An Independent Learning Manual to Support Clinical Reasoning and Facilitate Reflection in Early Physiotherapy Student Placements: A Case Study

Benjamin K. Weeks; Megan Dalton

doi:doi:10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15

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An Independent Learning Manual to Support Clinical Reasoning and Facilitate Reflection in Early Physiotherapy Student Placements: A Case Study

Benjamin K. Weeks, Megan Dalton

Published in Education Journal (Volume 2, Issue 2)

Published: 10 March 2013

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Abstract

In response to student feedback and in line with the concept of ‘guided discovery learning’, we designed an independent learning manual (ILM) to support students over the course of their first major clinical placement. In particular, the ILM was introduced to facilitate the development of clinical reasoning skills, and encourage independent learning and self-reflection. The manual was issued to students in the first year of the physiotherapy program at Griffith University in 2009 and to all associated clinical educators. Student and educator satisfaction of the ILM was determined by survey, while student performance was determined by clinical placement grades and compared to that of the previous cohort unsupported by the ILM. Students rated the ILM as an effective resource (5.0 ±0.8 on 7-point scale, n = 49) and educators rated the ILM as very effective (4.1 ±0.4 on 5-point scale, n = 7). Further, clinical placement grades were greater for students issued with the ILM compared to students without the ILM (82.8 ±9.5 vs. 77.7 ±10.7, p = 0.01). In all, we found that a new resource to support physiotherapy students in an orthopaedic clinical placement was well-received by students and educators and resulted in higher clinical placement grades in comparison to the previous year.

Published in	Education Journal (Volume 2, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15
Page(s)	58-63
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2013. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Clinical Education; Clinical Reasoning; Independent Learning; Orthopaedics; Physical Therapy; Self - Di-rected Learning

References

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[3]	Adam, K., Peters, S. and Chipchase, L. Knowledge, skills and professional behaviours required by occupational therapist and physiotherapist beginning practitioners in work-related practice: A systematic review. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 2013. 60: p.76-84.
[4]	May, W.W., Morgan, B.J., Lemke, J.C., Karst, G.M. and Stone, H.L. Model for ability-based assessment in physical therapy education. Journal of Physical Therapy Education, 1995. 9: p. 3-6.
[5]	Neame, R.L. and Powis, D.A. Toward independent learning: Curricular design for assisting students to learn how to learn. Journal of Medical Education, 1981. 56(11): p. 886-93.
[6]	Harden, R.M., Davis, M.H. and Crosby, J.R. The new Dundee medical curriculum: a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Medical Education, 1997. 31: p. 264-71.
[7]	Spencer, J.A. and Jordan, R.K. Learner centred approaches in medical education. British Medical Journal, 1999. 318: p. 1280-3.
[8]	Biggs, J. Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher Education, 1996. 32(3): p. 347-64.
[9]	Wang, X., Su, Y., Cheung, S., Wong, E. and Kwong, T. An exploration of Biggs’ constructive alignment in course design and its impact on students’ learning approaches. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 2012. DOI:10.1080/02602938.2012.658018
[10]	Herbert, D.M.B. and Burt, J.S. What do students remember? Episodic memory and the development of schematization. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2004. 18: p. 77-88.
[11]	Sobral, D. Mindset for reflective learning: A revalidation of the reflection in learning scale. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 2005. 10: p. 303-314.
[12]	Boud, D. Creating a work based curriculum. Work-based learning: A new higher education, ed. D. Boud and P. Solomon. 2001, Buckingham, UK: Open University Press & Society for Research into Higher Education.
[13]	Lester, S. and Costley, C. Work-based learning at higher education level: Value, practice and critique. Studies in Higher Education, 2010. 35: p.561-575.
[14]	Edwards, I., Jones, M., Carr, J., Braunack-Mayer, A. and Jensen, G.M. Clinical reasoning strategies in physical therapy. Physical Therapy, 2004. 84: p.312-330.
[15]	Boud, D., Cohen, R. and Sampson, J.K. Peer learning and assessment. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 1999. 24: p.413-426.

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APA Style

Benjamin K. Weeks, Megan Dalton. (2013). An Independent Learning Manual to Support Clinical Reasoning and Facilitate Reflection in Early Physiotherapy Student Placements: A Case Study. Education Journal, 2(2), 58-63. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15

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Benjamin K. Weeks; Megan Dalton. An Independent Learning Manual to Support Clinical Reasoning and Facilitate Reflection in Early Physiotherapy Student Placements: A Case Study. Educ. J. 2013, 2(2), 58-63. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15

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AMA Style

Benjamin K. Weeks, Megan Dalton. An Independent Learning Manual to Support Clinical Reasoning and Facilitate Reflection in Early Physiotherapy Student Placements: A Case Study. Educ J. 2013;2(2):58-63. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15

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@article{10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15,
  author = {Benjamin K. Weeks and Megan Dalton},
  title = {An Independent Learning Manual to Support Clinical Reasoning and Facilitate Reflection in Early Physiotherapy Student Placements: A Case Study},
  journal = {Education Journal},
  volume = {2},
  number = {2},
  pages = {58-63},
  doi = {10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.edu.20130202.15},
  abstract = {In response to student feedback and in line with the concept of ‘guided discovery learning’, we designed an independent learning manual (ILM) to support students over the course of their first major clinical placement. In particular, the ILM was introduced to facilitate the development of clinical reasoning skills, and encourage independent learning and self-reflection. The manual was issued to students in the first year of the physiotherapy program at Griffith University in 2009 and to all associated clinical educators. Student and educator satisfaction of the ILM was determined by survey, while student performance was determined by clinical placement grades and compared to that of the previous cohort unsupported by the ILM.  Students rated the ILM as an effective resource (5.0 ±0.8 on 7-point scale, n = 49) and educators rated the ILM as very effective (4.1 ±0.4 on 5-point scale, n = 7). Further, clinical placement grades were greater for students issued with the ILM compared to students without the ILM (82.8 ±9.5 vs. 77.7 ±10.7, p = 0.01).  In all, we found that a new resource to support physiotherapy students in an orthopaedic clinical placement was well-received by students and educators and resulted in higher clinical placement grades in comparison to the previous year.},
 year = {2013}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - An Independent Learning Manual to Support Clinical Reasoning and Facilitate Reflection in Early Physiotherapy Student Placements: A Case Study
AU  - Benjamin K. Weeks
AU  - Megan Dalton
Y1  - 2013/03/10
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VL  - 2
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Author Information

Benjamin K. Weeks

School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Gold Coast campus, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
Megan Dalton

School of Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Benjamin K. Weeks, Megan Dalton. (2013). An Independent Learning Manual to Support Clinical Reasoning and Facilitate Reflection in Early Physiotherapy Student Placements: A Case Study. Education Journal, 2(2), 58-63. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15

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ACS Style

Benjamin K. Weeks; Megan Dalton. An Independent Learning Manual to Support Clinical Reasoning and Facilitate Reflection in Early Physiotherapy Student Placements: A Case Study. Educ. J. 2013, 2(2), 58-63. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15

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AMA Style

Benjamin K. Weeks, Megan Dalton. An Independent Learning Manual to Support Clinical Reasoning and Facilitate Reflection in Early Physiotherapy Student Placements: A Case Study. Educ J. 2013;2(2):58-63. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15

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@article{10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15,
  author = {Benjamin K. Weeks and Megan Dalton},
  title = {An Independent Learning Manual to Support Clinical Reasoning and Facilitate Reflection in Early Physiotherapy Student Placements: A Case Study},
  journal = {Education Journal},
  volume = {2},
  number = {2},
  pages = {58-63},
  doi = {10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.edu.20130202.15},
  abstract = {In response to student feedback and in line with the concept of ‘guided discovery learning’, we designed an independent learning manual (ILM) to support students over the course of their first major clinical placement. In particular, the ILM was introduced to facilitate the development of clinical reasoning skills, and encourage independent learning and self-reflection. The manual was issued to students in the first year of the physiotherapy program at Griffith University in 2009 and to all associated clinical educators. Student and educator satisfaction of the ILM was determined by survey, while student performance was determined by clinical placement grades and compared to that of the previous cohort unsupported by the ILM.  Students rated the ILM as an effective resource (5.0 ±0.8 on 7-point scale, n = 49) and educators rated the ILM as very effective (4.1 ±0.4 on 5-point scale, n = 7). Further, clinical placement grades were greater for students issued with the ILM compared to students without the ILM (82.8 ±9.5 vs. 77.7 ±10.7, p = 0.01).  In all, we found that a new resource to support physiotherapy students in an orthopaedic clinical placement was well-received by students and educators and resulted in higher clinical placement grades in comparison to the previous year.},
 year = {2013}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - An Independent Learning Manual to Support Clinical Reasoning and Facilitate Reflection in Early Physiotherapy Student Placements: A Case Study
AU  - Benjamin K. Weeks
AU  - Megan Dalton
Y1  - 2013/03/10
PY  - 2013
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15
T2  - Education Journal
JF  - Education Journal
JO  - Education Journal
SP  - 58
EP  - 63
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2327-2619
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20130202.15
AB  - In response to student feedback and in line with the concept of ‘guided discovery learning’, we designed an independent learning manual (ILM) to support students over the course of their first major clinical placement. In particular, the ILM was introduced to facilitate the development of clinical reasoning skills, and encourage independent learning and self-reflection. The manual was issued to students in the first year of the physiotherapy program at Griffith University in 2009 and to all associated clinical educators. Student and educator satisfaction of the ILM was determined by survey, while student performance was determined by clinical placement grades and compared to that of the previous cohort unsupported by the ILM.  Students rated the ILM as an effective resource (5.0 ±0.8 on 7-point scale, n = 49) and educators rated the ILM as very effective (4.1 ±0.4 on 5-point scale, n = 7). Further, clinical placement grades were greater for students issued with the ILM compared to students without the ILM (82.8 ±9.5 vs. 77.7 ±10.7, p = 0.01).  In all, we found that a new resource to support physiotherapy students in an orthopaedic clinical placement was well-received by students and educators and resulted in higher clinical placement grades in comparison to the previous year.
VL  - 2
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download