Date Presented 04/05/19
In this mixed-methods study, we explored the extent to which an experiential learning course improved professional reasoning, using self-determination theory (SDT) as a frame of reference. Quantitative results indicated a statistically significant increase in professional reasoning. Findings from reflective journals indicate a pathway to professional reasoning through SDT. OT educators can utilize the results of this study to better facilitate student development of professional reasoning.
Primary Author and Speaker: Tiffany Bolton
Additional Authors and Speakers: Evan Dean
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Occupational therapy (OT) education frequently utilizes experiential learning as an effective instructional method to develop professional reasoning in OT students. However, there is little information about the development of professional reasoning. The researchers used a mixed-methods design to determine the extent to which an experiential learning course was effective in supporting professional reasoning ability with thirtysix OT students. Participants were students enrolled in an experiential learning course, which was part of their didactic graduate curriculum. Students attended an assigned setting weekly for sixteen weeks. Researchers collected data using the Self-Assessment of Clinical Reflection and Reasoning (SACRR) as well as reflective journaling. Pre-post scores on the SACRR were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and showed a statistically significant increase in self-perceived professional reasoning. The researchers analyzed journals from the perspective of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) using the tenets of competence, relatedness, and autonomy. Students developed professional reasoning along a continuum of competence to relatedness to autonomy. The results show that this progression does not occur in perfect stages or on a defined timeline, and provides novel insights into how the progression occurs. Occupational therapy educators can apply the results to better facilitate student development of professional reasoning. Further research could determine how to best employ SDT in OT education.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.