Dataset Information

Research-based occupational therapy education: An exploration of students' and faculty members' experiences and perceptions.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

One argument for introducing research in bachelor`s degree in health care is to ensure the quality of future health care delivery. The requirements for research-based education have increased, and research on how research-based education is experienced is limited, especially in bachelor health care education programmes. The aim of this study was to explore how occupational therapy students and faculty members experienced and perceived research-based education.

Methods

This qualitative, interpretative description consisted of three focus group interviews with occupational therapy students in their final year (n = 8, 6 and 4), and three focus group interviews with faculty members affiliated with occupational therapy programmes in Norway (n = 5, 2 and 5). Interviewing both students and faculty members enabled us to explore the differences in their experiences and perceptions.

Results

Five integrative themes emerged from the analysis: "introducing research early", "setting higher expectations", "ensuring competence in research methods", "having role models" and "providing future best practice". Research was described as an important aspect of the occupational therapy bachelor program as it helps ensure that students achieve the necessary competence for offering future best practice. Students expressed a need to be introduced to research early in the program, and they preferred to have higher expectations regarding use of research. Competence in research methods and the importance of role models were also highlighted.

Conclusions

Undergraduate health care students are expected to be competent in using research. Findings from our study demonstrated that the participants perceived the use of research during training as important to ensure future best practice. Increasing the focus on research in the programme's curricula and efforts to improve students' formal training in research-specific skills could be a starting point towards increased use of research in the occupational therapy profession.

SUBMITTER: Helgoy KV

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7751851 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Research-based occupational therapy education: An exploration of students' and faculty members' experiences and perceptions.

Helgøy Kjersti Velde KV Smeby Jens-Christian JC Bonsaksen Tore T Rydland Olsen Nina N

PloS one 20201221 12

<h4>Introduction</h4>One argument for introducing research in bachelor`s degree in health care is to ensure the quality of future health care delivery. The requirements for research-based education have increased, and research on how research-based education is experienced is limited, especially in bachelor health care education programmes. The aim of this study was to explore how occupational therapy students and faculty members experienced and perceived research-based education.<h4>Methods</h4 ...[more]

PMID: 33347466

Similar Datasets

Project description:Introduction and objectiveThe commitment of pharmacy graduates to patient care and research is crucial to advancing pharmaceutical science and practice. Consequently, the value of involving undergraduate pharmacy students in research has been increasingly recognized. Given that the College of Pharmacy at Qatar University offers two undergraduate pharmacy research courses, it is relevant to explore the perception of faculty members of the delivery, impact, facilitators, barriers, and suggested improvements in these courses. This exploration will help to improve the existing curriculum and to highlight the prospective impact of student involvement in undergraduate pharmacy research courses on the personal and professional growth of students, as well as on the progressive evolution of the pharmacy profession.MethodsA qualitative exploratory case study was performed in which five virtual focus groups were conducted. All eligible faculty members from the clinical pharmacy and pharmaceutical science departments with experience supervising students who had taken one or two undergraduate pharmacy research courses were invited to participate. The focus group questions were based on the Theoretical domain framework of behavioral determinants. Verbatim transcription was performed, and the collected data were thematically analyzed using the computer-assisted coding software NVivo®.ResultsOf the 26 eligible faculty members, 21 participated in this study. Five deductive themes were identified: social professional role and influences, beliefs about capabilities, skills, beliefs about consequences and goals, and environmental resources and behavioral regulations. Overall, faculty members identified themselves as assessors and mentors. Participants expected students to possess independence, responsibility, and motivation. They believed that students generally required more practical research skills. Several benefits of incorporating students into undergraduate research have been highlighted, including increased publication productivity and quality. However, several hurdles to undergraduate research in pharmacy have been identified, including limited resources, limited timeframes, and sometimes delayed ethical approval.ConclusionFaculty members expressed optimism regarding the undergraduate research courses. However, some logistical concerns, including the lengthy ethical approval process and resource availability, must be addressed to optimize the effectiveness of these courses.

Project description:IntroductionAcademic institutions have a duty to equip health professional students with the requisite research skills to ensure the implementation of evidence-based practice. This study aims to determine the perceptions of pharmacy students and alumni toward research after completing Undergraduate Research in Pharmacy Courses (URPCs) at the College of Pharmacy-Qatar University (CPH-QU).MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted. All CPH-QU alumni (n = 238), and all third- and fourth-year professional students who had completed at least one URPC at the time of conducting the study (n = 42) were approached. The questionnaire contained items relating to research experience and perceptions of significance, confidence in conducting research, actual and anticipated outcomes, and motivation for future research. A Theoretical Domains Framework informed the development of selected items.ResultsThe response rate was 72.1% (202/280); however, the usable rate was 95.5% (193/202). The participants gave positive responses relating to their perceptions of research significance {Median = 5.0 [Interquartile range (IQR) = 1.0], Minimum-Maximum = 1-5}, confidence in conducting research [Median = 4.0 (IQR = 1.0), Minimum-Maximum = 1-5], actual and anticipated outcomes [Median = 4.0 (IQR = 1.0), Minimum-Maximum = 1-5], and motivation for future research plans [Median = 4.0 (IQR = 1.0), Minimum-Maximum = 1-5]. The majority of participants perceived non-confidence in using data analysis software [72 (39.4% non-confidence)] and a high proportion of participants were non-confident in conducting data analysis [45 (24.6% non-confidence)]. More than half reported publishing at least one peer-reviewed article [99 (54.4% agreement)] from their courses and were highly motivated to consider post-graduate degrees in pharmacy [132 (73.3% agreement)].ConclusionsIncorporating URPCs into CPH-QU curriculum has potentially improved students and alumni's perceptions of research. Action is needed to improve confidence in different aspects of research.

Project description:Background: The subject of continuous improvement in the quality of nursing education programme is an extremely sensitive issue worldwide, particularly in the Philippines where a high number of trained registered nurses are exported to both developed and developing countries. The assessment of the quality of nursing education programme is usually measured using pass rates in licensure examinations by several government organizations. However, few studies have indicated that various categories of faculty members view the quality of nursing programmes differently, this study probed further and determined whether the quality of nursing education programme differs according to the profile of faculty members in Philippines colleges of higher education.Methods: A cross-sectional survey study design was employed in this study. One hundred and eight-five (185) faculty members in fifteen (15) higher educational institutions were selected for the research using purposive-census sampling. The study was carried out from January 1 to June 30, 2017. Close-ended structured questionnaires based on study objectives were used to collect data. Frequency and percentages were used to analyse the profile of faculty members whereas weighted means from a four Likert's scale was used to interpret the extent of perceived quality of nursing education programme.Results: Majority, 39 and 46% of faculty members had 1-5?years' clinical experience and 6-10?years of teaching experience respectively. Faculty members strongly agreed with a grand weighted mean of 3.84 out of 4.00 that nursing education programme is of good quality in the Philippines and is synonyms with other universities in the world. Teaching experience of faculty members showed significant relations in the quality of mission/vision/goals/objectives (p-value?=?0.008), curriculum and instruction (p-value?=?0.038), administration of nursing programme (p-value?=?0.025), faculty development programme (p-value?=?0.003), physical structure and equipment (p-value?=?0.016), student services (p-value?=?0.017), admission of students (p-value?=?0.010) and quality assurance system (p-value?=?0.009).Conclusion: Faculty members strongly perceived nursing education programme to be of good quality in this study. Teaching experience of instructors showed a significant relationship with the quality of nursing education programme in all the quality assessment indicators. However, clinical experience and job category of faculty members rather showed that the quality of nursing education programme is the same throughout all the higher educational institutions. The study implies that the teaching experience of faculty members is a strong predictor of quality of nursing education programme and employing faculty experienced in teaching is substantial for the continuous improvement of nursing education programme.

Project description:PurposeThis study examines physical and occupational therapy faculty across Canada, using bibliometrics and federal funding as indicators of academic impact, and considers the validity of various bibliometric indices.MethodsFaculty members were identified and their rank, professional designation, and department obtained from faculty Web sites. Bibliometric indicators were determined using Publish or Perish software. An independent author (not a faculty member) inspected the data to remove any incorrectly attributed publications. The h-index, citation years, g-index, and total number of citations for each faculty member were retrieved. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funding database was used to determine the amount of research funding provided to each faculty member as a principal investigator (PI) and his or her total CIHR funding received. Mean faculty indicators by university, rank, gender, and profession were determined. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to detect differences by rank and gender, and measures of association (Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression) were used to identify factors that affected h-index and PI funding received.ResultsA total of 347 physical and occupational therapy faculty were identified. The median h-index was 5 (inter-quartile range [IQR] 2-8) for assistant professors, 11 (IQR 7-15) for associate professors, and 18 (IQR 12-26) for full professors. ANOVA indicated no significant differences between male and female faculty in terms of h-index or funding received. Regression analysis indicated that 58% of h-index variance could be explained by gender (p=0.039), appointment within a department that provides a (rehabilitation science) PhD programme (p<0.001), rank (p<0.001), CIHR PI funding (p=0.001), or total CIHR funding (p<0.001). Significant predictors of the amount of CIHR funding received as a PI included h-index (p<0.001) and total number of citations (p=0.023), which together explained 27% of the variation in funding received.ConclusionThe h-index, although not without flaws, provides a useful metric that indicates that physical and occupational faculty in Canada are productive scientists having a measurable impact and that this impact increases with rank and greater funding.

Dataset Information

Research-based occupational therapy education: An exploration of students' and faculty members' experiences and perceptions.

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Research-based occupational therapy education: An exploration of students' and faculty members' experiences and perceptions.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets