Major National Health Service policies in the United Kingdom (UK) have promoted the development of shared learning as part of pre-qualifying education for health and social care (H&SC) professionals, to foster effective collaborative working for the benefit of patient/client care. Subsequently, the wide-spread introduction of interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives has been accompanied by numerous research studies and evaluations. IPE delivery is diverse; initiatives are frequently located in academic settings and thereby attract criticism for being too remote from the realities of professional practice, whereas practice-based IPE is generally well- evaluated but can be fraught with logistical issues. Initially criticized for lacking a sound theoretical basis for either its development or research, the number of I PE papers drawing on theories from different fields such as psychology and education continues to grow. However, the contribution of the theories of Pierre Bourdieu as a meaningful framework for examining the complexities of IPE has received little attention. This study explores a range of factors influencing the development and delivery of IPE initiatives in three universities in England. It is an original enquiry into a particular form of practice: of people who occupy different positions within the same social space, and in relation to those in other institutions with similar responsibilities. In-depth interviews were conducted with nineteen academic staff associated with IPE curriculum development - an under-investigated area to date. In addition, the extent and nature of IPE in the UK was scoped utilizing publicly available, on-line data, as part of the contextualization of the study and to further an understanding of the broader field of H&SC professional education within which IPE is located. Related learning, teaching and strategy documentation in the participating institutions was also analysed. A rigorously reflexive approach was maintained, with Bourdieu's concepts employed as methodological strategies (influencing study design, contextualization and interview schedules) and as analytical devices. Issues of power are explored using Bourdieu's concepts of field, habitus and capital, shedding light on what facilitates or hinders pre-qualifying IPE from the staff perspective. The study shows that Bourdieu's concepts provide a robust framework for underpinning the development of, and research into, H&SC IPE, thereby contributing to an on-going important debate in relation to IPE theory.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:589387 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Rees, Dianne Patricia |
| Publisher | University of the West of England, Bristol |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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