Document Type (Journals)
Original Research
Abstract
Many models of professional thinking exist within occupational therapy, but the relationships among reasoning, reflective practice, and evidence-based practice as essential skills for practice are not clear. Because occupational therapy educators impart these skills to students, understanding how educators conceptualize relationships among skills is necessary. We used Delphi methodology to explore educator conceptualizations of the relationships among clinical reasoning, professional reasoning, reflective practice, and evidence-based practice. Inclusion criteria were: an educator in an occupational therapy program for at least three years at the master’s level or higher, currently an occupational therapy educator based in the United States, and available across multiple survey rounds. Nine participants completed all three survey rounds. Participants agreed that the four skills are reciprocally related to one another, with some discrepancies surrounding differing conceptualizations of clinical and professional reasoning. Additionally, relationships were understood to be non-linear and complex. Continued exploration of how these essential skills are related to one another is needed to support future exploration of how they are integrated in occupational therapy education and how this influences practice.
Biography
Hannah K. Burke, Ph.D., OTR/L was a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University while conducting this research.
Pat L. Sample, Ph.D., M.Div. is Professor Emerita in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University.
Anita C. Bundy, Sc.D, OTL, FAOTA, FOTARA is Department Head and a Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University.
Shelly J. Lane, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA is Academic Program Director and a Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University.
Declaration of Interest
The authors report no declarations of interest.
Recommended Citation
Burke, H. K., Sample, P. L., Bundy, A. C., & Lane, S. J. (2024). Relationships Between Reasoning, Reflective Practice, and Evidence-Based Practice: Educators’ Perspectives. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 8 (2). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2024.080215
Creative Commons License
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