Description of occupational therapy fieldwork supervision at the University of the Free State
| dc.contributor.advisor | Hough, R. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Hattingh, Rialda | |
| dc.contributor.other | van Vuuren, S. | |
| dc.contributor.other | Nel, M. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2015-08-19T12:19:27Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2015-08-19T12:19:27Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2014-01 | |
| dc.description.abstract | English: Fieldwork education in Occupational Therapy provides students with the opportunity to integrate theory learned at higher institutions with practical skills and professional behaviour within real-life settings to become proficient occupational therapists. Fieldwork supervisors are the key role players and facilitators in realising the purpose of fieldwork education. To this end, supervisors must exhibit effective characteristics of supervision in order to provide quality and meaningful learning experiences for students. Concern has been raised throughout literature about the characteristics that supervisors display during fieldwork placements, because it has such a major influence on students’ learning and experiences of fieldwork education. Very little research has been done on fieldwork education of Occupational Therapy in South Africa and none on the characteristics of supervisors and supervision during fieldwork placements. This study aims to describe effective and ineffective characteristics of supervisors and supervision in Occupational Therapy fieldwork education at the UFS as identified by third and fourth year Occupational Therapy students and supervisors. These phenomena of supervisor and supervision characteristics have been researched in several qualitative studies internationally from either the supervisors’ or the students’ perspective. In this study, a quantitative, descriptive study design was used to gather information about effective and ineffective characteristics of supervisors and supervision during Occupational Therapy fieldwork education. The data collection instruments implemented consisted of two similar self-report questionnaires: one for the students and one for the supervisors. The research population consisted of all the third and fourth year Occupational Therapy students enrolled at the UFS in 2012 (a total of 69) as well as all the supervisors involved in fieldwork training of these Occupational Therapy students (a total of 41). The response rate for the students was 98.6% and for the supervisors 100%. Effective supervision characteristics have been identified and described, with specific emphasis on the main findings that reflect that a supervisor must be competent, professional, approachable, considerate and knowledgeable about what is expected from the student and must spend adequate time with the student. Furthermore, the supervisor must provide sufficient guidelines, support, guidance and feedback. Results were reported according to the five categories used in the questionnaires, namely: interpersonal; curriculum; clinical and professional; feedback and environment. Ineffective supervision characteristics identified in this study were similar to those detected in international studies. This study clearly indicates that supervisors viewed the limited time they had to supervise students as a major cause of ineffective supervising. Additionally, they had less than five years of supervision experience, which influenced the effectiveness of their supervision characteristics negatively. An unexpected finding of this study was the indication by supervisors that students’ attributes – whether positive or negative – had been the biggest influence on the supervision they provided during fieldwork education. In conclusion, extensive recommendations were made to redress the ineffective characteristics of supervision identified in this study as it pertains to students, supervisors and the university. This study contributes to Occupational Therapy’s body of knowledge with regard to supervision characteristics in fieldwork education in a South African setting, which can be used as a base for future research. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | Akrikaans: Veldwerkonderrig in Arbeidsterapie bied aan studente die geleentheid om teorie, by hoër instellings aangeleer, te integreer met praktiese vaardighede en professionele gedrag in werklike situasies ten einde bekwame arbeidsterapeute te word. Veldwerktoesighouers is sleutelrolspelers en fasiliteerders in die verwesenliking van veldwerkonderrig. Vir dié doel moet toesighouers oor effektiewe supervisie-kenmerke beskik ten einde gehalte en betekenisvolle leerervarings aan studente te voorsien. Kommer is in die literatuur uitgespreek oor die kenmerke waaroor toesighouers beskik tydens veldwerkplasings aangesien dit so ʼn groot invloed op studente se leerervarings tydens veldwerkonderrig het. Weinig navorsing is al gedoen oor veldwerkonderrig in Arbeidsterapie in Suid-Afrika en geen oor die kenmerke van toesighouers en van supervisie tydens veldwerkplasings nie. Hierdie studie beoog om effektiewe en oneffektiewe kenmerke van toesighouers en supervisie in Arbeidsterapie-veldwerkonderrig by die UV te omskryf soos geïdentifiseer deur sowel die derdejaar- en vierdejaarstudente in Arbeidsterapie as die toesighouers. Hierdie verskynsels van toesighouer- en supervisie-kenmerke is in verskeie kwalitatiewe studies internasionaal nagevors, hetsy vanuit die toesighouer of die student se perspektief. In hierdie studie is ʼn kwantitatiewe, beskrywende studieontwerp gebruik om inligting in te samel oor effektiewe en oneffektiewe kenmerke van toesighouers en van supervisie tydens Arbeidsterapie-veldwerkonderrig. Die datainsameling instrumente wat gebruik is, het bestaan uit twee soortgelyke selfrapporteringsvraelyste: een vir die studente en een vir die toesighouers. Die navorsingspopulasie het bestaan uit al die ingeskrewe derde- en vierdejaarstudente in Arbeidsterapie by die UV in 2012 (ʼn totaal van 69) asook al die toesighouers betrokke by veldwerkonderrig van hierdie studente (ʼn totaal van 41). Die responskoers vir die studente was 98.6% en vir die toesighouers 100%. Effektiewe supervisie is geïdentifiseer en beskryf met spesifieke klem op die hoofbevindinge wat toon dat ʼn toesighouer bevoegd, professioneel, toeganklik, bedagsaam en kundig moet wees ten opsigte van die eise wat aan die student gestel word en ook genoegsame tyd saam met die student moet deurbring. Voorts moet die toesighouer voldoende riglyne, ondersteuning, leiding en terugvoer voorsien. Resultate is gerapporteer volgens die vyf kategorieë wat in die vraelyste gebruik is, naamlik: interpersoonlik; kurrikulum; klinies en professioneel; terugvoer en omgewing. Oneffektiewe supervisie-eienskappe wat in hierdie studie geïdentifiseer is, is soortgelyk aan dié bevind in internasionale studies. Die studie het duidelik uitgewys dat baie toesighouers die beperkte tyd beskikbaar om toesig te hou oor studente beskou het as die grootste bydraende faktor tot oneffektiewe supervisie. Bowendien het hulle minder as vyf jaar supervisie-ondervinding gehad wat die effektiwiteit van hul supervisie-eienskappe negatief beïnvloed het. ʼn Onverwagse bevinding in hierdie studie was dat toesighouers aangedui het dat studente se eienskappe – hetsy positief of negatief – die grootste invloed gehad het op die supervisie wat hulle uitgevoer het tydens veldwerkonderrig. Ten slotte is uitgebreide aanbevelings gemaak om die geïdentifiseerde, oneffektiewe supervisie-eienskappe, soos dit verband hou met studente, toesighouers en die universiteit, te remedieer. Hierdie studie dra by tot Arbeidsterapie se korpus van kennis in verband met die supervisie-eienskappe in veldwerkonderrig in ʼn Suid-Afrikaanse opset wat as basis vir toekomstige navorsing gebruik kan word. | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11660/947 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Dissertation (M.Occupational Therapy (Occupational Therapy))--University of the Free State, 2014 | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Occupational therapy | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Study and teaching (Higher) Occupational therapists | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Fieldwork (Educational method) | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Description of occupational therapy fieldwork supervision at the University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Dissertation | en_ZA |