There is limited information in the public domain about the experiences of newly qualified occupational therapists during the early years of professional practice. This article presents the preliminary findings of a longitudinal study following the experiences of the first cohort of occupational therapy graduates from the School of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy at the University of East Anglia over the first 3 years of their professional practice. It addresses factors related to the graduates' choice of first post, their perceived level of preparation for practice and their involvement in continuing education.

Exploring supervisors' opinions about student competence is a complex issue. The nominal group technique offers an alternative to focus groups and individual interviewing, allowing opportunities for individual data generation and group discussion and evaluation. This paper records and critically appraises its use as part of an investigation of the qualities therapists value in students in their first full fieldwork placement. This small-scale and exploratory qualitative study suggests that occupational therapists and physiotherapists appear to value very similar personal qualities in students, but that departments and individuals may give different weightings to skills and knowledge. The findings have implications for students, fieldwork supervisors and college educators when preparing for clinical placements.

R.cem research has highlighted students' and new practitioners' perceptions of a theory/practice divide. In reviewing the literature on types of knowIectee and their use In different contexts, a number of possible explanations for the divide emerge concemlng the ,elatlonshlp of theory to practice. The extent to which changing pattems of fieldwork practice and clinical reasoning strategies are bridging the divide Is eXplored. This ....ests that emanclpatory knowledge Is possIble by these educational routes but has yet to fulfil Its full potential because of historical, professional and Institutionalconstraints.

The processes of searching for literature and appraising evidence critically are well documented. Yet effective ways to report literature reviews, either as pieces of research in their own right or as part of primary research reports, are less easily found. Reviews are often criticised for their lack of coherent construction, of synthesis of key themes and of well argued analysis. More importantly though, reviews are often the Cinderella of research, being less valued than primary research, or dull preludes to research reports. This article considers the structure and content of a good literature review and calls for a new injection of enthusiasm to reflect the fascination of finding ideas, engaging with others' research and building new theories from the assembled evidence. Publishing a review demands art as well as skill to help readers to make sense of a particular world of evidence and make them want to go and find out more for themselves. The article suggests ways to write better reviews and encourages the writing of more papers based on reviews.

The home is often viewed as an unproblematic location in which new occupational roles, relationships and uses can be fitted. There has been a marked increase in home-based work, leisure and medical care. How these functions can be accommodated within houses designed for conventional domestic and household activities often remains unclear. Drawing on an in-depth study of teleworking (home-based computer working), this article explores the meaning and experience of real, symbolic and lived household space. The findings suggest that households strive to retain the conventional look, feel and function of the home even when occupants are required to establish new roles and occupations. This resistance to spatial change occurs as a deliberate and rational choice. The article is theoretical in content and does not directly explore the experiences of disabled people. It provides a sociological perspective of the home, which is often missing from medical and rehabilitation literature. It challenges a number of taken-for-granted notions about the social construction of the home, which will be of interest to therapists whose work often involves the incorporation of new roles and daily activities into the home.