Document Type (Journals)
Original Research
Abstract
Educational trends have influenced occupational therapy education as evidenced by the adoption of new teaching methods such as blended learning. Blended learning is a combination of both synchronous and asynchronous learning that occurs online as well as portions of the learning occurring in a brick-and-mortar. As more occupational therapy programs design their curriculum to include blended learning, it is essential to understand occupational therapy educators' self-efficacy related to their skills and capabilities to teach in such an innovative format. Little is known regarding occupational therapy educators' self-efficacy to teach in a blended curriculum. This qualitative study aimed to examine the perceptions of occupational therapy educators' self-efficacy when teaching in a blended curriculum. The theoretical framework for this study was Bandura's self-efficacy theory. Ten occupational therapy educators teaching in a blended curriculum were interviewed for this study. Content analysis, descriptive, in vivo, and pattern coding were used to code and analyze the data. Four themes emerged that may contribute to an enhanced self-efficacy when teaching in a blended curriculum: a) Personal agency enhances performance in teaching, b) university resources support growth as an educator, c) feedback as an opportunity for reflection and growth, and d) coping to overcome frustration teaching in a blended curriculum. Results of the study may provide university leaders insight on creating structured professional and mentoring programs that focus on educational learning theories and instructional design, training on educational technology, and providing feedback from peers and supervisors to promote reflection and behavior change which may lead to enhanced self-efficacy as a blended learning educator.
Biography
Inti Marazita, PhD, MS, OTR/L (Primary Author) is an occupational therapist and a clinical associate professor in the entry-level OTD program at Hanover College. Her research interests are in educators’ self-efficacy primarily in blended learning and the use of educational technology to enhance student learning and engagement, curriculum development, pediatrics, and mental health.
Amy Adcock, EdD received her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Instructional Design & Technology from the University of Memphis in 2004. Her research interests include the relationship between message design and knowledge development primarily using design research to determine how elements of self-paced learning environments such as games and simulations can inhibit or contribute to learning.
Mary Shotwell, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA is an occupational therapist and a professor in a PhD in Health Sciences at Rocky Mountain University. Mary has worked in multiple occupational therapy curricula and has taught in programs that use face-to-face as well as blended learning delivery formats.
Declaration of Interest
The authors report no declarations of interest.
Recommended Citation
Marazita, I. A., Adcock, A., & Shotwell, M. (2024). Occupational Therapy Educators’ Self-Efficacy to Teach in a Blended Curriculum. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 8 (2). Retrieved from https://encompass.eku.edu/jote/vol8/iss2/16
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Technology Commons, Occupational Therapy Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons