Digital Commons Network^™

Virtual Reality’S Impact On Occupational Therapy Student Confidence And Fieldwork Performance, Kayla Collins, Kirsten Davin, Marian Gillard

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Occupational therapy students often experience confidence gaps as they transition from academic preparation to real-world practice settings. This quasi-experimental study investigated whether the integration of immersive virtual reality (VR) simulations into the didactic portion of an Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) program affected student confidence and subsequent Level II fieldwork performance. Data from 65 students across three cohorts were analyzed using the Student Confidence Questionnaire (SCQ) and the Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (FWPE). While no significant differences were observed in total confidence or fieldwork scores, students who completed VR simulations reported significantly higher confidence in five subdomains: adaptability, risk-taking, supervision, clinical practice, …

A Scholarly Exploration Of Teaching Strategies For Learning About Pediatric Sleep, Laura J. Carpenter, Amanda M. Buono

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The occupation of sleep is an area of occupational therapy practice for which many practitioners report a lack of confidence and/or knowledge to properly address. The current study addresses this concern by studying the effects of a learning module on students’ confidence and knowledge to address pediatric sleep. The study used a pre-test, post-test non-experimental design and collected survey responses from 48 entry-level occupational therapy students in three different programs. The lecture portion of the module included content about both assessing and intervening, while the case study emphasized intervention-planning only. Results indicated significant gains in knowledge overall (z = …

Faculty Perceptions Of Using Technology For Virtual Debriefing, Kelly Layne, Deanne Otto, Elisabeth Mcgee

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Face-to-face simulation and debriefing have been widely used and researched in occupational therapy and physical therapy education to provide students with authentic learning experiences. However, technology acceptance of virtual debriefing has not been studied with occupational therapy and physical therapy faculty. This is an important area of study, as the use of technology to facilitate virtual debriefing became more common during the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to increase in use post-pandemic. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore faculty perceptions of using technology to facilitate virtual debriefing in graduate occupational therapy and physical therapy programs. The …

Faculty Perceptions Of Active Learning In Occupational Therapy Education: Strategies Utilized, Feasibility, And Student Outcomes, Heidi N. Robertson, Erin Westover

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

This study utilized a concurrent mixed-methods approach using an online survey to examine occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant faculty members' knowledge and use of active learning strategies, perceived barriers, and perceptions of student engagement and learning outcomes. The investigators developed a survey, including 22 closed and open-ended questions, capturing demographics, knowledge, barriers, strategy use, and student outcomes. Quantitative data analysis employed descriptive statistics, indicating that knowledge of active learning was most frequently gained through on-the-job experience. Findings also revealed differences in strategy use across course types: active learning was used more frequently in practice-based courses and less frequently in …

Primitive Reflex Integration Training For Occupational Therapy Students In India, Nalini Sripall, Samuel K. Durairaj, Arun Kumar, Suja A. Chandrasekaran

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Primitive Reflex Integration (PRI) is an important intervention for occupational therapists for the treatment of neurological, motor, and sensory processing issues in children. The topic is clinically relevant, yet there is scarce formal education available on the subject for occupational therapists in India. A needs assessment survey was developed and implemented to better understand the knowledge related to PRI of 40 postgraduate occupational therapy students in India. The needs assessment showed that most of the students were aware of PRI but were not consistently using PRI techniques to treat retained primitive reflexes. The participants also noted barriers, such as a …

The Editors' Perspective: A New Era For Jote, Dana M. Howell, Renee Causey-Upton, Cynthia L. Hayden

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

No abstract provided.

Maladaptive Mindsets In Occupational Therapy Education: A Scoping Review, Steven D. Taff, Lauren Werning, Kim L. Lipsey, Gregory O. Costas, Maribeth Clifton

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

In educational settings, maladaptive mindsets refer to negative and counterproductive thoughts or beliefs that can adversely impact one’s ability to learn, engage, and respond to challenges. This scoping review aimed to examine how maladaptive mindsets are represented in occupational therapy education literature and their reported impacts on student learning, mental health, and well-being. Following PRISMA-ScR and established scoping review methodologies, a comprehensive search of six databases yielded 497 unique articles from the last two decades. Only four of the articles met inclusion criteria after screening and full text review. Data was extracted from the four selected articles and analyzed using …

From Admission Criterion To Early Alert Tool: A Case Study Of Using Writing Samples In Occupational Therapy Education, Robyn Wu, Diane Tom, Chi-Kwan Shea, Nandini Dasgupta

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Writing samples are commonly used for admission to occupational therapy programs. However, there is limited evidence supporting the predictive validity of writing samples for academic performance. This case study chronicles the use of writing samples, initially as an admission criterion and later as a post-admission early alert tool, at one institution. A post-admission writing sample designed to assess readability and coherence of writing was collected from a cohort of 47 master’s and doctoral occupational therapy students during the first week of the program. Recommendations for writing support services were then provided to students based on their writing sample scores. An …

Understanding Self-Directed Learning Development In Occupational Therapy Students: A Mixed Methods Approach, Adrianne Osmundson, Jenna Heffron

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Occupational therapy students enter graduate school at different stages of self-directed learning (SDL) readiness, and SDL skills must be explicitly taught. However, limited consensus exists on how SDL skill development should be incorporated into educational experiences. A retrospective parallel convergent mixed methods study was conducted to elicit an understanding of SDL development in a single cohort of master’s level occupational therapy students (n = 29) who participated in weekly SDL labs during their graduate education. The SDL labs were designed using Knowles’ (1975) seminal definition of SDL related to individuals taking the initiative to determine their needs, goals, strategies, and …

Professional Identity Building Scale (Pibs) Development: Measuring Self-Authorship And Dimensions Of Professional Identity In Graduate Students, Anne M. Haskins, Sarah Nielsen, Nicole C. Harris, Adrienne M. Salentiny, Marilyn G. Klug

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Grounded professional identity is needed for individuals to function successfully within their professions. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a new instrument intended to measure the professional identity of graduate students. Within a recursive methodological design, we developed a 71-item Professional Identity Building Scale (PIBS) based on a new conceptualized combination of Baxter Magolda’s Epistemological Reflection Model phases and Villanueava and Nadelson’s dimensions of professional identity. We pilot tested 129 occupational therapy graduate students at two sites in two states, adjusted the instrument and then retested the PIBS with data from 347 respondents in the same …

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Its Role In Maximizing Students’ Performance On Standardized Tests, Keisha Ricketts-Martin

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to highlight the importance of pedagogy for cultural responsiveness, and to explore the relationship between such pedagogy and middle school students’ performance on state or standardized tests. Therefore, this study explores the educational or academic values that students will gain from being engaged in a learning environment that recognizes their culture and uses it as a tool to maximizing their educational outcomes.

This research employed convergent parallel mixed method design. Therefore, it implemented the qualitative and quantitative approach at the same time and placed equivalent worth to the information collected by each approach. Therefore, the …

Strategic Decoupling: How Great Power Competition Reshapes Domestic Economic Policy In The United States And China, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Objectives:
The core idea of this research is that states react to great-power competitions using institutionally dependent paths: the U.S. uses regulatory tools such as export controls, investment screening, and targeted subsidies based on its fragmented, legally mediated-governance structure; whereas, China uses state-driven tools such as central planning directives, State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) mandates, and Policy Bank lending driven by its hierarchical Party-State structure

Methods:
This research utilizes a qualitative comparative case study model to compare how the U.S. and China have developed different forms of domestic economic policy in reaction to competing interests of being a global superpower. A comparative …