohort 5, who received extra instruction and assignments via the EBP work file, rated their EBP behaviour statistically lower than the students in Cohort 1, who did not receive extra training on the EBP work file. Conclusions: Additional EBP work file assignments were insufficient in terms of supporting students in the implementation of EBP during clinical placements. It is, therefore, important to facilitate the learning strategies of EBP skills and demonstrate how students can practise this competency during clinical placements. Including clinical instructors in EBP teaching and learning seems essential.

Download Full-text