Abstract
The study evaluates the effectiveness of a continuing education session by examining practitioners’ knowledge, attitude, and use of meaningful engagement (ME). Results suggest a need for clearer methods to teach ME and increased support in practice.
Primary Author and Speaker: Sarah Miller
Additional Authors and Speakers: Sevahna Crofford, Libby Ball, Laura Schmelzer
Within occupational therapy (OT) curricula, various definitions of occupation are utilized interchangeably, leading to misunderstanding in practice (Price et al., 2017). Different approaches to teaching occupation within OT can also lead to inconsistencies of understanding occupation (Hooper et al., 2020; Krishnagiri, 2019). Varying degrees of understanding cause challenges when attempting to use occupation in practice and the focus on meaning within an occupation can be lost. A quasi-experimental research design examined the change in practitioners’ knowledge, attitude, and ability to use meaningful engagement (ME) following a continuing education (CE) session. OT practitioners were recruited to participate at the beginning of a 1.5-hour CE session focused on rediscovering ME in OT practice. Data were collected using a pretest, posttest, and four-week follow-up survey including closed and open-ended questions, Likert scale questions, and a demographic questionnaire. Data from knowledge, attitude, and application categories were analyzed using SPSS version 27 and Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. Eighty-four participants consented to the study, 78 completed the posttest, and 55 completed the follow-up. Data from pretest to posttest indicated a statistically significant increase (p=<.001) in participant’s knowledge, attitude, and application of ME in practice. However, data from posttest to follow-up revealed a significant decrease in participants’ preparedness to infuse ME (n=54, p=.004), attitude about the realistic use of ME (p=.004), and application of information from the CE into practice (n=43, p=<.001). Results indicate a CE can help increase participants’ understanding of ME, but the gain in knowledge is limited if not applied in practice. Further research and better preparation within OT curricula can increase OT practitioners’ use of ME. Occupation-based models of practice and tools to assess ME could be used to bring meaning back to OT practice.
Price, P., Hooper, B., Krishnagiri, S., Taff, S. D., & Bilics, A. (2017). A way of seeing: How occupation is portrayed to students when taught as a concept beyond its use in therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71(4). https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2017.024182
Hooper, B., Krishnagiri, S., Price, P., Taff, S. D., & Bilics, A. (2020). Assignment artifacts and what they reveal about how occupation is addressed in U.S. occupational therapy curricula. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74, 7404205090. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.036012
Krishnagiri, S., Hooper, B., Price, P., Taff, S. D., & Bilics, A. (2019). A national survey of learning activities and instructional strategies used to teach occupation: Implications for signature pedagogies. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73, 7305205080. https://doi.org/10.5014/ ajot.2019.032789