Facilitating a culture of research among undergraduates in occupational therapy at the University of the Free State

English: The overall theme of this study is the facilitation of a research culture at undergraduate level for occupational therapy (OT) students at the University of the Free State (UFS). The term "culture" in this regard depicts an ethos of traditions and customs (or roles, habits and values) that will mature with the OT student during the four years of training. Clinical practice, especially when mini-research projects are executed as part of the prerequisite of the training programme, provides an opportunity for acquiring roles, habits and values associated with a research ethos. Successive mini-research projects also have the potential to stimulate continuous research in the clinical context while simultaneously generating evidence for practice. The experience of engagement in mini-research projects by students, as well as the researcher's role in directing and coordinating these projects as supervising clinician, supported this study. An action learning and action research (ALAR) design, aimed at improving practice, guided the multi-method data collection. This data-driven process was dominated by a plan, act, observe, and reflect cyclical sequence. The three completed research cycles included various stakeholders. Direct stakeholders were predominantly the OT students from the UFS, as well as OT clinicians and academics. Indirect stakeholders were the residents of the dementia care ward at Ons Tuiste. The research findings are presented in the format of five articles: Article 1 identifies possible factors hampering the development of a research culture. These factors relate to understanding the position of South African occupational therapists (specifically those therapists trained at and involved with the UFS) regarding research and publication. Trends noted in literature were verified by consulting OT clinicians and academics in Bloemfontein. In conclusion, the idea is introduced that a succession of mini-research projects could facilitate an ethos of research for both clinical supervisors and students. Article 2 addresses the question of how mini-research projects could be designed and structured so as to contribute to a meaningful learning experience for students on clinical placement. The ALAR approach was instrumental in the process of directing successive mini-research projects for students servicing a dementia care unit. A tree analogy is used to explain the design and structuring of the mini-research projects as well as additional aspects that nurtured the process. The article concludes with recommendations on how to structure and design mini-research projects that could be beneficial to other clinicians and final-year OT students in their areas of practice. The predominant question answered in Article 3 relates to whether the ALAR approach, when utilised during clinical practice, could contribute positively to the professional development of undergraduate OT students. The researcher applied findings in an attempt to uncover how involvement in successive mini-research projects influenced students' attitudes and/or knowledge towards research. She also attempts to show how exposure to various forms of reflection not only impacted on the students' professional development, but could also cont ribute to facilitating a research culture at undergraduate level. In Article 4 the researcher addresses the question of the potential impact of refl exive practice skills on student development. The researcher aims to demonstrate how specific meaningful learning qualities contributed to the personal development of undergraduate OT students. The discussion of the findings indicates that action learning and reflection are valuable components when considering clinical practice and community service learning (CSL). A visual portrayal of action learning, being instrumental in the learning process, summarises the characteristics identified within the mini-research projects and suggests that CSL could contribute to lifelong learning. Article 5 specifically addresses what elements of a research development framework could utilise the potential of clinical practice in OT training. The construction of the Framework to promote an Appreciation for Research-Related Activities (FARRA) and its associated model is elucidated. Comments generated by a quantitative questionnaire to an expert panel are also discussed. Suggestions are then made as to what course of action could assist with refining and implementing the FARRA model aimed at laying the foundation for a lifelong inclination towards research.