Perceptions of physiotherapy clinical educators' dual roles as mentors and assessors: Influence on teaching-learning relationships.
Ilse S Meyer, Alwyn Louw, Dawn Ernstzen
PMID 31049450WHAT IT FOUND
Physiotherapy educators who both mentor and assess students reported that switching roles caused inconsistencies, bias, and conflict.
Students often felt intimidated, which blocked them from disclosing learning needs. Educators struggled to give negative feedback or fail students, fearing it would damage the teaching relationship.
Key findings
01Educators found it demanding to alternate between mentoring and assessing, leading to inconsistent behaviour that confused students.
02The presence of the educator during assessment intimidated students, preventing them from disclosing learning needs or struggles.
03Educators were hesitant to fail students due to fear of conflict, often giving the benefit of the doubt in borderline cases.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only nine participants, all female, from a single university division, limiting generalisability. The findings reflect the perceptions of educators only, not the students' experiences. As a qualitative study, it identifies themes and challenges but does not measure the actual impact on student competence or patient safety.
Declared interests
No funding sources or conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that separating mentor and assessor roles will definitively improve student learning or assessment validity. This study reports educators' perceptions of challenges and preferences; it did not test an intervention or measure student outcomes.