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Abstract
Clinical education is asserted to be an important period in professional education, being an environment where deep conceptual understanding can develop. The aim of this study was to analyse the interaction between clinical educators and students during supervision discussion sessions in physiotherapy student's clinical education. The focus was on examining the meanings related to physiotherapy practice and the construction of these meanings by means of discussion. By analysing 10 videotaped supervision discussion sessions and by using qualitative discourse analysis, three interpretative repertoires related to physiotherapy practice were identified: Treatment-skill, theory-based and experience repertoires. The results indicated that even if the comprehension of physiotherapy practice could be constructed in joint understanding between the clinical educator and student, clinical educators seemed to play an important role in revising students’ comprehension by conducting the discussions. Although the physiotherapy practice seemed to be discussed quite uncritically and unreflectively, this study highlighted the discussion sessions in clinical education as an arena for critical analysis of physiotherapy practice and thereby assisting in bridging the gap between theory and practice in the physiotherapy profession. Considering the small number of analysed sessions and the methodological limitations no generalizations could be made and more observational research from this area is evidently needed.