Education Commons^™

Metacognition And Self-Regulation Influence Academic Performance In Occupational And Physical Therapy Students, Evan M. Pucillo, Gabriela Perez

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

An understanding of student learning strategies is an important component of supporting academic success and avoiding difficulty. Prior inquiry has demonstrated certain learning strategies are more closely related to academic performance than others. The purpose of this study was to describe predictive relationships between the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI), Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI), and grade point average (GPA) in occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) programs. A multi-center convenience sample of N=75(100%) entry-level students [OT: 34(45%); PT: 41(55%)] was included from Florida 32(42.7%), California 21(28%), and Texas 22(29.3%). A hierarchical linear regression analysis demonstrated the combination of …

An Intentional Wholeness Focus And The Association With Burnout In Graduate Students, Stacey B. Cunningham, Susanne B. Montgomery, Brian J. Distelberg, Qais Alemi

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Rates of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout for university students are concerning. As in other competitive professional fields, graduate students in occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech language pathology face many performance pressures. Creating supportive learning and wholeness climates along with individual grit, resilience, and healthy spirituality have the potential to positively impact these pressures. The study’s purpose was to examine factors related to burnout within an institution committed to creating supportive learning and wholeness environments. Three hundred and fifty-three graduate students from occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech language pathology graduate programs were recruited to participate in a cross-sectional …

Evaluating Communication And Collaboration Among Healthcare Students, Lisa J. Knecht-Sabres, Daniel Provencher, Kristy Luciano, Sarah Zera, Susanne Higgins, Dana Lingle, Patricia A. Higgins, Charlotte Bolch

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if the Interprofessional Collaborator Assessment Rubric (ICAR): Communication and Collaboration Dimensions would demonstrate good inter-rater reliability and be a useful and efficient tool to evaluate professional communication and collaboration between occupational therapy (OT) and physician assistant (PA) students. An additional aim of this study was to assess students’ thoughts, perceptions, and perceived value regarding these types of interprofessional opportunities. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design was used. An interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) examined the inter-rater reliability of the instrument for both faculty raters (n = 7) and standardized patient (SP) raters …

Occupational Therapy Students’ Perceptions Of Feedback During Pre-Fieldwork Simulation Debrief: Useful And Why, Kaitlin R. Sibbald, Diane E. Mackenzie, Jonathan Harris

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Simulation is increasingly used in occupational therapy education with the objectives of developing practice skill competency and enhancing clinical reasoning. Debriefing, an integral part of the simulation process, is critical to achieving these objectives. This study sought to determine the types of debrief feedback Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MScOT) students perceived as most useful and why, and how the advocacy inquiry model of debriefing influenced self-reported increases in clinical reasoning, client care, and planned implementation of feedback in practice. Using an embedded mixed method design with secondary data analysis, sixty-three first-year MScOT students provided 357 descriptions of the …

On-Campus Occupational Therapy Clinic: Exploring A Supervision Model For Level I Fieldwork Within Curriculum, Kelly Erickson, Serena Hutson

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

This study explored how a revised on-campus occupational therapy clinic model impacted occupational therapy graduate student professional development and clinical practice educator confidence in areas related to the on-campus clinic environment, professionalism, student learning, and collaboration. Specifically, clinical practice educator and student confidence were compared through quantitative survey data across multiple cohorts and clinical educators. This data was used to triangulate qualitative findings from focus groups and open-ended survey questions. Analysis across five years of qualitative data revealed themes related to professionalism including time management, planning, feedback, observation, collaboration, and communication. Quantitative data analysis found significant differences between clinical practice …

Effects Of Mental Health First Aid Course: Knowledge, Confidence, And Stigma Among Occupational Therapy Students, Jennifer L. Ostrowski, Sarah Sampson, Erin Mcgoldrick, Courtney Karabin, Kyra Shields

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

In the United States, one in five adults are impacted by some form of mental illness in any given year, but only about 40% of individuals seek professional mental health support. While occupational therapists (OT) may work with individuals with mental illness to improve social skills, activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental ADLs, and neurocognitive interventions, research suggests there is not enough emphasis on this content in professional OT education. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training is designed to educate individuals on mental illness, including how to recognize signs and symptoms and how to support individuals experiencing a concern or …

Experiential Education In Advocacy For Occupational Therapy Students: Didactic Approaches And Learning Outcomes, Aaron Bonsall, Rebecca L. Wolf, Abe Saffer

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Advocacy is a foundational value in occupational therapy, but uniformity in teaching and learning advocacy is lacking. This paper proposes and reports on the implementation of an advocacy course based on experiential education. The objective of the study was to evaluate student learning after an advocacy course with an experiential education component using an open-ended survey design. Participants were occupational therapy doctoral students, and the setting was a course taught in a health sciences university. Students voluntarily completed a four-item anonymous survey after participating in an experiential advocacy course. Written responses were coded into themes using an inductive approach. The …

Occupational Therapy Graduate Students’, Recent Graduates’, And Educators’ Perceptions Of The Value Of Anatomy Knowledge, Karissa Legleiter

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

This non-experimental descriptive survey study examined the relationship between occupational therapy (OT) graduate students’, recent graduates’, and educators' values of the regional and specific anatomy knowledge required for OT clinical practice. The researcher collected survey data from 94 OT graduate students, recent graduates, and educators at a private university. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics used to analyze the value of anatomical regions and structures and a one-way ANOVA with a post-hoc Tukey to compare the group means on the value of anatomical structures. Results revealed that the regions of the highest value were the back and spine, thorax, and …

Using A Flipped Classroom To Teach Evidence-Based Practice To Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students, April C. Cowan, Karen Ratcliff, Chih-Ying Li

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Constructivist teaching approaches rely on students to be active participants in their learning. A flipped classroom is a constructivist approach that requires the students to complete pre-learning activities outside of class. Thus, in class the students can practice and engage in team-based discussions and teacher guided learning. We delivered evidence-based practice (EBP) concepts to entry level occupational therapy (OT) students in a doctoral program using a constructivist approach, that included a flipped classroom model and reliance on team-based strategies. We used the Evidence Based Practice Confidence (EPIC) Scale to assess the change in students’ confidence in EBP. Students demonstrated statistically …

An Exploration Into Effective Pedagogies In Occupational Therapy Education For The Safe And Effective Use Of Physical Agents, Megan M. Mclaughlin, Alfred G. Bracciano

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Occupational therapy educational standards, established by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), require students to demonstrate knowledge and use of the safe and effective application of physical agents. A recent change requires educators to reflect on pedagogical approaches for electrotherapeutic and deep thermal agents. With a lack of research on pedagogical approaches to teaching physical agents, research on this important topic is essential. The purpose of this study was to identify education and training methods that facilitate the development of competence with complex physical agents. This study used a mixed-methods survey design with follow-up interviews. The survey sample …

A Framework For Creating And Using Teaching Philosophy Statements To Guide Reflective And Inclusive Instruction, Steven D. Taff

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

A teaching philosophy statement (TPS) is a brief, deeply personal narrative that gives insight into an educator’s perspective on the teaching enterprise. A TPS is typically comprised of a reflection on the educator’s values and beliefs, a description of what happens during the learning process, and statements about how teachers and learners ideally interact. Use of a TPS clarifies the bridge between theory/philosophy and practice which strengthens education as an interactive phenomenon and in so doing evokes an ethical purpose for the teaching-learning dynamic. This article describes the theoretical underpinnings of, and process for, an innovative framework occupational therapy educators …

Concept Mapping As An Instructional Method To Support Critical Thinking In Occupational Therapy Students: A Pilot Study, Alissa R. Baker, Cassandra C. Ginn

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

In occupational therapy practice, critical thinking is a foundational skill for the delivery of effective care; however, there is limited evidence on the development of critical thinking skills in occupational therapy education. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects and student perceptions of concept mapping on critical thinking skills in occupational therapy education. This study used a quasi-experimental design with a retrospective pre-post assessment after two teaching conditions: (a) traditional lecture and (b) concept mapping. The same convenience sample of students was used for each condition. Additional outcome measures included assessment of student concept maps using a …

Impact Of Community-Based Go Baby Go Project On Interprofessional Collaboration, Sapna Chakraborty, Marc Willey, Lisa Proctor

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPEC) are essential components of healthcare teams in the United States. This study aimed to explore the impact of a community-based Go Baby Go (GBG) project that used assistive technology and environmental adaptation skills to provide interprofessional education and hands-on collaboration between occupational therapy and speech-language pathology graduate students. The interprofessional collaboration (IPC) experiences provided to graduate students were centered on shared lectures and labs on role delineation, evaluation, and treatment focused on modifications through assistive technology and environmental adaptation. The culminating experience included labs with three to four students from each discipline in a …

Using An Ungraded Interprofessional Clinical Examination To Decrease Student Stress And Anxiety For A Skill-Based Exam, Mckenzie R. Behrendt, Stacy Smallfield, Jessica Semin, Kevin A. Kupzyk

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Healthcare educators are encouraged to provide both skill-based practical exams and interprofessional experiences to prepare students for clinical practice. With skill-based exams come increased student stress and anxiety. This article reports on the development, exploratory outcomes, and lessons learned from an ungraded objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) event involving doctoral-level occupational therapy and bachelor-level nursing students. The primary objective was to allow occupational therapy students to practice for an upcoming graded, comprehensive, skill-based exam. The secondary objective was to examine if the event changed students’ perceived interprofessional skills. The OSCE event included a large group pre-brief, three simulations with mini …

Belonging In Graduate Health Professions Education- Implications For Occupational Therapy Education: A Scoping Review, Quinn P. Tyminski, Jenna N. Johnston, Vicky Hung, Jenna Gopman

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Individuals who report a high sense of belonging with their academic institution demonstrate increased levels of academic success, as measured by greater class attendance, increased appropriate classroom behaviors, and better mental health and self-concept. The available literature on this topic focuses minimally on sense of belonging in graduate health professions education and available evidence is even more sparse specific to occupational therapy education. Thus, the aim of this study was to conduct a scoping review to gather foundational knowledge regarding barriers and facilitators to belonging in graduate health professions education to determine implications for occupational therapy education. A total of …

The Impact Of An Educational Human Trafficking Panel On Occupational Therapy Students’ Knowledge And Self-Efficacy, Sarbinaz Bekmuratova, Andrea Thinnes, Yongyue Qi, Arduizur Carli Richie Zavaleta, Ashlynn York

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

A rise in attention to and assistance for human trafficking (HT) victims and survivors has resulted in a call to action for occupational therapists and other healthcare professionals. Victims and survivors often seek healthcare services in a variety of settings, yet ill-equipped healthcare professionals lacking training and self-efficacy with this population have left many unidentified needs unaddressed. Occupational therapists possess the skills necessary to support and assist survivors of HT in their reintegration and healing processes. However, little to no specific training for practitioners in this field has been developed. This study explored how an educational panel of OTs and …

Gender Career Stereotypes, Implicit Bias, And Occupational Therapy, Laura H. Vanpuymbrouck, Carli Friedman

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Implicit (unconscious) gender bias and stereotypes can affect clinical decisions and interactions between healthcare professionals, as well as impact careers. However, there is no research exploring the implicit gender bias or stereotypes of occupational therapy students or practitioners. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the gender-career bias of occupational therapy students. To do so, occupational therapy students (n = 54) from three Midwestern United States graduate occupational therapy programs completed the gender-career attitudes implicit association test (IAT) – biases associating women with family, and men with career – as well as a survey polling demographic information. …

Applying An Anti-Racist Pedagogy To Develop And Deliver A Racial Microaggressions Workshop For Occupational Therapy Students, Shannon Giannitsopoulou, Jane A. Davis, Bismah Khalid, Ruheena Sangrar

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Many workshops about identifying, understanding, and responding to microaggressions have been designed and delivered to learners within health education. However, few workshops implement an anti-racist pedagogical approach, and none presented in the literature have been created specifically for occupational therapy students. Anti-racist pedagogical approaches explicitly link interpersonal and institutional/structural oppressions to ensure that the impacts of microaggressions are not minimized by focusing solely on interpersonal interactions. A specific workshop is needed to address the noted persistence of racial microaggressions directed at clients, families, students, and practitioners within occupational therapy contexts and due to the embeddedness of practitioners in clients’ daily …

Writing As Transformation: An Action Research Study On Trauma-Informed Curriculum, Nena L. Weinsteiger Guzman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Trauma exposure is endemic, and this study seeks to address childhood trauma in a compassionate and restorative manner. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are serious childhood traumas that manifest as toxic stress which can damage the developing brain of a child and affect overall health. The implications are expressed dualistically: academic performance of youth is subdued & diminished, and behavioral interactions can range from unreceptive to erratic and aggressive. Trauma exposure is a predictor of adverse outcomes, which range from higher rates of suspension, expulsion, and incarceration, to dire outcomes, such as lower life expectancy and quality of life. Streamlining trauma-informed …

Exploring Academic Capital Formation Of Hmong American Undergraduate College Students, Lou Vang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to investigate whether academic capital is associated with student gender, student generation status, and parental education level of Hmong American undergraduate college students. The study also examined the educational experience of Hmong American undergraduate college students to understand the barriers they faced in obtaining academic capital and how they overcame them. The study's first phase collected and analyzed survey responses from 150 Hmong American undergraduate college students. The study's second phase interviewed six students who participated in the survey from the first phase. The first phase yielded quantitative results that suggested …

Continuation Teachers' Perceptions Of Grading Practices, Tobi W. Page

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The history of grading practices is riddled with inequities, dating to the inception of the traditional grading system, which was designed to rank and sort. Despite expanding public education to include all members of society, traditional grading practices have yet to evolve in response to the growing demand for equitable and student-centered grading practices. Many alternative education schools have a non-traditional grading structure in response to the students’ learning needs. With an understanding of the history and challenges of alternative education settings, this study sought to add the perceptions and practices of continuation high school teachers to the current body …

Identifying Success Strategies For Hmong American Students In Higher Education, Jason Xiong

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Hmong Americans' postsecondary completion rates remain low when compared to other Asian ethnic groups. As the Hmong population continues to grow, so does the need for intervention to increase the total number of postsecondary graduates. Many Hmong Americans are first-generation college students and continue to face challenges and barriers that prevent them from being successful in higher education. “Forty-seven and a half percent of Hmong adults (25 years or older) reported having attended college, but not earning a degree” (National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education, 2011). Without a college degree, Hmong Americans face limited resources …

Relationships Between K-12 In-Service Teachers’ Personal Environmental Education Teacher Efficacy, Environmental Identity, And Concern For Implementation Of California’S Environmental Principles And Concepts, Dean Matthew Reese

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Significant environmental impacts such as climate change, reduction in biodiversity, increasing food scarcity, impacts on water supply and availability, and exacerbation of human health problems are occurring and are expected to increase. Despite these environmental challenges the teaching of California’s environmental literacy standards, the California Environmental Principles and Concepts (CA EP&Cs), in the K-12 public education system is infrequent and inadequate. The purpose of this study was to use a mixed methods approach to examine relationships between environmental identity (EI), personal environmental education teacher efficacy (PEETE), and peak stage of concern (SOC) for implementing CA EP&Cs for K-12 in-service teachers …

Examining Attention To Leadership When Hiring School Administrators In A High Poverty, Ethnically Diverse School District: A Case Study, Veronica A. Tigert

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to understand the hiring practices of a school district when considering a principal and how the school district attends to leadership within those hiring practices. The central premise of the study was leadership matters and is second to teaching in student achievement. However, the historical record paints a picture of less than adequate attention to effective hiring practices and a limited scope when addressing leadership. A small school district in California was selected to participate in the study. The design incorporated mixed methods to analyze the hiring practices through a survey …

Social Media: Are You Addicted? Examining The Role Of Social Media Platforms On Life Satisfaction, Personality And Generation, Alexzander Ponce

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The rise of social media has led to an increase in social media use and social media addiction. Research has found that social media addiction is influenced by various factors, and this study looks to examine the relation between social media addiction and users' life satisfaction, personality type and age group; and whether the type of social media platform moderates this relationship. This study dispersed survey questionnaires and conducted an ANCOVA to analyze the results. Results found that life satisfaction and social media addiction are negatively related, but the negative relation is larger for Twitter users. Results also found a …

Lifting As We Climb: Effective Mentoring Methods For Black Women Who Aspire To Senior Leadership Roles In Higher Education, Janine Mixon

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 125,485 Black women earned a bachelor’s degree in 2019 in comparison to 70,909 in 1999. As the number of Black women on college campuses have increased, the number of Black women in senior leadership roles have remained stagnant. It is important for higher education institutions to find ways to increase the number of Black women in senior leadership roles because diverse staff and faculty not only increases students’ success but the institutions’ success. One of the ways in which colleges and universities can support the career advancement of Black women is to …

Utilization-Focused Evaluation On The Impact Of A Sports-Based Youth Development On Unaccompanied Youth Students, Eric Cortez

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Unaccompanied immigrant youth (UIY) face obstacles that can hinder their education in their host countries. Given that educational attainment can help interrupt intergenerational cycles of poverty, the examination of support systems for UIY is critical. This study examined the role of sports-based youth development (SBYD) programs in supporting UIY students using a utilization-focused evaluation. To do this, two groups’ high school graduation rates were compared: (a) UIY participating in an SBYD program and (b) UIY not participating in a SYBD program. In addition to this quantitative analysis, UIY were surveyed and interviewed to contextualize the results of the graduation rate …

How Instructional Strategies Impact Mathematics Self-Efficacy And Learning: Middle School Student Perceptions, Roni R. Herndon

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on middle schools where more than 90% of the students are socioeconomically disadvantaged and where mathematics scores are below the state and national average. The study was conducted to better understand how students experience various instructional strategies and perceive these classroom practices to impact their learning and self-efficacy in mathematics. A hybrid mixed methods research design, with both embedded and explanatory sequential components, was employed. Quantitative results are based on survey responses from 94 seventh grade students. Qualitative results are based on five teacher and eight student interviews.

Informed by teacher interviews, the Instructional Strategies Impact Survey …

Inclusive Practices In Catholic Education: A Restorative Realignment, Carla Vellutini

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Catholic schools need to examine the barriers to, benefits of, and interventions needed when implementing inclusive practices into their institutions. Catholic schools are experiencing an increase in enrolled students identified with learning and behavioral needs; however, they frequently lack resources and expertise to provide the necessary support for these students and their families to succeed. Research studies identify teacher attitudes and perceptions regarding inclusive practices as vital factors to create successful culture change.

A single group pretest-posttest design, incorporated into this action research study, measured the attitudes and stress of teachers before and after a 14-week long intervention for eight …

African American Males, The Achievement Gap And The Impact Of Social Skills And Classroom Climate On Educational Aspirations, Latoya Seawood

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

There is a gap in the academic achievement of African American males when compared to their peers, this gap has been maintained for many years. The purpose of this study is to conduct a quantitative non-experimental secondary analysis utilizing a national data set focusing on African American male students from the 4th through the 6th grade. To test the hypothesis that, all things being equal, social skills positively affect academics in African American boys and that social information processing, school commitment, and work habits mediate this effect. In total, 60 African American male students in 4th through 6th grades who …