Learning from students: Facilitators' learning in interprofessional placements.

Area of Science:

• Interprofessional Education
• Early Childhood Education
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Limited research exists on interprofessional facilitators' learning experiences.
• Few studies explore learning across traditional service and professional boundaries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the learning and experiences of Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) facilitating placements for speech-language pathology students.
• To investigate interprofessional learning within childcare settings.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Lave and Wenger's theory of Legitimate Peripheral Participation.
• Conducted focus groups with 7 ECEs and semi-structured interviews with 4 Centre Directors.
• Employed thematic analysis to identify key themes.

Main Results:

• Five themes emerged detailing how ECEs accepted students as legitimate community members, facilitating ECE learning.
• Absence of power differentials between ECEs and students was noted.
• Students' integration into daily activities fostered positive interprofessional learning.

Conclusions:

• ECEs' facilitation of student placements can lead to significant interprofessional learning.
• Embedded placement design and student participation enhance learning for facilitators.
• Collaborative models without hierarchical power dynamics are effective for interprofessional learning.