Although assessing clinical reasoning is almost universally considered central to medical education it is not a straightforward issue. In the past decades, our insights into clinical reasoning as a phenomenon, and consequently the best ways to assess it, have undergone significant changes. In this article, we describe how the interplay between fundamental research, practical applications, and evaluative research has pushed the evolution of our thinking and our practices in assessing clinical reasoning.

Health professions education (HPE) research often involves examining complex phenomena. Theory provides a means for better understanding the mechanics of these phenomena and guiding health professions researchers and educators as they navigate the practical implications for teaching, learning, and research. Engaging with educational theory is, therefore, critical to facilitating this understanding. However, this engagement presents a key challenge for HPE researchers and educators without a background in social science. This article outlines 5 key principles of engaging with theory and offers integration strategies to assist HPE researchers and educators who wish to apply theory to their HPE scholarship and practice. The article concludes with a practical example of how these principles were applied to an HPE research project, demonstrating the value of theory in enhancing research quality. Existing theories can facilitate opportunities for individual researchers to better understand complex phenomena while simultaneously moving forward the field of HPE.

African students from refugee backgrounds constitute a special group in Australian schools because of their complex lives and previous schooling and life experiences that are unlike most of their non-refugee peers. This chapter draws upon findings from a collaborative, longitudinal case study that sought to understand the education and career pathways of African students from refugee backgrounds from the perspectives of African youth, educators, service providers, and South Australian African community leaders and elders. Qualitative analysis revealed six key influences that shape these pathways: previous schooling; English language skills; Australian schooling challenges and support; family support, academic achievement; and post-school preparation. This chapter presents the case study of a single student that, although unique in its circumstances, is representative of key findings from the larger study. Implications for educational practice are then described with a view to facilitating educational participation and success amongst this particular group of young people.

This qualitative study highlights the experiences of ten Serbian refugees who migrated to South Australia from former Yugoslavia as a result of the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s. Multiple semi-structured interviews were employed to examine participants' experiences before, during and after the conflicts. Eight stages of the refugee journey were identified: prewar peaceful co-existence, outbreak of war, fleeing towards refuge in Serbian-held territory, realisation that the pre-war life cannot be regained, dissatisfaction with the family's transition situation, decision and application to emigrate, migration and resettlement in Australia, and adaptation to life in Australia. A number of factors were found to influence each stage of the refugee journey (e.g., social, practical and health challenges, age, and negative Serbian stereotypes). From these findings, three adaptation patterns — active integration, passive integration, and segregation — were identified as specific to the participants in the current study.

African students from refugee backgrounds constitute a special group in Australian schools because of their complex lives and previous schooling and life experiences that are unlike most of their non-refugee peers. This chapter draws upon findings from a collaborative, longitudinal case study that sought to understand the education and career pathways of African students from refugee backgrounds from the perspectives of African youth, educators, service providers, and South Australian African community leaders and elders. Qualitative analysis revealed six key influences that shape these pathways: previous schooling; English language skills; Australian schooling challenges and support; family support, academic achievement; and post-school preparation. This chapter presents the case study of a single student that, although unique in its circumstances, is representative of key findings from the larger study. Implications for educational practice are then described with a view to facilitating educational participation and success amongst this particular group of young people.