Student anxiety toward level II fieldwork.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Therapy Education
• Psychological Assessment
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) differentiates between transient state anxiety and stable trait anxiety.
• Occupational therapy curricula are evolving, necessitating evaluation of student preparedness and anxiety levels.
• Comparing new and old curricula requires assessing student outcomes, including psychological well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test if early Level I fieldwork in a new occupational therapy curriculum reduces state anxiety compared to an older curriculum.
• To evaluate the impact of curriculum design on student anxiety during professional training.
• To examine the validity and reliability of the STAI in this educational context.

Main Methods:

• Administered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to students in concurrent new and old occupational therapy curricula.
• Compared state anxiety levels between groups anticipating Level II fieldwork.
• Utilized statistical analysis to test the primary hypothesis regarding anxiety differences.

Main Results:

• The hypothesis that early Level I fieldwork reduces state anxiety was not supported by statistical analysis.
• A significant reduction in anticipated anxiety was observed as students reported for fieldwork.
• The study discusses the STAI's psychometric properties within this student population.

Conclusions:

• The new occupational therapy curriculum's early fieldwork component did not demonstrably decrease student state anxiety.
• Student anxiety levels appear to decrease upon commencing fieldwork, irrespective of curriculum structure.
• Further research may be needed to explore factors influencing anxiety in occupational therapy students.