'n Raamwerk vir 'n voorgraadse onderwys- en opleidingsprogram vir spraakterapie en oudiologie

Abstract

English: Health care workers are finding themselves in an era of change with regard to service rendering. Health care workers need to be prepared for these changes during their training. The most important change in the transformation process of health care is the focus on primary health care and associated community-orientated and community-based services. To ensure that the training of prospective speech therapists and audiologists (the health care workers) is applicable with regard to preparing for service, the curriculum must be such that the expected outcome will be achieved through the education and training students receive. There are, however, also changes with regard to training in the policies and regulations of higher education that must be adhered to. In order to adapt to all the changes in health care service and the changes in policies and regulations for training, it is necessary to change and adapt the strategies for training too. Training and service rendering can only be effective if it meets with the requirements of the relevant professional board, health care bodies and the regulating bodies of higher education. The requirements of health care and education and the associated changes, however, necessitate a review of curricula for education and training programmes. When a new curriculum has to be developed or an existing curriculum is reviewed, the process is to be conducted according to specific steps and various factors need to be attended to. If these steps are defined and the factors that influence the education and training together with the requirements regarding content, the education and training process and the desired outcomes are described, it is called a framework for the programme. The research problem defined, was that no guidelines or framework existed according to which a curriculum for a training programme for speech therapy and audiology could be adapted, revised or developed. This led to the formulation of the research question, namely: What should be included in a framework for an undergraduate education and training programme to ensure that the training programme meets the requirements of the above mentioned bodies? The main purpose of this study was to make a contribution to health care in South Africa by making a contribution to the education and training of a group of health care workers. The goal was to compile a framework for undergraduate education and training programmes for speech therapy and audiology. In order to achieve the goal, a comprehensive literature study was conducted to study curriculum development, existing curricula and the requirements of relevant bodies. A concept framework was developed and verified by an empirical study through the application of the Delphi technique. The data were processed and analysed and the final product, a framework for the training programme for undergraduate speech therapy and audiology, was established. The literature study served as the basis of this investigation. The Delphi technique was applied to verify the concept framework that had been developed on the basis of the literature study. The concept framework initially consisted of 183 statements, describing aspects and elements of the curriculum design process and content of the curriculum. Each statement was to be judged according to a three-point rating scale, namely essential, desirable and irrelevant. The criterion for reaching consensus was predetermined, namely 75% of the number of ratings on any of the items in the questionnaire had to correspond. The panel of experts (eight) that took part in the Delphi process included heads of departments of the various training institutions in South Africa, an educational expert and an expert representative of the Professional Board for Speech, Language and Hearing Therapy. A pilot study to determine the validity and reliability of the research instrument (the questionnaire) had been conducted before the research instrument was sent to the participants in the Delphi process. With the completion of round three, consensus on the items in the Delphi questionnaire was on 96.77%. Stability was also reached in round three, as the items on which consensus was not reached, showed the same responses with regard to rating since round one. The Delphi process was therefore ended after round three and the final framework was compiled based on the results of the Delphi investigation, in other words, the responses of the participants. The framework is of great value for programme development, as professionspecific information and requirements of stakeholders are contained within the framework, thereby facilitating the task of experts in educational development involved with programme development for speech therapy and audiology. It is recommended that the programme be used by institutions as a guideline for the development of innovative undergraduate training programmes for speech therapy and audiology. It can also be used for revising and/or evaluating existing training programmes, as well as for the accreditation of a training programme. The content elements of the framework may be adapted and changed, if and when the requirements of the relevant professional board and the requirements of health care services and education change, as well as according to changes in the needs of students and needs of the community.

Afrikaans: Gesondheidsdienswerkers bevind hulself in ‘n era van verandering ten opsigte van die benadering tot dienslewering. Die gesondheidsdienswerker moet reeds in opleiding vir hierdie veranderinge in dienslewering voorberei word. Die belangrikste verandering in die transformasieproses van gesondheidsorg is die fokus op primêre gesondheidsorg en daarmee gepaard gemeenskapsgeoriënteerde en gemeenskapsgebaseerde dienslewering. Om te verseker dat opleiding van die voornemende spraakterapeut en oudioloog (die gesondheidsdienswerker) toepaslik is ten opsigte van voorbereiding vir dienslewering, moet die kurrikulum van so ‘n aard wees dat die gewenste uitkoms met die onderwys en opleiding bereik word. Daar is egter ook veranderinge ten opsigte van opleiding in die beleid en voorskrifte van hoër onderwys wat nagekom moet word. Om by al die veranderinge in dienslewering en die veranderinge in beleid en voorskrifte van opleiding aan te pas, is dit noodsaaklik dat ook onderrigstrategieë verander en aangepas moet word. Opleiding en dienslewering kan slegs doeltreffend wees indien dit aan die vereistes van die betrokke Beroepsraad, gesondheidsorgliggame en die regulerende liggame van hoër onderwys voldoen. Die vereistes in gesondheidsorg en onderwys en die gepaardgaande veranderinge noodsaak ook herkurrikulering van die opleidingsprogram vir spraakterapie en oudiologie. Wanneer ‘n nuwe kurrikulum vir ‘n onderwys- en opleidingsprogram daargestel moet word, of ‘n bestaande program word hersien, moet sodanige proses volgens bepaalde stappe uitgevoer word en verskillende faktore moet verreken word. Word hierdie stappe gedefinieer en die faktore wat die opleiding beïnvloed, tesame met vereistes rakende inhoudelike, die onderwysen opleidingsproses en die gewenste uitkomste word beskryf, kan dit as ‘n raamwerk vir ‘n opleidingsprogram beskryf word. Die navorsingsprobleem wat gedefinieer is, is dat daar nie ‘n riglyn of raamwerk bestaan aan die hand waarvan ‘n kurrikulum vir ‘n opleidingsprogram vir spraakterapie en oudiologie aangepas, hersien of ontwikkel kan word nie. Die navorsingsvraag wat ontstaan het, was: Wat behoort ‘n raamwerk vir ‘n voorgraadse onderwys- en opleidingsprogram vir spraakterapie en oudiologie te behels om te verseker dat die opleidingsprogram aan die vereistes van al die genoemde liggame voldoen? Die oorhoofse doel van hierdie studie was om ‘n bydrae tot gesondheidsorg in Suid-Afrika te lewer deur by te dra tot die onderwys en opleiding van ‘n spesifieke groep gesondheidswerkers. Die doelstelling van die studie was om ‘n raamwerk vir ‘n voorgraadse onderwys- en opleidingsprogram vir spraakterapie en oudiologie te ontwikkel. Om die doelstelling te bereik is ‘n omvattende literatuurstudie uitgevoer om kurrikulumontwikkeling, bestaande kurrikula en die vereistes van belangrike liggame te bestudeer. ‘n Konsepraamwerk is ontwikkel en dit is tydens ‘n empiriese studie deur middel van die toepassing van die Delphi-tegniek geverifieer. Die data is verwerk en ontleed en ‘n finale eindproduk, ‘n raamwerk vir die voorgraadse opleiding vir spraakterapie en oudiologie, is daargestel. ‘n Literatuurstudie wat as basis vir die ondersoek gedien het, is uitgevoer. Die Delphi-tegniek is toegepas om die konsepraamwerk wat op grond van die literatuurstudie ontwikkel is, te verifieer deur konsensus van deskundige opinies te verkry. Die konsepraamwerk het aanvanklik uit 183 stellings, wat bepaalde elemente en aspekte van die kurrikulumontwikkelingsproses beskryf, bestaan. Elke stelling se opname in die raamwerk moes volgens ‘n driepunt-beoordelingskaal, naamlik essensieel, wenslik en irrelevant beoordeel word. Die kriteria vir konsensusbereiking is vooraf bepaal, naamlik dat 75% van die aantal beoordelings op enige van die items in die vraelys ooreenstem. Die paneel deskundiges (agt) wat aan die Delphi-proses deelgeneem het, was ses departementshoofde verbonde aan die opleidingsinstansies in Suid-Afrika, ‘n onderwysdeskundige en ‘n deskundige verteenwoordigend van die Beroepsraad vir Spraak-, Taal- en Gehoorterapie. ‘n Loodsstudie om die geldigheid en die betroubaarheid van die navorsingsinstrument (die vraelys) te bepaal, is uitgevoer voordat die navorsingsinstrument na die deelnemers aan die Delphi-proses gestuur is. Met rondte drie het konsensusbereiking op die Delphi-vraelys op 96.77% te staan gekom. Stabiliteit is ook in rondte drie bereik deurdat dié items waarop nie konsensus bereik is nie, vanaf rondte een dieselfde response ten opsigte van beoordeling getoon het. Die Delphi-proses is dus na rondte drie beëindig en die finale raamwerk is op grond van die resultate van die Delphiondersoek, met ander woorde die response van die deelnemers, saamgestel. Met die samewerking van die paneel deskundiges wat aan die studie deelgeneem het, het die studie daarin geslaag om ‘n bydrae tot die beroep te lewer deur ‘n raamwerk vir ‘n voorgraadse opleidingsprogram vir spraakterapie en oudiologie te ontwikkel. Die raamwerk is van groot waarde vir programontwikkeling deurdat beroepspesifieke inligting en vereistes van belanghebbende liggame in die raamwerk saamgevat is wat die taak van onderwysontwikkelingskundiges wat by programontwikkeling betrokke is, vergemaklik. Daar word aanbeveel dat die raamwerk deur instellings gebruik sal word as ‘n riglyn vir die ontwikkeling van nuwe voorgraadse opleidingsprogramme vir spraakterapie en oudiologie. Die raamwerk kan ook vir die hersiening en/of evaluering van ‘n opleidingsprogram gebruik word, asook vir die akkreditering van ‘n opleidingsprogram. Die inhoudelike elemente van die raamwerk kan aangepas of verander word, indien en wanneer vereistes van die betrokke Beroepsraad en die vereistes van gesondheidsorgdienste en onderwys verander, asook na gelang van veranderinge in die behoeftes van studente en die behoeftes van die gemeenskap.