Stepping OUT in Educational Research: Pediatric Physical Therapy Education has Learned to Walk

Abstract

It is our pleasure introduce special series of articles that will appear in each of the next 3 issues of this journal highlighting key areas of educational research specific pediatric physical therapy education. The purpose of this special series, as stated in the initial call for proposals in 2014, is to focus on identifying the curricular elements and instructional changes that will be necessary ensure the provision of high quality physical therapy services for pediatric patients and adults with lifelong developmental disabilities. To this end, we found it was both necessary enhance our collective understanding of best practice in pediatric physical therapy education and share that more broadly with the physical therapy education community. While the literature on the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) in physical therapy education continues expand in both breadth and depth, the variability of educational practices relative the education of pediatric physical therapy knowledge, skills, and abilities is highly variable across professional physical therapy curriculum. In fact, many of the concerns first identified in 1993 by Cherry and Knutson1 and by Martin2 regarding the limited amount of time spent and the variability in teaching pediatric content as part of the entry-level physical therapy curriculum are still unresolved. More recently, pediatric physical therapy educators have begun strive towards more systematic approach the SoTL using an increasingly broader array of educational research methods answer some of these same questions. To this end, the special series will expand the current literature base.The happenstance of several separate, yet overlapping, key events led this special series. The words and actions of Journal of Physical Therapy Education coeditors, Hack and Gwyer, have demonstrated their support for publishing special series highlight specific topic. In addition, and perhaps more notable, has been the encouragement of the coeditors, through editorials and their own contributions the literature, acknowledging that research of physical therapy education needs be supported by evidence and sound methodology.3-4 In her 2011 McMillan lecture, Dr Jensen spoke directly the need for educational research that will provide evidence on best practices in physical therapist education.5 And more recently, Jensen et al proposed a compelling rationale for building much needed foundation for education research in physical therapy6 The foundations for our work on this series began around the same time.This special series is one of several key outcomes from the first (2012) Pediatric Education Summit sponsored by the Section on Pediatrics (now known as the Academy on Pediatric Physical Therapy, or APPT). This was in part result of the findings of Schreiber et al, as they identified that variability across educational practices among professional physical therapy education programs had not changed much from 1993 compared with their 2010 survey.7 The Education Summit brought together 20 individuals affiliated with pediatric physical therapy education (academic and clinical components), and together, they reached consensus on 5 essential core competencies in pediatric physical therapy education: (1) Human Development, (2) Age-Appropriate Patient/Client Management, (3) Family-centered Care, (4) Health Promotion and Safety, and (5) Legislation, Policy and Systems.8 (Readers who are not familiar with the competencies are encouraged review that work before delving into this special series.) Several additional manuscripts stemmed from that first Summit,9-10 and the formation of the Academic and Clinical Educator (ACE) Special Interest Group (SIG) of the APPT was also born. These efforts helped better describe expectations of pediatric physical therapy education, while both academicians and clinicians tried better understand the best ways teach pediatric physical therapy in the classroom, lab, and clinic. …