Pedagogic strategies of supervisors in healthcare placements

Abstract

Purpose

Supervisors are responsible to train students in healthcare placements. Although there is knowledge about workplace learning and supervision in general, little is known about supervisors’ pedagogic strategies in specific healthcare placements. In this study, we identify how supervisors’ reasoning and interrelated actions manifest in physiotherapy and nursing work settings.

Methods

Following the stimulating recall approach, we conducted 16 interviews with supervisors at seven work settings. Using a theoretical framework of workplace supervision, we performed a deductive template analysis.

Results

Four configurations of pedagogic strategies reveal how supervision manifests in healthcare placements. The results provide unique insights into specific supervision moments, and elucidate the situatedness of the supervisors’ strategies.

Conclusions

The present study illustrates the variation in aims and focus of supervisors in placements. Supervisors’ pedagogic strategies were found to be mainly based on (A) role modelling, (B) overall support, (C) trust, and (D) letting go. Further research is needed to investigate the interplay between supervisors and students in learning situations within work settings.

Keywords:

• Placements
• supervision
• pedagogic strategies
• workplace learning

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank the supervisors, students, and co-workers who participated in this study, and the work settings for enabling data collection.

Ethical approval

The research ethics committee of the Open University approved our research design from ethical review (U2019/01871/MQF).

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The authors reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Lieke Ceelen

Lieke Ceelen, MSc, is a PhD candidate on workplace learning and supervision.

Anne Khaled

Anne Khaled, PhD., is a senior researcher in educational sciences, who investigates student learning, educator pedagogies and professionalization in relation to responsive vocational and professional education.

Loek Nieuwenhuis

Loek Nieuwenhuis, PhD, is an emeritus professor and conducts research on learning and working, with a particular emphasis on the expertise of educators.

Elly de Bruijn

Elly de Bruijn, PhD, is a professor with a special interest in the processes of becoming and developing a vocation, and how affordances and interaction can enhance these processes.

All authors are specialists in research on teaching and learning processes.