International Occupational Therapy Faculty Perceptions Regarding Doctoral Level Education

Over the past decade a debate has ensued in the US regarding the clinical doctorate in occupational therapy (OT) and whether to require a doctorate to become an occupational therapist. Little discussion has occurred regarding the potential implications on the global community of occupational therapists, and there have been no attempts to ascertain the views of international OT faculty and practitioners. This study surveyed international OT faculty regarding their perceived need for and value of graduate education, particularly at the doctoral level, for OT faculty and practitioners in their countries. Fifty-three OT faculty from WFOT approved programs in eight countries participated. Most of the respondents felt that a doctorate should not be required to enter the profession and that it was unlikely their countries would follow suit if the entry-level in the US was a clinical doctorate. Some participants commented that the US would isolate itself with this requirement and that research doctorates, particularly in disciplines other than OT, are necessary for faculty development. While the results of this survey should be viewed as preliminary given the limited sample, further surveys of OT faculty and practitioners worldwide are recommended, especially in consideration of international occupational therapists who might immigrate to the US

Entry-level Occupational Therapy Students’ Beliefs about Knowledge and Knowing: Findings from Three Masters Level Programs in the US

One of the expected outcomes of higher education for all entry-level occupational therapy (OT) students is to develop the capacity to think critically and engage in complex clinical reasoning. Beliefs about the justification of knowledge (epistemic cognition) and the nature of knowledge (ontological cognition) underlie the ability to develop sophisticated ways of thinking. There is a scarcity of research specific to occupational therapy students in the literature related to epistemic and ontological cognition. Based on a discussion prompted during an AOTA Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) workshop in 2014, OT faculty members from three entry-level occupational therapy programs initiated a longitudinal SoTL project designed to assess the epistemic and ontological beliefs of their respective student cohorts and compare results cross-institutionally. The Epistemic Beliefs Inventory (EBI), a modified Four-Quadrant Scale (mFQS), and 4 open-ended questions were used to assess student views at the beginning and end of a period of didactic learning in each occupational therapy program. Results suggest changes in student views may be based on the context and curriculum of the OT program in which they were enrolled. The findings associated with this SoTL project have implications for OT educators who want to help their students develop more mature views about knowledge in preparation for the metacognitive demands of clinical practice

International Occupational Therapy Faculty Perceptions Regarding Doctoral Level Education

Over the past decade a debate has ensued in the US regarding the clinical doctorate in occupational therapy (OT) and whether to require a doctorate to become an occupational therapist. Little discussion has occurred regarding the potential implications on the global community of occupational therapists, and there have been no attempts to ascertain the views of international OT faculty and practitioners. This study surveyed international OT faculty regarding their perceived need for and value of graduate education, particularly at the doctoral level, for OT faculty and practitioners in their countries. Fifty-three OT faculty from WFOT approved programs in eight countries participated. Most of the respondents felt that a doctorate should not be required to enter the profession and that it was unlikely their countries would follow suit if the entry-level in the US was a clinical doctorate. Some participants commented that the US would isolate itself with this requirement and that research doctorates, particularly in disciplines other than OT, are necessary for faculty development. While the results of this survey should be viewed as preliminary given the limited sample, further surveys of OT faculty and practitioners worldwide are recommended, especially in consideration of international occupational therapists who might immigrate to the US