Perceived faculty development needs of physical therapy adjuncts: a comparison study

Abstract

Background

Faculty development needs to consider the perceived needs of the teachers it serves. However, little is known about the faculty development needs of physical therapy adjuncts (casuals, contingent, non-tenured, sessional).

Objectives

The aim of this study was to compare the highest-rated faculty development needs identified by physical therapy adjuncts who teach only in the classroom (‘classroom adjuncts’) to those who only teach in clinical placements (‘clinical adjuncts’).

Methods

Using a cross-sectional, web-based survey, perceived faculty development needs were compared among classroom adjuncts (n = 14) and clinical adjuncts (n = 18) using a Likert scale. Analysis included identifying highest-rated needs (i.e., > 75% agreement) for each group and t-tests to determine if highest-rated needs were significantly different between groups.

Results

Six of the highest-rated needs of classroom adjuncts were, not surprisingly, focused on needs within the classroom. Four of the highest-rated needs of clinical adjuncts were specific to this group and three were significantly different from classroom adjuncts – mentoring students and peers, learning how to deal with common challenges within teaching, (e.g., diversity, dishonesty, disability and struggling students), and using simulation and skills training. Highest-rated needs of clinical adjuncts appeared to be focused on effective communication with diverse students and how to build a co-operative learning environment that facilitates the students’ own initiatives to learn.

Conclusions

Faculty development should address context-specific perceived needs to support physical therapy adjuncts.

Keywords:

• Perceived faculty development needs
• clinical adjuncts
• classroom adjuncts
• communication with students
• physical therapy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Notes on contributors

Abigail Grover Snook

Abigail Grover Snook - Ph.D., M.Ed., P.T. - is a physical therapist and an adjunct faculty at the University of Iceland. Her doctoral research was a mixed methods study about supporting health science teachers in their endeavors to improve their teaching, with a special interest in teacher identity and adjunct faculty. Her other areas of interest are in biophysical modalities and teaching methods that enhance student motivation. She is currently doing research on ways to enhance the therapeutic alliance and the effectiveness of patient education through use of patient-centered care, shared decision making, the cognitive and affective learning domains, and effective communication.

Asta B. Schram

Asta B. Schram - Ph.D., M.Ed.- is an Associate Professor and Educational Developer at the School of Health Sciences at the University of Iceland. She completed her PhD in Educational Psychology/Teaching and Learning from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA. Her work involves several projects concerning faculty development, teaching workshops, and providing personal advice to teachers as well as conducting research on teaching strategies, assessment, and motivation. Her research areas also include teaching strategies and their relationship to student motivation and self-regulation.