Evaluating the Professional Transformation from a Doctoral Capstone Experience
Keywords:
doctoral capstone, transformative learning, SoTL, occupational therapyAbstract
Transformational learning is a familiar framework that is used to guide student learning and development, but is not frequently studied in allied health education programs. A scholarly capstone is a common academic requirement among various allied health doctoral-level programs and is traditionally defined as an immersive experiential learning experience, along with a scholarly project via mentorship. Due to the inherent nature of the capstone process, the student is required to engage in self-reflection, self-examination, and exhibit self-directedness. Faculty in allied health programs can benefit from using transformative learning as a theoretical framework for designing and evaluating these experiential learning endeavours.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to measure the personal and professional transformation of occupational therapy students following a doctoral capstone experience (DCE), a required 14-week experience in entry-level occupational therapy doctorate programs. Data was collected via pre and post-DCE interviews and journal entries which mirrored Mezirow’s stages of transformational learning.
This study provides insight to faculty regarding the importance of self-reflection to impact personal and professional growth in allied health doctoral students.
References
Aamodt, A. M. (1982). Examining ethnography for nurse researchers. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 4(2), 209-221.
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. (2018). Standards and interpretive guide [PDF]. Retrieved from:
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. (2019). ACOTE December 2019
Accreditation Actions. Retrieved from:
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Brookfield, S. (2015). Critical reflection as doctoral education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. 147, 15-23.
Clarke, C., Martin, M., & Sadlo, G. (2014). The development of an authentic professional identity on role-emerging placements. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 77(5), 222-229. https://doi.org/10.4276/030802214X13990455043368
DeIuliis, E.D & Bednarski, J.A. (2019). The Entry level Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone: A Framework for the Experience and Project, Thorofare, NJ: SLACK Incorporated; ISBN-10: 1630916110
Dubouloz, C.J. (2014). Transformative occupational therapy: We are wired to be transformers. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 81(4), 204–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008417414554913
Guba, E. G. (1981). Criteria for assessing the trustworthiness of naturalistic inquiries. Educational Technology Research and Development, 29(2), 75-91.
Hanson, D. & DeIuliis, E.D. (2015). The collaborative model to fieldwork education: a blueprint for group supervision of students. OT in Healthcare: Special Issue in Education, 29(2), 223-39. doi: 10.3109/07380577.2015.1011297
Krefting, L. (1991). Rigor in qualitative research: The assessment of trustworthiness. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 45(3), 214-222.
Lyons, M., & Ziviani, J. (1995). Stereotypes, stigma, and mental illness: Learning from fieldwork experiences. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 49(10), 1002-1008.
Marsick, V., & Mezirow, J. (2002). New work on transformative learning. Teachers College Record, 25.
Mezirow, J. (1997). Transformative learning: Theory to practice. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 74, 5-12.
Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning to think like an adult: Core concepts of transformation theory. In J. Mezirow & Associates, (Eds.), Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress. (pp.3-34). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Roberts, N. (2006). Disorienting dilemmas: Their effects on learners, impact on performance, and implications for adult educators. In M. S. Plakhotnik & S. M. Nielsen (Eds.), Proceedings of the Fifth Annual College of Education Research Conference: Urban and International Education Section (pp. 100-105). Miami: Florida International University. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1249&context=sferc
Sandelowski, M. (1986). The problem of rigor in qualitative research. Advances in Nursing Science, 8(3), 27-37.
Santalucia, S., & Johnson, C. R. (2010). Transformative learning: Facilitating growth and change through fieldwork. OT Practice, 15(19), CE1-CE7.
Wilcock, A. (1998a). An occupational perspective of health. Thorofare, NJ: Slack
Wilcock, A. A. (1998b). Reflections on doing, being and becoming. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65, 248–256.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Amy Mattila, Elizabeth D. DeIuliis, Ann B. Cook
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
All published works remain the copyright of the author, and are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attributions-ShareAlike 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) following the journal's published version of the work, as it can lead to productive exchanges and greater citation of published work.
