Occupational Therapy Educators’ Self-Efficacy to Teach in a Blended Curriculum

Educational trends have influenced occupational therapy education as evidenced by the adoption of new teaching methods such as blended learning. Blended learning is a combination of both synchronous and asynchronous learning that occurs online as well as portions of the learning occurring in a brick-and-mortar. As more occupational therapy programs design their curriculum to include blended learning, it is essential to understand occupational therapy educators\u27 self-efficacy related to their skills and capabilities to teach in such an innovative format. Little is known regarding occupational therapy educators\u27 self-efficacy to teach in a blended curriculum. This qualitative study aimed to examine the perceptions of occupational therapy educators\u27 self-efficacy when teaching in a blended curriculum. The theoretical framework for this study was Bandura\u27s self-efficacy theory. Ten occupational therapy educators teaching in a blended curriculum were interviewed for this study. Content analysis, descriptive, in vivo, and pattern coding were used to code and analyze the data. Four themes emerged that may contribute to an enhanced self-efficacy when teaching in a blended curriculum: a) Personal agency enhances performance in teaching, b) university resources support growth as an educator, c) feedback as an opportunity for reflection and growth, and d) coping to overcome frustration teaching in a blended curriculum. Results of the study may provide university leaders insight on creating structured professional and mentoring programs that focus on educational learning theories and instructional design, training on educational technology, and providing feedback from peers and supervisors to promote reflection and behavior change which may lead to enhanced self-efficacy as a blended learning educator