South African Speech-Language Therapy and Audiology students' experiences of academic and clinical curriculum transformation.
Farieda Abrahams, Katijah Khoza-Shangase
PMID 40459123WHAT IT FOUND
South African speech-language therapy students said their curriculum minimally reflected African languages and cultures.
Most felt only somewhat prepared for diverse clinical work, though students who were proficient in an indigenous language reported more confidence.
Key findings
01Students reported that the curriculum minimally reflected South African cultural and linguistic diversity, with 58% saying it minimally reflected it and 42% saying it did not reflect it at all.
02Most students felt only somewhat prepared for diverse clinical work, and 30% felt unprepared.
03Students proficient in an indigenous language reported feeling more prepared for diverse clinical settings than students who were not proficient.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and purposive, with 48 students from four universities instead of the targeted 60 from six institutions. The findings are self-reported perceptions, not measured patient outcomes or tested clinical competence. The survey was a single point in time, so it cannot show how students' confidence changed as training progressed. The questionnaire was not formally validated, although experts reviewed it and a pilot was done. Responses may reflect social desirability bias, because students could have given answers they considered acceptable. Institutional differences in curriculum, resources, and training models may have shaped students' reports, but the study did not fully account for them.
Declared interests
The paper states that the authors received no financial support for the research. No other conflict of interest information is reported in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that changing the curriculum improves patient care or that indigenous language proficiency causes clinical readiness. The study asked 48 students to report their own perceptions, and it did not test patient outcomes or treatment effects.