The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe accurately the methods used by occupational therapy graduate students to develop self-awareness, a necessary foundation for the development of professional behaviors. Self-awareness, defined as a deep understanding of one's emotions, strengths, weaknesses, needs, and drives (Goleman, 1995), was identified in the literature as a component of or a prerequisite for the development of skills in leadership, multicultural competency, clinical reasoning, and continuing competence.Purposive sampling was used to identify student participants from a private university in the mid-west. Eleven participants completed the study. Evidence was gathered through semi-structured interviews; observations of classroom activities, professional meetings, and clinical settings; and examination of documents which included journal entries, class assignments, and professional development plans.Findings suggest that students' development of self-awareness is facilitated by a hierarchical sequence of activities which provide them with opportunities to describe features of their contexts, to recognize and define personal values and beliefs and those values and beliefs of others, and to define relationships. Reflection stimulated consideration of students' reactions in particular contexts and development of a new perspective. Students who appraised themselves realistically anticipated their responses in future events and made plans to alter undesired behaviors. Although the literature supported feedback as one way in which to facilitate self-awareness, students were reluctant to give candid feedback to peers and rarely sought feedback, unless required, for their own performance. Evaluations of behaviors, relationships, and belief systems were activities located at higher levels in the hierarchy requiring students to gain skills in recognition and description first in order to proceed to these levels.The findings point to the importance of self-awareness for personal and professional growth, and the need for educators to utilize a variety of strategies by which to facilitate self-awareness development. A revision of Fidler's checklist may provide a foundation for the development of a tool which could be a useful way in which to target behaviors necessary for development of self-awareness. / Department of Educational Leadership

The purpose of this study was to identify the complete scope, cognitive, affective and psychomotor, of clinical competencies required for the successful practice by entry-level associate degree respiratory care graduates entering the workforce. The study was conducted using a Delphi technique. American Association for Respiratory Care House of Delegates nominated a panel of experts to participate in the study. A total of 55 individuals were nominated and 21 agree to participate in the study. The individuals represented both college-based educators and hospital managers and educators. The initial questionnaire requested that each panel member list those cognitive, affective and psychomotor clinical competencies that they believed to be required for successful entrylevel practice. The responses from the first round were grouped into like categories and returned to the panel members to be rated on a four-point scale during the second and third rounds of the study. Consensus was achieved with the third round resulting in a final list of 26 cognitive, 20 affective and 28 psychomotor clinical competencies. The final list of competencies includes the most basic cognitive and psychomotor skills of the profession and did not include many of the areas listed by the National Board for Respiratory Care exam matrix. The study also lists 20 affective attributes as essential for successful practice. There are no current standardized methods in use to evaluate affective skills. Research will need to continue to clarify the skills needed for competent and successful entry-level practice. / Department of Educational Studies

The effectiveness of behavioral interventions for the treatment of young children with autism has been well documented in professional literature. The success of these procedures, however, depends on the fidelity of implementation and proper training of the therapist. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a 125-skill, comprehensive staff training package that involved a graduated sequence of teaching. In addition to changes in skills, social validity and training time were also assessed. Results indicate that correct demonstration of skills increased following training, incorrect implementation decreased, teachers rated the procedures favorably, and the total training took between 20 and 32.5 hours for over 120 skills to reach mastery criteria. A discussion of the results as well as implications for future research is also provided.

The purpose of this study was to determine the amount, type, and content of training acquired by SLPs presently working in dysphagia management, as well as their level of involvement. A questionnaire was sent to 97 Oregon SLPs. Of these, 77 (80%) responded, and 52 met criteria. The resulting data indicated that SLPs involved with dysphagia work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, and private practice. Seventy-two percent of the subjects have been involved with dysphagia management for less than 10 years; 79% treated between 1 and 10 patients for dysphagia the month prior to filling out the questionnaire; and 81% have provided other staff in their settings with in-service on dysphagia.

In the current environment of increasing cultural diversity, it appears vital that music therapists are trained to understand the issues involved in working with clients from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this study was to examine professional music therapists' knowledge of and attitudes toward relevant multicultural issues. The study attempted to answer the question of whether there is in fact a need for multicultural training for music therapists, and if so, in what areas. A survey designed by the author was sent to 500 music therapists across the country, resulting in 298 usable responses. Analysis of the data revealed strong support for the underlying dimensions of multiculturalism, with weaker support for implementation of multicultural policies. Support for multiculturalism was correlated more strongly with attitude than with knowledge subscores. Data were also analyzed by age, gender, ethnicity, geographical location, and level of education. Significant differences in scores were found between respondents in the New England and the South Central regions of the country (p s .05). Significant differences in total and knowledge scores were found between respondents holding a Ph.D. and those with a Bachelor's degree. There were no significant differences between minority and majority culture groups. Females had consistently higher scores than males, but the differences were not significant. Also, with regard to age, results showed an improvement in attitude scores as age group increased. Results showed that 78.2% of respondents support multicultural training for music therapy students.

Family Therapy training programmes have recently come to appreciate the importance of addressing the personal growth of the trainee-therapist, in addition to the traditional focus on skill development. Suggestions in the available literature on how this "person-of-the-therapist" issue could best be addressed, represent almost exclusively the ideas of authorities (authors, clinicians and trainers) in the field of systemic therapy. Constructivist thought endorsed by the UNISA training programme, encourages and values different viewpoints. According to this view, students and faculty co-construct the training process. The aim of this study is therefore to present the voice of the trainee. Several training contexts, the essential qualities of the different supervisory relationships and difficulties encountered, are explored from the trainee's perspective. It is hoped that this "inside story" about the author's experiences on her journey toward becoming a psychotherapist, will engender sensitivity for and a deeper understanding of the complexity involved in training the person of the therapist. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Thesis (MPhil (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Clinical education in health sciences is an important and distinct part of health care education. In clinical education situations, students learn to integrate the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values of the profession. The attainment of clinical competence is one of the main outcomes of the Clinical Physiotherapy module for physiotherapy students at Stellenbosch University (SU). In its Strategy for Teaching and Learning (2001:3), SU embraces a student-centered approach to teaching. In a student-centered approach towards teaching, the focus is on the quality and quantity of student learning. In the current changing context of higher education, all spheres of education need to be assessed to determine the meaning of student-centeredness and to establish whether it is achieved. The above-mentioned approach may lead to quality management in teaching and learning.

Family Therapy training programmes have recently come to appreciate the importance of addressing the personal growth of the trainee-therapist, in addition to the traditional focus on skill development. Suggestions in the available literature on how this "person-of-the-therapist" issue could best be addressed, represent almost exclusively the ideas of authorities (authors, clinicians and trainers) in the field of systemic therapy. Constructivist thought endorsed by the UNISA training programme, encourages and values different viewpoints. According to this view, students and faculty co-construct the training process. The aim of this study is therefore to present the voice of the trainee. Several training contexts, the essential qualities of the different supervisory relationships and difficulties encountered, are explored from the trainee's perspective. It is hoped that this "inside story" about the author's experiences on her journey toward becoming a psychotherapist, will engender sensitivity for and a deeper understanding of the complexity involved in training the person of the therapist. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Discrete trial instruction (DTI) and naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBIs) are often incorporated into early intensive behavioral interventions for young children with autism. Recent advances in staff training methods have demonstrated that self-instructional manuals, video models, and computer-based training are effective and efficient ways to improve staff implementation of these teaching strategies however research in this area is limited. The current evaluation assessed the effects of a computer-based training package including self-instructional manuals with embedded video models on direct-care staff’s implementation of DTI and an NDBI. All participants’ DTI teaching fidelity increased during role-plays with an adult and with a child with autism and all participants increased teaching fidelity across untrained instructional programs. In addition, moderate improvement was demonstrated following NDBI training on the use of correct prompts, environmental arrangements, and response interaction. Together, these results indicate that therapists are able to acquire a large number of skills using two teaching techniques, DTI and NDBI, following brief computer-based training.

Effective and efficient training strategies are needed to provide training to novel therapists whom provide early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) services to young children with autism. We evaluated the effects of interactive computer-based training (ICT) on novice therapists' implementation of two, common EIBI instructional techniques: discrete-trial instruction (DTI) and naturalistic instruction. Results demonstrated that ICT improved trainees' instructional fidelity during role-plays with a confederate for DTI instruction and also with a child with autism for both DTI and naturalistic instruction. As a result, the requirement for supervisor feedback on performance was minimized. In addition, results suggest that child language improved as a result of improved therapist performance.