Abstract
BackgroundEnsuring physiotherapy students are well prepared to work safely and effectively in culturally diverse societies upon graduation is vital. Therefore, determining whether physiotherapy programs are effectively developing the cultural responsiveness of students is essential. This study aimed to evaluate the level of self-perceived cultural responsiveness of entry level physiotherapy students during their training, and explore the factors that might be associated with these levels.MethodsA cross sectional study of physiotherapy students from nine universities across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand was conducted using an online self-administered questionnaire containing three parts: The Cultural Competence Assessment tool, Altemeyer’s Dogmatism scale, and the Marlowe-Crowne social desirability scale- short form. Demographic data relating to university, program, and level of study were also collected. Data was analysed using one-way ANOVA, t-tests and multiple regression analysis.ResultsA total of 817 (19% response rate) students participated in this study. Overall, students had a moderate level of self-perceived cultural responsiveness (Mean (SD) = 5.15 (0.67)). Fewer number of weeks of clinical placement attended, lower levels of dogmatism, and greater social desirability were related to greater self-perceived cultural responsiveness. Additionally, fourth year undergraduate students perceived themselves to be less culturally responsive than first and second year students (p < 0.05).ConclusionsThese results provide educators with knowledge about the level of self-perceived cultural responsiveness in physiotherapy students, and the factors that may need to be assessed and addressed to support the development of culturally responsive practice.
Highlights
Ensuring physiotherapy students are well prepared to work safely and effectively in culturally diverse societies upon graduation is vital
To be able to design efficacious health professional curricula that supports the development of behaviours, attitudes, and interpersonal interactions that are culturally responsive, educators need to understand the baseline level of cultural responsiveness of healthcare students and the factors that influence cultural responsiveness
Analysis of the Culturally Competent Behaviours (CCB) subscale showed a moderate level of culturally competent behaviours (4.53 ± 1.11, range = 0–7)
Summary
Ensuring physiotherapy students are well prepared to work safely and effectively in culturally diverse societies upon graduation is vital. Determining whether physiotherapy programs are effectively developing the cultural responsiveness of students is essential. This study aimed to evaluate the level of self-perceived cultural responsiveness of entry level physiotherapy students during their training, and explore the factors that might be associated with these levels. To be able to design efficacious health professional curricula that supports the development of behaviours, attitudes, and interpersonal interactions that are culturally responsive, educators need to understand the baseline level of cultural responsiveness of healthcare students and the factors that influence cultural responsiveness. There is a paucity of published research evaluating cultural responsiveness in physiotherapy students. The results were self-reported perceptions of cultural responsiveness which may have been influenced by social desirability bias [18]. To appropriately examine cultural responsiveness using self-reported measures, a measure of social desirability should be concurrently completed, and analyses should include these data as a covariant
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