Who wants to go to occupational therapy school? Characteristics of Norwegian occupational therapy students

Differences in Approaches to Learning Between Occupational Therapy Students in the USA and Norway

Students approach learning in different ways, and this study aimed to examine and understand differences in learning approaches between occupational therapy students in Norway and the USA. A total of 321 students, from two universities in the USA and six higher education institutions in Norway, completed the short version of the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students. The data were analyzed with linear regression analyses. U.S. students had substantially higher scores on the strategic approach and higher scores on the deep approach, compared to the Norwegian students. Differences may be due to different national regulations and levels of education required for entering the programs, or personal factors such as predisposition for learning.

Predictors of Academic and Fieldwork Performance in Occupational Therapy Students: A Systematic Review

Introduction

Occupational therapy (OT) educational programs are aimed at enrolling a diverse student population that is likely to succeed in the academic and fieldwork components of the program. Comprehending the array of factors that influence students' learning and academic and fieldwork success is important for university educators. This study investigated the existing literature on predictors of academic and fieldwork performance in OT students.

Methods

The search process used in this review included screening, eligibility, and study quality. We searched the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases for literature published in the past 10 years (1 January 2012 to 30 March 2022). As a comprehensive search, the following keywords were used for abstract, title, and keywords sections: occupational therapy student, predictors, fieldwork, academic, academic success, academic performance, fieldwork success, and fieldwork performance. The Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument was used to assess the quality of studies.

Results

The systematic review retrieved 14 articles that met inclusion criteria. Most were cross-sectional studies, followed by cohort, retrospective analysis of secondary data, and exploratory studies. Four articles focused on academic success, eight focused on fieldwork success, and two explored both aspects. Promising predictors of academic performance included the admission grade point average and the student's approach to studying. Predictors of fieldwork performance included a graduate record examination score, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal relationships.

Conclusion

This systematic review explores predictors of academic and fieldwork success in OT students, which provide opportunities to identify early the learning difficulties of students and assist educators to target modifiable predictors so they can provide high-quality education.

Predictors of undergraduate occupational therapy students' academic performance during the Covid-19 pandemic: A hierarchical regression analysis

BACKGROUND

The rapid switch to online learning in response to the Covid-19 pandemic affected occupational therapy students' education delivery. It is, therefore, important to investigate these impacts.

AIMS/OBJECTIVES

This study investigated the potential predictors of academic performance in undergraduate occupational therapy students after moving to online or blended learning post-Covid-19.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 208 students from three Australian universities completed a demographic questionnaire and the Distance Education Learning Environment Scale (DELES). Hierarchical linear regression analyses were completed to identify significant students' academic performance predictors.

RESULTS

Hierarchical regression explained a cumulative total variance of 24.6% of students' academic performance. The following independent variables were significant predictors: DELES student autonomy (p = 0.033), number of hours per semester week dedicated to indirect online study (p = 0.003), number of hours per semester week dedicated to indirect offline study time (p = 0.034), gender (p = 0.005) and English as a first language (p = 0.045).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings add to the knowledge base on the range of factors that have impacted occupational therapy students' academic performance during the Covid-19 pandemic.

SIGNIFICANCE

The outcomes will assist faculty in developing supportive and pedagogically sound learning modes across online, hybrid and traditional forms of instruction within occupational therapy curricula.

Occupational therapy students’ preferences for teaching and course design across a three-year undergraduate education program

Purpose

Understanding students’ preferences for teaching and course design is important for educators in higher education when planning courses and teaching activities. The purpose of this study was to explore changes in occupational therapy students’ preferences for teaching and courses across the three-year study program.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 263 students participated in a longitudinal study, where preferences were measured with the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students. The data were analyzed with linear mixed effect models for repeated measures.

Findings

The results indicated no significant changes in preferences for courses and teaching over the three-year period. Also, there were no significant differences between the six involved study programs. Preferences for the courses and teaching type “supporting understanding” were associated with higher age and higher study effort. Preferences for the courses and teaching type “transmitting information” were associated with lower age and female gender.

Originality/value

In summary, the findings of this study suggest that preferences for teaching and courses are stable and may be challenging to alter during a three-year undergraduate study program.

Changes in Psychological Distress in Five Groups of Welfare State Service Workers over a Nine-Year Period

Health and social care workers are exposed to varying degrees of stress in their work, which may be reflected in their trajectories of psychological distress during the education program and the first years in the job. The aim of this study was to add to the knowledge concerned with the long-term development of psychological distress in five groups of welfare state service workers in Norway. The study included 1612 individuals. Psychological distress was measured with General Health Questionnaire-12 at four occasions from the start of the education program to 6 years post-graduation (nine year follow-up period). Results of linear mixed models (LMM) for repeated measures showed that psychological distress changed significantly over time in the social work professional groups. At the start of the education program, the lowest and highest levels of psychological distress were found among the child welfare and social workers, respectively. Six years post-graduation, social workers had become less distressed and child welfare workers had become more distressed. No significant change pattern for psychological distress was found among any of the health care professional groups.

Associations between occupational therapy students' academic performance and their study approaches and perceptions of the learning environment

BACKGROUND

Relationships between students' academic performance and their employed study approaches have been studied extensively. However, research using study approaches and learning environment factors as concurrent predictors of academic performance is sparse. There is a need to disentangle the potentially interrelated influences of individual and contextual factors on students' academic performance.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to increase the understanding of the associations between occupational therapy students' academic performance, and their approaches to studying, perceptions of the learning environment, and sociodemographic characteristics.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study was designed, and 174 first-year students completed the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students and the Course Experience Questionnaire, in addition to background information. Data on grades were collected from the data registries of each education institution, and associations were analyzed by multiple linear regression.

RESULTS

None of the learning environment scales were associated with grades. Adjusting for all variables, better exam results were associated with being female (β = 0.22, p < 0.01) and having higher scores on strategic approach (β = 0.31, p < 0.001) and lower scores on surface approach (β = -0.20, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The study suggests that students with a desire for obtaining good grades ought to use strategic study behaviors and avoid using surface approach behaviors. While it is important to ensure good quality of the learning environment for a variety of reasons, the learning environment did not contribute significantly to explain the students' academic performance.

Short-term changes in occupational therapy students’ self-efficacy for therapeutic use of self

Introduction

Self-efficacy concerned with the therapeutic use of self is important for occupational therapists, and students need to develop the skills and the self-efficacy required to meet interpersonal challenges in practice. This study examined short-term changes in occupational therapy students’ self-efficacy for using therapeutic modes, for recognizing clients’ interpersonal characteristics, and for managing interpersonal events. Factors associated with such changes were also examined.

Method

A sample of 89 Norwegian occupational therapy students from two universities was used, and the students completed three questionnaires 2–3 weeks after a workshop and at 3 months’ follow-up. Changes on the outcome measures were analyzed with t-tests for dependent samples, and factors associated with the outcome changes were analyzed with linear regression analyses.

Results

During the follow-up period, the students improved their self-efficacy scores on all three outcome measures. Higher age was associated with more improvement on two of the outcome measures.

Conclusion

The occupational therapy students improved their self-efficacy for therapeutic use of self during the brief follow-up period. Thus, the time in education, either university-based or practice-based, seems to add to students’ self-efficacy for clinical skills in this area. Higher age appears to be a resource for gaining more self-efficacy from attending educational courses.

Further Validation of the Norwegian Self-Efficacy for Therapeutic Mode Use

Background

The Intentional Relationship Model (IRM) proposes six therapeutic modes as ways of relating to clients. The Norwegian self-efficacy for therapeutic mode use (N-SETMU) was found to have a one-component structure. However, its items reflect abstract concepts rather than concrete behaviors.

Aim

To validate further the N-SETMU by linking its items to the Norwegian client assessment of modes (N-CAM), with 30 items constituting six scales (linked to each mode), possessing concrete, behavioral content.

Methods

Occupational therapy students (n = 111) completed the N-SETMU and the N-CAM derived items, along with sociodemographic information. Component structure was analyzed with Principal Components Analysis (PCA), internal consistency of scales with Cronbach's α, and associations between scale scores with Pearson's r.

Results

All items on all N-CAM derived scales loaded on one latent component, except one item related to problem-solving. After removing this item, the scale functioned appropriately. Cronbach's α for all N-CAM derived scales ranged 0.88–0.94, and the associations between the N-CAM derived scales and the corresponding N-SETMU items ranged between 0.60 (advocating) and 0.79 (encouraging).

Conclusions

In view of the strong associations between the concrete, N-CAM derived scales and the abstract N-SETMU items, this study supports the concurrent validity of the N-SETMU.

Occupational therapy students rating the social profile of their educational group: do they agree?

BACKGROUND

During the curriculum, occupational therapy students learn to administer a range of assessment procedures. Interrater agreement between occupational therapy students' ratings of group functioning has not yet been examined.

AIMS

To examine the interrater agreement within groups of students' ratings using the Social Profile.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The Social Profile assesses the social interaction behaviours in activity groups, and 35 students completed the measure. Two methods of obtaining an overall Social Profile score were explored. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated to assess the level of agreement within groups of raters.

RESULTS

Social interaction in the study groups occurred more frequently within the basic cooperative level. There was substantial agreement within groups of raters on this level, whereas there was low to moderate agreement on the other four levels. The weighted method of obtaining an overall Social Profile score showed higher ICC than the simpler method.

CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE

It appears to be easier to reach high interrater agreement when considering frequently occurring behaviours in a group. The weighted method of obtaining an overall Social Profile score showed the best ICC results and should preferably be used in future studies where an overall measure is sought.