Student preparation for research-active occupational therapy careers: A longitudinal, mixed-method study

Occupational therapy (OT) education has seen calls for enhancing the development of research capacity to facilitate evidence-based practice and to assist in securing the profession’s future (White 2013; White and Creek, 2007). This study engaged a cohort of undergraduate OT students, investigating their research experiences and perceptions and the factors related to preparation for research active careers.
After gaining ethical approval, this longitudinal, mixed-method study repeatedly surveyed final year OT students from one university during the process of implementing final year research projects. The Research Spider (Smith et al., 2002), Q-methodology and nonstandardised surveys measured experiences of research engagement, research knowledge and competencies and emotional variables. Data was analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods.
Data collection at three time points (prior to research engagement, after project
completion, after conference presentation) yielded 33, 21 and ten survey responses and 18, 12 and six Q-sort responses respectively. The results profile research attitudes and perceptions at the three time points, with findings demonstrating shifting profiles related to experiences of professional research engagement during the undergraduate learning experience.