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Occupational therapy students' perceptions of occupational therapy
Merrill June Turpin1, Sylvia Rodger, Anna R Hall
1Division of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia. m.turpin@uq.edu.au
Australian Occupational Therapy Journal
|September 25, 2012
Summary
Students entering occupational therapy programs often perceive the profession similarly to the general public. Graduate students with prior exposure show more advanced understanding of occupational therapy concepts.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Therapy Education
- Professional Socialisation
- Student Perceptions
Background:
- Understanding student entry perceptions is crucial for professional socialisation within occupational therapy curricula.
- This study explores initial student views of occupational therapy in Australian university programs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate students' perceptions of occupational therapy upon entry to undergraduate and graduate programs.
- To identify how these initial perceptions align with or differ from professional understanding.
Main Methods:
- A qualitative study involving 462 students from two Australian occupational therapy programs.
- Data collected via a purpose-designed questionnaire in the first lecture.
- Analysis involved keyword identification, category generation, and frequency counts.
Main Results:
- Student responses categorized into 'what', 'how', 'why', and 'who' occupational therapists do.
- 'Helping people' and 'rehabilitation' were common themes for 'what' and 'how'.
- Graduate entry students demonstrated more nuanced understanding, mentioning 'through occupation' and 'modifying the environment'.
Conclusions:
- Students' initial perceptions often mirror general public views of occupational therapy.
- Graduate entry students, exposed to pre-entry materials, exhibited more advanced conceptual understanding than undergraduate students.
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