School psychologists often have the opportunity to work with students and families from varied backgrounds and cultures. While this can be an exciting and enriching part of the job, it can also be daunting for some practitioners, particularly those who are inadequately prepared. A number of strategies have been implemented in school psychology training programs to improve students' intercultural competency. This exploratory study investigated the results of one university's short-term study abroad program for school psychology graduate students. Pre-and post-intercultural development assessments were given to school psychology graduate students who completed a course abroad; results were compared to students who took the same course on campus in the United States. Findings indicated that there was no measurable growth in intercultural competence in either group. Implications for school psychology training programs, suggestions for future research, and ways to improve intercultural competency among school psychologists are discussed.
There is an increasing need to include interprofessional experiences in undergraduate health education. Simulation is one methodology revered as being able to facilitate interprofessional learning opportunities in a safe, structured environment. This project aimed to develop, trial and evaluate an interprofessional simulation role-play tutorial utilising DVD resources. In total, 70 speech pathology students and 76 occupational therapy students participated in a role-play involving DVD footage and documentation to facilitate assessment planning and analysis of assessment data for a child with autism. Questionnaires asked participants to rate their perceived experiences across 13 items using a 5-point Likert scale, as well as three open-ended questions. The results revealed positive reactions to the role-play and suggested that students felt that the learning objectives had been met. Many students expressed interest in engaging in further interprofessional learning experiences. Taken in conjunction with other similar studies, interprofessional simulation-based workshops using DVD footage may provide a manageable alternative to traditional interprofessional learning modalities, in particular when incorporating clients with complex and developmental disabilities.
Indigenous peoples throughout the world, despite being known to suffer from increased risk of stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI), are marginalised in terms of access to rehabilitation services and have poorer health outcomes than non-indigenous peoples. Speech-language pathology services for indigenous people with aphasia have rarely been discussed in either clinical or research fora in this field, with few guidelines available for clinicians when working with indigenous clients, families, and communities. Exploiting the broad input gathered through the collective problem-solving of a focus group, the paper integrates the input of a group of practitioners and researchers at an international roundtable held in 2016 to generate a “declaration” of issues that need to be addressed regarding aphasia services for indigenous clients with aphasia. The paper aims to promote a transformative approach to service delivery that is driven by decolonizing attitudes and practices, and acknowledges historical, sociopolitical, linguistic, and family contexts as a framework for understanding indigenous clients with aphasia.
This paper describes the evaluation of the use of an ePortfolio which was embedded across a speech pathology program and designed to enhance employability. Personal development planning (PDP) is a key part of employability and includes learning, reflection, goal setting and understanding the wider context. Students' perceptions of their engagement in this process were evaluated using a mixed methods approach. Qualitative data was collected through student focus groups and individual staff interviews, while quantitative data was collected via a student questionnaire (reported in Lewis & Strampel, 2014). Qualitative data was analysed using NVivo following the six phases of thematic analysis described by Braun and Clarke (2006). This paper reports the themes which emerged from the focus group data. A key finding of the study was that the platform used was not ideal for the ePortfolio purpose causing frustration and negative reactions from students and colouring their engagement with, and enthusiasm for, the ePortfolio activities. Students achieved some of the objectives of personal development planning, especially goal-setting, but it was not until students were in their final year that they saw the links with their future career and employment. Further embedding of key tasks would enhance employability aspects, including for example involving industry from the first year and modelling the PDP process with students.
Speech Pathology programs usually send students to workplaces to learn clinical skills necessary for practice. During COVID-19, programs needed to respond quickly to ensure that students continued to gain the necessary experiences and skills required to progress through their program and graduate as clinicians, while simultaneously complying with COVID-19 requirements. Case studies from seven different universities in Australia, Ghana and Hong Kong described the diverse ways in which placements were adapted to be COVID-safe, taking into account local needs. Some practices which had been included in placement education prior to the pandemic, such as telepractice and simulation-based learning, were extended and developed during this time. Educators, students, clinicians and clients responded to the rapidly changing needs of the time with flexibility and innovation, utilising a variety of technologies and tools to support case-based and virtual learning opportunities. Feedback from these diverse stakeholders about the experiences was positive, despite inevitable limitations and less-than-ideal circumstances. The positive findings provided insights for consideration in the future: could strategies implemented in response to the pandemic continue to be incorporated into placement experiences, enhancing current practices and maintaining student performance outcomes? Exceptional circumstances prompted exceptional responses; flexibility and innovation were accelerated in response to the pandemic and may transform future placement-based learning opportunities.
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