From Self-Soothing to Success: How Behaviors Shape Academic Outcomes.

Childhood coping mechanisms shape the development of positive behaviors, with self-soothing linked to better coping and increased prosocial actions. Students who engage in prosocial behaviors tend to excel academically, yet research rarely connects self-soothing, prosocial behavior, and academic performance. In the present study, we explore these relationships, starting with self-soothing techniques, the frequency of prosocial behaviors, and academic achievement. We hypothesize that students from low-income backgrounds will exhibit maladaptive self-soothing behaviors, leading to fewer prosocial behaviors and lower academic performance. Our second hypothesis is that students with higher GPAs will demonstrate positive self-soothing behaviors and engage in more prosocial behaviors. Our final hypothesis is that students with fewer support systems will cope poorly, exhibit fewer prosocial behaviors, and perform poorly academically, compared to their peers. We surveyed Eastern Kentucky University students to explore these hypotheses. We hope these findings help prepare students to perform better academically to decrease stress and increase positive long-term outcomes

Student Psychosocial Well-being and Burnout During Level II Fieldwork: An Explanatory Mixed Methods Analysis

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence fieldwork educator support has on stress, burnout, and self-efficacy, and examine how both students and fieldwork educators support student psychosocial well-being and protective factors during Level II fieldwork (FWII). An explanatory sequential mixed method design was used, including a student cross-sectional survey (n=129) followed by one student (n=5) and two fieldwork educator focus groups (n=12). Outcome measures utilized for the cross-sectional survey included the Perceived Stress Scale, self-developed Perceived Fieldwork Educator Support Questionnaire, Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, and New General Self-Efficacy Scale. Results showed that statistically significant correlations existed among perceived fieldwork educator support and the following: stress (r=-0.443, p\u3c.01), self-efficacy (r=0.221, p\u3c.05), and burnout (r=-0.468, p\u3c.01). Findings of this study demonstrate that greater perceived fieldwork educator support was linked to lower stress, lower burnout, and greater self-efficacy. Themes identified included factors that influenced fieldwork student well-being during FWII; roles perceptions and expectations affected experiential education success; communication was key for promoting student well-being and collaborative relationships; and opportunities to improve experiential education. Protective factors preventing the development of stress and burnout for students included high self-efficacy and perceived fieldwork educator support. Results from this study can assist fieldwork coordinators and fieldwork sites with program development that promotes student psychosocial well-being and supportive relationship building between students and fieldwork educators during FWII

Barriers and Facilitators of a Sense of Belonging Among Occupational Therapy Students and Faculty: A Qualitative Study Using the Ecology of Human Performance Framework

A sense of belonging significantly influences both student engagement and faculty motivation. The objective of this study was to identify the barriers and facilitators of a sense of belonging among students and faculty of an occupational therapy department. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted with fifty-one students and ten faculty recruited via non-random purposeful sampling. Data were collected through focus group discussions with students and semi-structured interviews with faculty. Both the focus group discussions and interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed by a professional transcription service. Inductive coding was used to identify initial themes, which were then deductively mapped to the context construct of the Ecology of Human Performance (EHP) Framework. Five main themes emerged from the focus group discussions with students: personal challenges and emotional stressors, triggers in the learning environment, peer support and cohort dynamics, faculty support and engagement, and cultural sensitivity and representation. Three main themes emerged from the faculty interviews: leadership and team cohesion, membership in social groups and committees, and the physical environment and proximity to students. Mapping these themes to the EHP framework revealed that the physical and social environments had the greatest impact on the sense of belonging for both students and faculty in this study. Increasing opportunities for social interactions and addressing physical barriers to student-faculty engagement can enhance the sense of belonging in occupational therapy educational settings

The Re-design of Level I Fieldwork to Foster Professional Competence and Career Adaptability

Professional competence and career adaptability are essential for preparing students to meet modern healthcare demands. However, there is a paucity of evidence to guide teaching and learning of these constructs in the context of Level I fieldwork (FW). This paper details a Level I FW program re-design using a professional competence framework to foster adaptability. The re-design’s impact was assessed through student surveys before and after their participation (n = 53) compared to a historical cohort one-year senior (n = 60) using the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale – Short Form. Significant improvements were found in total and concern, curiosity, and confidence subscale scores for the re-design cohort with no significant differences between cohorts. Effect sizes were small for total scores and curiosity and confidence subscales, and medium for the control subscale. Findings emphasize the re-design’s role in enhancing competence and readiness for Level II FW. This study contributes to the need for a growing body of evidence in the scholarship of teaching and learning related to fieldwork education in occupational therapy curricula

Kentucky Comfort Care: Understanding and Awareness of Palliative and Hospice Care in Kentucky Adults

Kentucky has an overwhelming need for both palliative and hospice care services because of the high percentage of individuals who struggle with chronic or life-threatening conditions. Studies have shown that access to palliative and hospice care may be inhibited by the knowledge patients have of these services. The purpose of this study was to examine the awareness and understanding Kentuckians have of palliative and hospice care and to determine the factors influencing them. A 22-question survey was administered to collect information about Kentuckians understanding of available palliative and hospice care services and common vocabulary used by providers in these settings. Respondents’ age ranges from 19-63 years old. Respondents most frequently had “Some college” as their highest education attainment, and half has experience working/studying in the medical field. Most of the respondents selected “no knowledge” as their awareness of palliative care and most selected “some knowledge as their awareness of hospice care. More respondents were able to provide a definition of hospice care than palliative care when asked (96.6% and 53.8% respectively). Overall, Kentucky adults in this study showed a lack of awareness and understanding of palliative and hospice care services. This study highlights the overwhelming need for available educational resources for those who are experiencing either type of health care services

Exploring Student Experiences and Perceptions of Digital Storytelling in Occupational Therapy Education: A Comprehensive Analysis and Evaluation

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the need for digital transformation in higher education, emphasizing the importance of incorporating digital pedagogy. This study explored student experiences and perceptions of digital storytelling, a multimedia-based narrative technique, as an innovative assessment method in occupational therapy education. First-year, first-semester entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy students created digital stories on mental health topics and completed self-reflection papers. A retrospective qualitative descriptive method was employed, analyzing 14 consented self-reflection papers. Emerging qualitative themes revealed that digital storytelling enhanced students\u27 understanding of occupational performance impacts, led to the development and utilization of transferrable skills for clinical practice, and was identified as a valuable tool for advocacy and stigma reduction. Results indicate that digital storytelling can be a valuable and innovative assessment method in occupational therapy education, fostering clinical knowledge, critical reflection, and professional skill development (e.g., empathy, problem-solving, communication, and creativity). This approach aligns with the broader trend of digital pedagogy integration in higher education and can also assist with meeting accreditation standards in occupational therapy curricula

Integrating Research and Writing: When Librarians Work with Faculty to Reimagine First-Year Writing

Writing instructors and librarians redesigned a research and writing course, ENG 102. Interweaving information literacy and composition practices, they use a flipped model to transform classroom instruction and library lessons into authentic learning experiences that help students synthesize research into multigenre projects, meeting WPA and ACRL learning outcomes for research

Experiential Learning in a Hybrid Principal Certification Cohort Degree Program

Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) offers principal certification through a specialized Hybrid Principal Certification Cohort Degree (HPCCD) Program. Invited candidates are offered the opportunity to dive deeper into the curriculum, complete a broader range of field and clinical experiences, and develop their leadership skills through a series of experiential learning assignments

All the World’s a Stage: The Implementation of Creative Arts Therapy Utilizing Psychodrama in Prison Populations

Incarceration rates continue to increase in the United States every year. Federally, the FIRST STEP ACT was passed to assist in rehabilitative programming and to reduce recidivism rates. Psychology programs intervene in areas such as trauma, a highly prevalent concern amongst adults in custody, and utilize evidence-based recidivism programming. Creative Arts Therapies (CATs) have been implemented in prisons in the United States, while Psychodrama is a psychotherapeutic technique generally utilized in European and Asian countries. The World’s Stage (TWS) is a treatment modality that provides psychoeducation on trauma and trauma responses in a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy format and integrates the use of Psychodrama and Creative Arts for group and individual processing. By utilizing psychoeducation and Psychodrama in six initial sessions, creative arts therapy is implemented in the final four sessions for additional trauma processing with progress being observed, monitored, and recorded using the Ryff’s Psychological Wellbeing Scale and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Potential implications for TWS are improved psychological well-being, increased knowledge pertaining to trauma, providing a safe and supportive environment for inmates, posttraumatic growth, and reduction of recidivism

Play’s the Thing: How do Occupational Therapy Programs Teach about the Occupation of Play?

Engaging in play constitutes a fundamental theoretical concept and skill set emphasized in occupational therapy (OT) education. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), play is a key occupation and a core context for development and learning. However, there is a paucity of evidence about if and how entry-level OT programs are effectively teaching students about play as a central occupation, and the demands of OT education can make it difficult for OT students to observe children in real life play during their didactic coursework, particularly in unstructured play environments. This pilot descriptive study surveyed 59 pediatric faculty, program directors, and chairs from United States-based entry-level OT programs to explore how and when OT programs teach about childhood play as a central occupation, including play assessments taught, what active approaches are used, and in what settings OT students observe children at play. Findings reveal that OT programs recognize the value of play both as an essential occupation and as a tool for understanding various performance skills crucial to child development. The curricula incorporated a blend of lectures, active learning strategies, and real-world observations of children during both didactic coursework and fieldwork placements. These approaches allowed students to explore the nature of play, learn how to assess and evaluate it both formally and informally, and develop play-based interventions. Further research with a larger sample of United States-based programs and practicing OT professionals is needed to better understand how play is assessed and utilized as an occupation in clinical practice