Clinical teaching in physical therapy: student and teacher perceptions

Area of Science:

• Physical Therapy Education
• Clinical Instruction
• Student Learning

Background:

• Physical therapists serve as Clinical Instructors (CIs), a critical role in student education.
• Understanding effective and hindering clinical teaching behaviors is essential for optimizing student development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify effective and hindering clinical teaching behaviors as perceived by students and CIs.
• To compare response rates between bachelor's and master's degree students.
• To analyze differences in perceptions of clinical teaching behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A 58-item questionnaire was administered to 172 participants across eight physical therapy programs.
• Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).

Main Results:

• The most effective teaching behaviors involved providing information through feedback.
• Intimidating questioning and correcting errors publicly were perceived as most hindering.
• Significant differences in perceptions were noted between master's and bachelor's students regarding four behaviors.

Conclusions:

• Feedback is a key component of effective clinical teaching in physical therapy.
• Certain teaching practices can negatively impact student learning and confidence.
• Instructional strategies may need adaptation for different student degree levels (bachelor's vs. master's).