The lived experience of doing a higher degree in occupational therapy from the perspective of five graduates: A phenomenological study

Abstract

The importance of supporting research activity in occupational therapy through higher degree study is widely accepted. Although completing a higher degree is acknowledged to be a unique and meaningful experience, few studies have been conducted to explore this phenomenon. This phenomenological study aimed to reveal and describe the experience of doing a higher degree from the perspective of five recent occupational therapy graduates. One in‐depth interview was conducted with each participant. Analysis of the data revealed five themes. The results suggest that the experience of doing a higher degree was exciting and challenging but also involved personal hardship and sacrifices. Support from supervisors, family, peers, colleagues, employers and friends made completing a higher degree achievable. Doing a higher degree facilitated personal growth and professional benefits, but it was the great sense of achievement and satisfaction apparent upon completion that was most significant for participants. Implications for occupational therapy and higher education are discussed.

A Phenomenological Investigation Of The Experience Of Patients During A Rehabilitation Programme Following A Flexor Tendon Injury To Their Hand

“…Phenomenology as a research approach has been widely utilised in the healthcare and occupational therapy literature. For example, Dawkins and May (2002) examined the experiences of postgraduate occupational therapy students. In their study, they use techniques described by Colaizzi (1973) to analyse transcribed interviews, and with the resulting themes that emerged, have established new support networks for this student group.…”

Phenomenological Research: An Exploration of Conceptual, Theoretical, and Practical Issues

“…Within the broad terrain of numerous qualitative research approaches and specific methodologies, phenomenology has recently come to the foreground as an approach of choice, possibly because it allows for the illumination of meaning ascriptions in context and, as such, may be seen to exemplify occupational therapy's concern with environment and holism. Some examples of the use of phenomenology in occupational therapy include studies by Barnitt and Partridge (1997), Boutin-Lester and Gibson (2002), Chang and Hasselkus (1998), Dawkins and May (2002), Dyck and Forwell (1997), Elliott, Velde, and Wittmann (2002), Hasselkus (1993), Ivarsson, Soderback, and Ternestedt (2002), Meyers (1995), Rosa and Hasselkus (1996), Vergeer and MacRae (1993), Ward (2003), and Whiteford and Wilcock (2000). Other studies have used the empirical, phenomenological, psychological method.…”