Exploring Students’ Experiences in Occupational Therapy Education: A Phenomenological Study of Professional Identity Development

The existing literature on professional identity enactment and development, subscribes to students’ socializing in a learning environment, where they regularly encounter practicing professionals throughout their education period. However, in most countries with less resourced occupational therapists like Ghana, education in occupational therapy is fraught with inadequate number of same professionals to mentor undergraduate occupational therapy students. The students are thus faced with serious dilemma regarding their professional identity which tends to elicit a bleak perception of their chosen career. The present study was therefore envisaged to interpret and analyse the students’ lived experiences, with the view to capture the process of constructing and developing professional identity. The study focused on purposively sampled group of nine undergraduate occupational therapy students during their practice placement education, and their learning styles on didactic lectures. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was adopted for the study. The students were followed up throughout their four-year study program for data collection, using one-to-one semi-structured interviews each year. With reference to the threshold concepts, transcribed interview data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological procedures. The study established a transformational development of professional identity from the novice stage into graduate professionals, amidst complex interaction of co-constructed themes which included: personal knowing, professional knowing and experiential knowing.

Occupational Therapy Education in Bangladesh during COVID-19: Students’ voice

The COVID-19 has rapidly changed in higher education all across the world. As a result, education has transferred face-to-face teaching to online education platforms, which directly affects the quality of education. The study aimed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online Occupational Therapy (OT) education in Bangladesh through the student’s perspectives. A cross-sectional online survey was performed to conduct the study through email.160 undergraduate Occupational Therapy students were selected by comprehensive sampling technique. Self-developed structured survey questionnaire and five point Likert scale were used for data collection. Descriptive analyses were used to analyze survey results. Data were obtained from 114 responses. Results indicated that males were 34% and females were 66%. The study findings that most participants were used Zoom and mobile phone. They had an average of 10-12 hours weekly screen time for institutional lectures and 3-5 hours average weekly screen time for self-study. The reported health-related problems were eye problem 74.6%, attention problem 71.1%, headache 70.2% and 57% neck and back pain. During the online education, 59.6% participants faced ‘always’ difficulties in practical learning. 98.2% faced internet disconnection, 70.2% and 43% audio and video interruption and 39.5% freeze screen during internet use. Participants developed new skills in the pandemic where 78.9% were learned household activities. Strength of the online education was participants engaged in the class from anywhere. The study has broad implications for the field of OT education. Participants recommended for improving internet connectivity, provide free internet packages, lecture method up-gradation, and e-library facilities for future online education.

Occupational Science Concepts Essential to Occupation-Based Practice: Development of Expert Consensus

Importance: What occupational science (OS) knowledge may be essential to occupational therapy practice has not been systematically explored. Objective: To identify and gain expert consensus on OS concepts viewed as essential to occupational therapy practice. Design: A complex, convergent mixed-methods Delphi design with an international panel of OS experts randomly assigned to two parallel groups. In Round 1, each group generated OS concepts; in Rounds 2 and 3, they rated the degree to which each concept was essential to occupational therapy. Data were analyzed separately for each group. A fourth round combined the two groups and used carefully merged concept definitions from both groups to validate consensus on essential concepts arising from the prior rounds. Participants: Fifty-two nominated experts from 22 countries who met a priori criteria participated in the 14-mo study. Results: Of 62 experts invited, 52 (Group A = 24, Group B = 28) participated in the first round, and 42 (81%) completed the full-group final round. Eleven concepts met the consensus threshold (≥70%) established for the study. Additional analysis compared parallel- and full-group results to carefully discern conceptual similarities and differences, especially with near-consensus concepts. Conclusions and Relevance: Substantial expert agreement was established for several OS concepts viewed as essential, providing a basis for future studies to refine the concepts for occupational therapy education and practice. What This Article Adds: The results of this research provide a systematically derived preliminary basis for selecting OS content for occupational therapy educational programs and preliminary concepts for organizing OS knowledge germane to occupational therapy practice.

Violência, ato infracional e escola pública: reflexões a partir da compreensão de professores e gestores do ensino médio/ Violence, infractions and the public school: reflecting upon understanding teachers and high school management

Introdução: A escola pública é (deveria ser) um elo importante da rede social dos jovens de classes populares, mas são grandes as lacunas quanto à equidade e qualidade do acesso a ela, que muitas vezes também têm sido espaço de expressão e reprodução das múltiplas formas de violência. Objetivo: Analisar como professores e gestores de uma escola pública percebem e lidam com as questões do conflito, da violência e do ato infracional no contexto escolar. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo, cujos dados foram produzidos a partir de entrevistas com nove membros da equipe de uma escola pública de Maceió-AL, e analisados por meio da análise temática. Resultados e discussão: Os dados revelaram que, para os entrevistados, dificuldades dos estudantes em seguir regras é frequentemente associada a situações de conflito, que podem culminar em violência, e que o bullying é a forma mais comum de violência na escola. Boa parte dos professores desconhecem o que seria o ato infracional, apesar da presença de jovens em cumprimento de medida socioeducativa na escola. Os professores e gestores possuem uma visão emancipadora de educação, mas afirmam que poucas atividades têm sido feitas sobre a questão da violência e do ato infracional na escola, além de pontuarem desafios para atingir a função emancipadora da escola. Conclusões: O estudo permitiu levantar dados da realidade sobre a vivência de professores e gestores de uma escola sobre as temáticas da violência e do ato infracional.Palavras-chave: Exposição à Violência. Adolescente. Terapia Ocupacional. Educação. AbstractIntroduction: Public school is (ora t least it should be) an important link from lower social and economical class young people’s social network, however, there are huge gaps when it comes to equality and quality of access to schools, which, many times, have also been a space for the expression and reproduction of multiple kinds of violence. Objectives: To analyze and how teachers and managers from a public school perceive and cope with the matters of conflict, violence and infraction within the school context. Methodology: The following is a qualitative study with data produced through interviews with nine active members of a public school in Maceió – AL and then analyzes through theme analysis Results and discussion: The data revealed that, according to those who were interviewed, student’s difficulty in following rules is frequently associated with conflict situations, which can lead to violence, and, the most common kind of violence in schools is bullying. A big portion of the teachers do not know what is infraction, despite the presence of young people ongoing social educative measures in school. The teachers and managers have an emancipating view upon education, however, they say that few activities have been made about infractions and violence in schools, they have also pointed out the challenges in reaching the school’s emancipating function. Conclusion: This study made it possible to collect data about the reality and livelihood of teachers and school managers of a school regarding the violence and infraction subject.Keywords: Exposure to violence. Teenager. Occupational Therapy. Education. ResumenIntroducción: La escuela pública es (debe ser) un eslabón importante en la red social de los jóvenes de clases bajas, pero existen grandes brechas en cuanto a equidad y calidad de acceso a la misma, que muchas veces también han sido un espacio de expresión y reproducción de formas de violencia. Objetivo: Analizar cómo los docentes y directivos de una escuela pública perciben y abordan los problemas de conflicto, de la violencia y el acto infraccional en el contexto escolar. Metodología: Se trata de un estudio cualitativo, cuyos datos se elaboraron a partir de entrevistas a nueve miembros del personal de una escuela pública de Maceió-AL, y se analizaron mediante análisis temático. Resultados y discusión: Los datos revelaron que, para los entrevistados, las dificultades de los estudiantes para seguir las reglas a menudo se asocian con situaciones de conflicto, que pueden culminar en violencia, y que el bullying es la forma más común de violencia en la escuela. La mayoría de los docentes desconocen cuál sería la infracción, a pesar de la presencia de jóvenes en cumplimiento de una medidad socioeducativa en la escuela. Los docentes y directivos tienen una visión emancipadora de la educación, pero afirman que se han realizado pocas actividades sobre el tema de la violencia y el acto infraccional en la escuela, además de puntuar los desafíos para lograr la función emancipadora de la escuela. Conclusión: El estudio permitió obtener datos sobre la realidad de la experiencia de docentes y administradores escolares sobre los temas de violencia y acto infraccional.Palabras clave: Exposición a la violência. Adolescente. Terapia Ocupacional. Educación.

Barreiras arquitetônicas e suas implicações no contexto escolar para pessoas com deficiência física e visual em um projeto educacional / Architectural barriers and their implications in the school context for people with physical and visual disabilities in an educational project

Introdução: A educação fomenta a formação das pessoas. Por tal significância, o contexto escolar deve oferecer oportunidades igualitárias. Sendo a Tecnologia Assistiva uma disciplina multiprofissional, a Terapia Ocupacional a utiliza de modo a tornar o espaço escolar menos excludente para Pessoas com Deficiência. Objetivo: Objetivou-se identificar barreiras arquitetônicas para pessoas com deficiência física e visual em um projeto educacional. Esse artigo cunhou-se durante o Estágio Curricular do Curso de Terapia Ocupacional da Universidade do Estado do Pará no contexto educacional, em uma instituição social situada na cidade de Belém-PA. Método: Trata-se de um estudo de caso de natureza descritiva, abordagem qualitativa e procedimentos documentais, utilizando registros produzidos através de diário de campo e relatórios como fonte de dados. Estruturou-se em três fases: preparação para ida à campo; observação do lócus; identificação de demandas, utilizando o Manual de Acessibilidade Espacial para Escolas: o direito à escola acessível! como parâmetro. Diante disto, o ambiente analisado foi composto por: rua em frente à escola; portão da escola à porta de entrada; recepção e salas de atendimento; corredores; escadas e rampas; salas de aula; biblioteca; auditório; sanitários; refeitório; e espaço destinado ao lazer. Resultados: Constatou-se que alguns equipamentos, espaços e alternativas à acessibilidade eram ausentes no local, dificultando a inclusão escolar. Reconhecer as barreiras arquitetônicas abre diálogo à inclusão de pessoas com deficiência em espaços educacionais, pois favorece reflexões e ações voltadas à acessibilidade e à garantia de direitos neste contexto. Conclusão: Nesse sentido, a Terapia Ocupacional pode contribuir na promoção das ocupações, em estratégias adaptativas e mudanças arquitetônicas.Palavras-Chave: Terapia Ocupacional. Educação. Acessibilidade Arquitetônica.AbstractIntroduction: Education fosters the training of individuals. For such significance, the school context must offer equal opportunities. As Assistive Technology is a multidisciplinary discipline, Occupational Therapy uses it in order to make the school space less exclusive for People with Disabilities. Objective: The objective was to identify architectural barriers for people with physical and visual disabilities in an educational project located in the city of Belém-Pa. This article was coined during the Curricular Internship of the Occupational Therapy Course at Pará State University in the educational context, in a social institution located in that municipality. Method: This is a case study of a descriptive nature, qualitative approach and documentary procedures, using records produced through field diaries and reports as a data source. It was structured in three phases: preparation for going to the field; observation of the locus; identification of demands, using the Spatial Accessibility Manual for Schools: The right to accessible school! as a parameter. Given this, the analysis of the environment was composed by: street in front of the school; school gate to the entrance door; reception and reception rooms; runners; stairs and ramps; classrooms; library; auditorium; Sanitary; refectory; and space for leisure. Results: It was found that some equipment, spaces and alternatives to accessibility were absent in the place, making inclusion difficult. Recognizing architectural barriers opens a dialogue to guarantee the rights to education for people with physical and visual disabilities. Conclusion: Therefore, Occupational Therapy in the school environment plays an important role in promoting occupations and adaptive strategies.Keywords: Occupational therapy. Education. Architectural Accessibility ResumenIntroducción: La educación fomenta la formación de las personas. Para tal trascendencia, el contexto escolar debe ofrecer igualdad de oportunidades. Dado que la Tecnología de Asistencia es una disciplina multidisciplinaria, la Terapia Ocupacional la utiliza para hacer que el espacio escolar sea menos exclusivo para las Personas con Discapacidad. Objetivo: El objetivo fue identificar barreras arquitectónicas para personas con discapacidad física y visual en un proyecto educativo ubicado en la ciudad de Belém-Pa. Este artículo fue acuñado durante la Pasantía Curricular del Curso de Terapia Ocupacional de la Universidad Estatal de Pará en el contexto educativo, en una institución social ubicada en ese municipio. Metodo: Se trata de un estudio de caso de carácter descriptivo, enfoque cualitativo y procedimientos documentales, utilizando como fuente de datos registros producidos a través de diarios e informes de campo. Se estructuró en tres fases: preparación para la salida al campo; observación del locus; identificación de demandas, utilizando el Manual de Accesibilidad Espacial para Escuelas: ¡El derecho a la escuela accesible! como parámetro. Ante esto, el análisis del entorno estuvo compuesto por: calle frente a la escuela; puerta de la escuela a la puerta de entrada; salas de recepción y recepción; corredores escaleras y rampas; salas de clase; biblioteca; sala; Sanitario; refectorio; y espacio para el ocio. Resultados: Se encontró que algunos equipamientos, espacios y alternativas de accesibilidad estaban ausentes en el lugar, lo que dificultaba la inclusión. Reconocer las barreras arquitectónicas abre un diálogo para garantizar los derechos a la educación de las personas con discapacidad física y visual. Conclusión: Por lo tanto, la Terapia Ocupacional en el entorno escolar juega un papel importante en la promoción de ocupaciones y estrategias adaptativas.Palabras clave: Terapia ocupacional. Educación. Accesibilidad Arquitectónica.

Patient Case Formulations and Oppressive Disability Discourses in Occupational Therapy Education

Background. Patient case formulations have become a standard feature in occupational therapy (OT) education. Despite their demonstrated benefits in optimizing student learning, patient case formulations may unintentionally convey oppressive disability discourses. Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate and invite critical reflection on the use of patient case formulations in reinforcing ableist discourses and assumptions in OT education and practice. Key Issues. Through the lens of critical disability theory and Crip theory, the author demonstrates how patient case formulations are often reflective of institutionalized ableism that functions to support oppressive disability discourses in the profession, contributing to harmful healthcare practices. Implications. The ongoing use of patient case formulations rooted in oppressive disability discourses perpetuates oppressive constructions of disabled people in OT education and practice. A radical shift towards pedagogical materials and practices that support identity-affirming disability discourses would be more aligned with the profession’s expressed values.