Abstract
BackgroundAlthough Western models of education are being used to establish health professional programs in non-Western countries, little is known about how students in these countries perceive their learning experiences. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the reflections of physiotherapy students from a Middle East culture during their clinical placements and to compare them to reflections of physiotherapy students from a Western culture.MethodsSubjects were six senior students (3 females, 3 males, mean age 22.6 years) and 15 junior, female students (mean age 20.1 years) in the baccalaureate physiotherapy program at a university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They wrote weekly entries in a journal while in their clinical placements. They described an event, their reaction to it, and how it might affect their future behavior. Two evaluators independently read and coded the content of all the journals, and then worked together to categorize the data and develop themes. A third evaluator, an UAE national, independently read the journals to validate the content analysis. A feedback session with students was used to further validate the data interpretation. The themes were compared to those derived from a similar study of Canadian physiotherapy students.ResultsThe content of the students' reflections were grouped into 4 themes: professional behavior, awareness of learning, self-development and shift to a patient orientation, and identification and analysis of ethical issues. Although the events were different, students from the UAE considered many of the same issues reflected on by Canadian students.ConclusionPhysiotherapy students from a Middle East culture consider many of the same issues as students from a Western culture when asked to reflect on their clinical experience. They reflect on their personal growth, on how they learn in a clinical setting, and on the ethical and professional behaviors of themselves and others.
Highlights
Western models of education are being used to establish health professional programs in non-Western countries, little is known about how students in these countries perceive their learning experiences
Schön [2,3] suggested that reflective practitioners are better able to manage the uncertainty and complexity of clinical practice, and asserted that a major part of preparation of professionals should be centred on enhancing their ability to reflect
Because the students in the two programs have similar socioeconomic status and similar curricula, it was anticipated that differences in reflections would be due to differences in culture and life experiences related to the cultures. This qualitative study was conducted during the students'clinical placements in a summer semester of the Physiotherapy Program at the University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, a program developed in affiliation with McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Summary
Western models of education are being used to establish health professional programs in non-Western countries, little is known about how students in these countries perceive their learning experiences. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the reflections of physiotherapy students from a Middle East culture during their clinical placements and to compare them to reflections of physiotherapy students from a Western culture. Reflection is the process where individuals think about and (page number not for citation purposes). All promoters of reflection refer to it as a process of thinking about experiences. Schön [2,3] suggested that reflective practitioners are better able to manage the uncertainty and complexity of clinical practice, and asserted that a major part of preparation of professionals should be centred on enhancing their ability to reflect
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