Research Report Abstracts - Gesundheit

eS256
Relevance: Mistry, White and Berard (2009:145) have highlighted
the dearth of literature on Master’s level teaching
and learning. Key themes that students felt contributed to the
“postgraduateness” of a Master’s programme were identified
by McEwen et al. (2005:10) but strategies to develop these
attributes were not discussed. Even less is known specifically
about the development of Master’s level physiotherapy
attributes. In order to support students’ transition to a higher
level of study it is important to understand the students’ perspective
of the journey.
Participants: A purposive sample of seven students were
recruited, who had completed and passed at least one Master’s
module, had previously expressed difficulty in understanding
what was expected of “Master’s level” academic work and
who had demonstrated a clear change in their ability during
the course of the Master’s programme.
Methods: A qualitative exploratory approach was used via
semi-structured interviews to explore students’ perceptions
and experiences of their developing Master’s level academic
skills.
Analysis: Interviews were recorded and transcribed and the
transcripts were returned to the students to check for accuracy
and clarification. Collaborative analysis was completed by
two researchers in order to identify key themes.
Results: The following themes were identified by the students,
through which they felt they had achieved their
understanding of ‘Master-ness’: Reading, Thinking, Time
and Discussion. Students reported developing a different
approach to reading, and different reading skills; they became
more selective and focused and learned to evaluate the content
as they read. They were surprised to find that they had to
do so much thinking. They were aware of their thinking skills
growing and becoming more critical. They were surprised to
find how much time was required for these new reading and
thinking skills. They felt that the most significant factor in
developing these skills was that of discussion. This was with
peers, in class, with work colleagues, with tutors in class,
with tutors one-to-one. Together, these skills enabled them to
form their own judgements and opinions.
Conclusions: Whilst academic staff had their own perception
of the study skills required for Master’s level work, these
skills were not always obvious to students. This study has
revealed the detail of students’ understanding of becoming a
Master and how this develops.
Implications: This student perspective will inform how the
provision of academic guidance will be structured; specific
discussion opportunities will be provided, critical reading
will be coached, and students will be advised on structuring
their study to include thinking time. In addition, these
findings suggest areas for further research into the process of
becoming a Master.
Keywords: Master’s level; Academic attributes; Education
Funding acknowledgements: This work was unfunded.
Ethics approval: Ethical approval was granted from Coventry
University ethics committee and consent was given by all
participants. Confidentiality was maintained throughout.
Research Report Platform Presentation
Number: RR-PL-2991 Tuesday 21 June 09:15
RAI: Emerald Room
A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF INSTRUMENTS FOR
THE ASSESSMENT OF PROFESSIONAL
COMPETENCE OF PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS
Dalton M. 1 , Davidson M. 2 , Keating J. 3
1Griffith University, School of Physiotherapy and Exercise
Science, Gold Coast, Australia, 2La Trobe University, School
of Physiotherapy, Melbourne, Australia, 3Monash University,
School of Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medicine,
Nursing and Health Sciences, Melbourne, Australia
Purpose: Health professional education programs typically
assess competence by direct assessment of clinical practice.
The assessment of adequate performance is required
for certifying fitness to practice. The focus of this systematic
review was to identify all instruments currently used
to assess the practice competencies of physiotherapy students,
and to summarize the evidence of reliability, validity,
feasibility educational impact and costs.
Relevance: A preliminary search of the literature revealed no
systematic review of existing instruments for assessing professional
competence of students in physiotherapy programs.
The quality of assessment of competence in professional
practice programs cannot be ignored or undervalued, because
high-stakes decisions about learners are based on the outcomes
of these assessments.
Participants: Included studies described an instrument
designed for assessment of professional competence of student
physiotherapists in a practice environment. Studies were
included if it described an instrument intended for use with
undergraduate, graduate-entry or post-graduate students of
any tertiary institute or registration body offering a physiotherapy
qualification, re-registration of a qualification or
specialisation. Studies were excluded if the instrument was
designed for use with standardized patients or used for peer,
patient or self-assessment.
Methods: Fourteen electronic databases were searched without
date limits until May 2009.Two independent researchers
extracted data using a standardised form. Differences were
reconciled by discussion with a third reviewer.
Analysis: Evidence of validity, reliability, acceptability,
authenticity, impact on education, training and costs of each
instrument was compiled using best practice criteria.
Results: 19 studies reporting on 12 instruments met the inclusion
criteria. For seven of the 12 (58%) instruments evidence
was provided in relation to validity based on test content
with respect to measurement aim, target population, item
and performance indicator selection and format of the rating
scale. Four instruments had validity evidence based on internal
structure, and relationship to other variables. No study
investigated the educational impact of the assessment process
or supplied sufficient information on educator training