Enabling occupation through service learning: perceptions of community representatives in occupational therapy service learning engagements
| dc.contributor.advisor | Rauch van der Merwe, T. | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Erasmus, M. A. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Janse van Rensburg, Elize | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2016-01-25T08:17:28Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2016-01-25T08:17:28Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2015 | |
| dc.description.abstract | English: Introduction: Occupational therapists concern themselves with human occupation, and the enablement of occupation can be viewed as the profession’s collective domain of concern when working towards health, well-being and occupational justice. Six enablement foundations are described in occupational therapy literature, namely choice, risk and responsibility; client participation; vision of possibilities; change; justice and power sharing. Service learning is employed as a form of practice learning in undergraduate occupational therapy curricula across the globe, in South Africa and at the university where this study was conducted. Research into the effects of service learning has focused on students to a large extent, while the perspectives of community partners have been relatively under-examined. Without knowing how communities perceive occupational therapy service learning engagements, it is difficult to establish whether these engagements are done in a manner that promotes health, well-being and occupational justice, and in a manner that is effective and contextually relevant. Purpose: In an attempt to access the community’s voice regarding occupational therapy service learning engagements, so as to inform current and future practices, the purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of community representatives in occupational therapy service learning engagements, regarding enabling occupation through service learning in communities, as well as the barriers and facilitating factors to this process, at a South African university. Methodology: Positioned primarily in an interpretive, constructivist paradigm the study utilised a descriptive, qualitative enquiry design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight community representatives from seven different occupational therapy service learning community sites. Interviews were transcribed and analysed following an inductive, systematic content analysis approach. The data was coded, grouped into categories and synthesised into themes. The trustworthiness of the study was promoted by, among others, making use of investigator triangulation during data analysis and by conducting participant verification of the interpreted results. Findings: Two themes emerged from the data, namely ‘enabling occupation’ and ‘disenabling occupation’. The theme ‘enabling occupation’ illuminated factors which community representatives perceived as facilitators to occupational enablement through service learning, namely effective communication strategies; collaborative planning and project selection; interdependence; meeting tacit needs; positive student attributes and enabling service activities. In addition, findings that emerged within the category of ‘successful outcomes’ in this theme described evidence of participants’ perceptions of ‘enabling occupation’ as it related to occupational participation and occupational justice. The theme ‘disenabling occupation’ described participants’ perceptions of barriers to occupational enablement in service learning, namely intermittent contact, managerial challenges, barriers to sustainability and risks to students. Conclusions: This study revealed that community representatives perceived most of the enablement foundations to have been present in the occupational therapy service learning engagements; however, there were also instances where some community representatives did not have positive experiences of the operationalisation of these enablement foundations. Relating to the enablement of occupation, links to enhanced occupational participation, meaning, choice and balance emerged from the data; however, these links were mostly inferred by the researcher. Due to its individually appraised nature, participants tended to have difficulty articulating specific perceptions that related to the occupations of community members. The findings of the study enabled the researcher to construct a framework for enabling occupation through service learning, consisting of foundational principles; the enablement foundations; facilitators of enablement; activities and objectives; and outcomes of occupational therapy service learning engagements. Based on this framework, practical recommendations for the management and implementation of occupational therapy service learning engagements could be offered in order to inform occupational therapy service learning practices from the perspectives of community representatives. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | Afrikaans: Inleiding: Arbeidsterapeute bemoei hulself met menslike aktiwiteit, en die instaatstelling van aktiwiteit kan beskou word as die beroep se kollektiewe area van belangstelling wanneer daar gestreef word na gesondheid, welstand en aktiwiteitsreeksgeregtigheid. Ses instaatstellingsgrondslae word in arbeidsterapieliteratuur beskryf, naamlik keuse, risiko en verantwoordelikheid; kliëntdeelname; visie van moontlikhede; verandering; geregtigheid en deel van mag. Diensleer word wêreldwyd, ook in Suid-Afrika en by die universiteit waar die studie uitgevoer is aangewend as ‘n vorm van praktykleer. Navorsing met betrekking tot die uitwerking van diensleer fokus merendeels op studente, terwyl die perspektiewe van gemeenskapsvennote relatief min ondersoek word. Sonder kennis van die persepsies van gemeenskappe rakende arbeidsterapie diensleer-verbintenisse, is dit moeilik om vas te stel of hierdie verbintenisse op ‘n wyse hanteer word wat gesondheid, welstand en aktiwiteitsreeksgeregtigheid bevorder, wat effektief is en wat kontekstueel relevant is. Doel: In ‘n poging om te luister na die stem van die gemeenskap rakende arbeidsterapie diensleer-verbintenisse, ten einde huidige en toekomstige praktyke toe te lig en te rig, was die doel van die studie om die persepsies van gemeenskapsverteenwoordigers in hierdie verbintenisse rakende die instaatstelling van aktiwiteitsreekse deur diensleer in gemeenskappe, asook die struikelblokke en die fasiliterende faktore van hierdie proses, by ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse universiteit te beskryf. Metodologie: Die studie is in ‘n interpreterende, konstruktivistiese paradigma geposisioneer, en het van ‘n beskrywende, kwalitatiewe studieontwerp gebruik gemaak. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is met agt gemeenskapsverteenwoordigers vanaf sewe verskillende arbeidsterapie diensleer-areas gevoer. Onderhoude is getranskribeer en deur middel van ‘n induktiewe, sistematiese inhoudsanalisebenadering geanaliseer. Die data is gekodeer, in kategorieë gegroepeer en gesintetiseer tot temas. Die betroubaarheid van die studie is bevorder deur, onder andere, van ondersoekertriangulasie gebruik te maak tydens data-analise en deur die geïnterpreteerde resultate met deelnemers te verifieer. Bevindings: Twee temas is deur die data voortgebring, naamlik ‘instaatstelling van aktiwiteitsreekse’ en ‘belemmering van aktiwiteitsreekse’. Die tema ‘instaatstelling van aktiwiteitsreekse’ het faktore toegelig wat gemeenskapsverteenwoordigers beleef het as fasiliteerders van die instaatstelling van aktiwiteitsreekse, naamlik effektiewe kommunikasiestrategieë; deelnemende beplanning en seleksie van projekte; interafhanklikheid; die aanspreek van onuitgesproke behoeftes; positiewe studente-eienskappe en instaatstellende diensleweringsaktiwiteite. Bevindings wat voortgespruit het uit die kategorie van ‘suksesvolle uitkomste’ het deelnemers se persepsies rakende ‘instaatstelling van aktiwiteitsreekse’ beskryf soos dit verband gehou het met deelname aan aktiwiteitsreekse en aktiwiteitsreeksgeregtigheid. Die tema ‘belemmering van aktiwiteitsreekse’ het deelnemers se persepsies rakende struikelblokke tot die instaatstelling van aktiwiteitsreekse beskryf, naamlik wisselvallige kontak, bestuursuitdagings, struikelblokke rakende volhoubaarheid en risiko’s vir studente. Gevolgtrekkings: Die studie het aangetoon dat gemeenskapsverteenwoordigers beleef het dat die meeste grondslae van instaatstelling wel teenwoordig was in arbeidsterapie diensleer-verbintenisse. Daar was egter ook gevalle waar sommige gemeenskapsverteenwoordigers nie positiewe ervarings gehad het ten opsigte van die operasionalisering van instaatstellingsgrondslae nie. Met betrekking tot aktiwiteitsreekse, het skakels met aktiwiteitsreeksdeelname, betekenisvolheid, keuse en balans na vore gekom. Hierdie skakels is egter meestal deur die navorser afgelei. Vanweë die individueel-beoordeelde aard van aktiwiteitsreekse het deelnemers dit moeilik gevind om persepsies uit te spreek rakende die aktiwiteitsreekse van lede van die gemeenskap. Die bevindings van die studie het die navorser in staat gestel om ‘n raamwerk vir die instaatstelling van aktiwiteitsreekse deur diensleer saam te stel, bestaande uit fundamentele beginsels; instaatstellingfondasies; fasiliteerders van instaatstelling; aktiwiteite en doelwitte; en uitkomste van arbeidsterapie diensleer-verbintenisse. Na aanleiding van hierdie raamwerk kon aanbevelings vir die bestuur en implementering van arbeidsterapie diensleer verbintenisse gemaak word ten einde arbeidsterapie diensleer-praktyke toe te lig en te rig vanuit die perspektiewe van gemeenskapsverteenwoordigers. | af |
| dc.description.sponsorship | National Research Foundation (NRF) | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11660/2233 | |
| 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 | Occupational therapy | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Service learning | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Practice learning | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Occupation | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Enablement | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Enabling occupation | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Community | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Community representatives | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Occupational therapists | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Occupational therapy -- Study and teaching | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Dissertation (M. Occupational Therapy (Occupational Therapy))--University of the Free State, 2015 | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Enabling occupation through service learning: perceptions of community representatives in occupational therapy service learning engagements | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Dissertation | en_ZA |