Teaching and Evaluating an Occupational Perspective in Canada: A Descriptive Qualitative Study.
Katie Lee Bunting, Kristen Honeybourne, Michelle Wheeler and 1 others
PMID 37968857WHAT IT FOUND
Canadian OT educators describe teaching an occupational perspective as a fluid, lifelong process shaped by students, families, and practice realities.
They struggle to grade this evolving lens, suggesting traditional assessments fail to capture how students internalize occupation.
Key findings
01Educators view the development of an occupational perspective as an ongoing process that continues beyond graduation and fluctuates based on practice contexts.
02Learning is social, relying on a community that includes faculty, preceptors, clients, peers, and family to help students grasp the significance of occupation.
03Educators find it difficult to evaluate an occupational perspective because it cannot be observed like concrete skills and lacks a distinct endpoint for grading.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study did not include Francophone educators, limiting the applicability of findings to English-speaking Canadian programs. Member-checking was not performed, meaning participants did not validate the researchers' interpretation of their interviews. The sample was small (12 participants), and anonymity constraints prevented detailed demographic reporting.
Declared interests
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these themes as evidence that specific teaching methods improve student competency or patient outcomes. This study describes educators' perceptions of how they teach, not the effectiveness of those methods.