Creative Problem Solving and Social Cooperation of Effective Physical Therapy Practice: A Pioneer Study and Overview

Abstract

Action research (AR) has an important role to play in educating physical therapists. Increasing efforts should be encouraged to instigate AR programs in physical therapy practice and clinical education. Such programs commonly require considerable effort and understanding by clinical instructors, and require adoption of new educational methods. AR programs can lead physical therapists and clinicians to be more questioning and reflective in evaluating practical questions regarding patient therapy and education.The purpose of this article is to educate the readers on the importance of AR and to provide a few relevant references on that topic. A specific study is described in this paper in which physical therapy clinical instructors participated in a structured workshop designed to demonstrate the values of AR and how such values can be incorporated in teaching their students.AR can lead to improved therapist-patient interaction and help solve specific practical problems arising during therapy sessions. KEYWORDS: physical therapy; action research, clinical education DOMAINS: child health and human development; medical care INTRODUCTIONThe main aim of physical therapists is to try and understand specific physical disabilities and movement dysfunctions in patients, to work with patients, and to improve their physical performance. Physiotherapists should continually question their personal attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, and values and consciously confront them [1]. Successful application of action research (AR) can provide some of the tools for improving physical therapy practice and can also lead to improved collaboration with colleagues in related medical professions. The concept of AR is straightforward: the researcher needs to study and continually assess personal professional attitudes and responses to specific situations. Moreover, the integral continuous feedback loop in ©2003 with author. 291Carmeli Action Research in Physical Therapy: TheScientificWorldJOURNAL (2003) 3, xxx-xxx AR goes beyond investigation to action and reflection, reducing the traditional separation between research and practice. Because it is difficult to quantify or assess subjective values or attitudes, the validity and reliability of AR methodology is commonly regarded as suspect and highly questionable [2]. There is relatively little literature on these issues and it has been argued that judging reliability in such studies can only be carried out on a restricted basis [3,4]. It has also been claimed that validity in AR concerns not just methodology, but also personal issues [5], and therefore its methodological theory is sometime rejected. AR needs evaluation and analysis of decisions made during the study to facilitate judgment of validity [6]. Thus, there are often unsuccessful efforts to assess the relationship between theoretical and practical outcomes.Hart and Bond (1995) [14] described four types of AR: experimental, organizational, professional, and empowering, which are all concerned in some way to improve standards of nur...