Experiential Learning in Pediatric Physical Therapist Education: Faculty and Student Perceptions

Abstract

This study aimed to describe use of experiential learning (EL) with children in entry-level doctor of physical therapy programs. Experiential learning is a recommended educational strategy for building physical therapy knowledge and skills. Subjects: Faculty teaching pediatric content in accredited doctor of physical therapy programs was recruited; 106 responded. Students representing 20 participating programs were also invited to participate; 23 responded. Methods: Participants received an online questionnaire including closed-and open-ended questions regarding EL with children. Descriptive statistics were used to describe responses. Responses to open-ended questions were compiled and reviewed. Results: Respondents reported an average of 12.4 hours of EL with children in required courses. Satisfaction with quality was stronger than with amount of EL. Several perceived barriers and facilitators were reported. Conclusions: Use of and satisfaction with EL with children in physical therapists' education vary. Continued research on this variation and potential effects to educational outcomes is needed.

The How and the Why of Including Children: Experiential Learning in Teaching Physical Therapist Students

“…Doctor of physical therapy educators who had completed an initial questionnaire on the use of EL with children were asked to participate in a follow-up interview 8. This initial questionnaire asked participants how many hours of EL with children are included in their DPT program.…”

“…This initial questionnaire asked participants how many hours of EL with children are included in their DPT program. Based on prior research, purposive sampling was used to identify educators from programs that used a low quantity (5 hours and less) or a high quantity (13.5 hours and more) of EL with children, from programs with diverse student cohort sizes, and from different geographic regions 8. A total of 18 educators ultimately participated in the individual semistructured interviews: 9 from programs using a high quantity and 9 from programs using a low quantity of EL with children.…”

“…Experiential learning supports students' achievement of the essential competencies of pediatric DPT education 4,7. In a recent survey of 106 pediatric DPT educators from Commission on the Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)–accredited programs, all of the participants “agreed that experiential learning with children has a positive impact on DPT students' learning.”8 Experiential learning with children has been found to significantly increase DPT students' perceptions of their communication skills, their skill with family-centered practice, their ability to build rapport and maintain child engagement, their pediatric psychomotor skills, and their confidence and comfort with pediatric examinations and use of standardized tests 7,9–11. In a scoping review of pediatric DPT educational practices, Anderson et al12 found that “Following experiential learning, students demonstrated improved application and manipulation of knowledge, improved clinical reasoning skills, as well as improved child/family interactions and management of the therapeutic environment.” (p110)…”

Student Self-Efficacy in Pediatrics: Evaluation and Modification of the Pediatric Communication and Handling Self-Efficacy Scale

“…Experiential learning is a “... unique and nonnegotiable dimension of excellence in pediatric physical therapy education”6 that provides opportunities for DPT students to have direct engagement with a child and the family 7,8. In DPT pediatric education, there is variability in the implementation of experiential learning opportunities (ELOs) 10. Common implementation strategies of ELOs include engagement with community partners, laboratory activities or classroom interactions with children and families, and high-fidelity human simulation 11–13…”

Experiential Learning in Pediatric Physical Therapist Education: Challenges and Facilitators

“…Despite this apparent importance, variability in implementation exists across DPT programs 3. In a recent survey exploring the use of EL with children, pediatric faculty from 80 DPT programs reported that students engaged in a mean of 12.4 hours of EL with children (range: 0-40 hours) and 8.9 hours specifically with children who have participation restrictions (range: 0-38 hours) 4. Only 61.7% of the faculty respondents were moderately or extremely satisfied with the quantity of EL with children in their program 4…”