Abstract
BackgroundUndergraduate speech-language therapy students often find it difficult to see the relevance of theoretical module content, which may negatively influence their motivation to learn. The real world of their future profession can be brought to life in the theory classroom by including authentic case study examples. Video case studies are well suited to illustrating communication disorders and may also be easier to remember and relate to information already in the long-term memory.ObjectivesThis article describes the perceptions of undergraduate students regarding the inclusion of authentic video cases in a theoretical module on developmental communication disorders.MethodsA qualitative, interpretivist research design was followed. Focus-group interviews were conducted with 22 second-year students in the programme B Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy. A modified contextualised content analysis approach was used to analyse interview data.ResultsThe use of authentic video cases was perceived positively by participants. Seeing a realistic example of a person with communication difficulties made it easier to understand, remember and engage with the module content. Participants also felt they could more easily imagine themselves in that clinical context, which seemed to (re-) awaken in them a sense of purpose and motivation. Being presented with real-life communication problems made them realise the relevance of their profession. However, participants experienced cognitive overload at times when the processing requirements of a task exceeded their available cognitive capacity.ConclusionVideo cases are valuable tools to enhance students’ engagement with theoretical content. To avoid cognitive overload, a scaffolded multimedia learning experience needs to be provided.
Highlights
Undergraduate students in the field of speech-language therapy often find it difficult to apply their theoretical ‘book knowledge’, in other words, to demonstrate competence in a clinical context (Hoben, Varley, & Cox, 2007). During their early study years, the main focus is on obtaining the theoretical basis needed for clinical reasoning and problem-solving – that is, the ‘know’ and ‘know how’ levels of Miller’s prism of clinical competence (Miller, 1990) presented in Figure 1 – and students typically venture onto clinical training platforms only after completing the relevant theory
The majority of students were of the opinion that video cases made the theoretical module content more memorable, because they had a mental image that they could refer
In line with findings by De Leng et al (2007), participants felt they could more imagine themselves in that clinical context, which seemed to awaken in them a sense of purpose and motivation
Summary
Undergraduate students in the field of speech-language therapy often find it difficult to apply their theoretical ‘book knowledge’, in other words, to demonstrate competence in a clinical context (Hoben, Varley, & Cox, 2007). During their early study years, the main focus is on obtaining the theoretical basis needed for clinical reasoning and problem-solving – that is, the ‘know’ and ‘know how’ levels of Miller’s prism of clinical competence (Miller, 1990) presented in Figure 1 – and students typically venture onto clinical training platforms only after completing the relevant theory. Video case studies are well suited to illustrating communication disorders and may be easier to remember and relate to information already in the long-term memory
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