The application of critical thinking is required in the practice of physiotherapy and has been cited as a learning outcome in the design of physiotherapy curricula. Although welcomed by the profession, the introduction of critical thinking within the programs may be premature due to the lack of debate and subsequent understanding about the critical thinking skills needed to practice physiotherapy. The results of this study contribute to the understanding and development of critical thinking within the specific context of physiotherapy and inform the development of the physiotherapy curriculum towards the realization of the intended goals.
Physiotherapy curriculum design is influenced by the expanded role of the physiotherapist in response to policy. This will contribute to the full personal development of each student and the social and economic development of society in general. This is in line with the vision of South Africa's National Qualifications Framework (NQF) which is the mechanism that was introduced to facilitate the integration of education and training (South Africa: Discussion Paper - Report of the Ministerial Committee on Labor Development in KKK, February 1996).
The implementation of the NQF has been the centerpiece of education reform in South Africa. The implementation of the NQF is a further factor that has influenced the intended outcomes of the physiotherapy curriculum. There is a need for different modules and levels in the curriculum to contribute to the development of critical thinking.
The need for articulation in curriculum design between outcomes related to critical thinking skills, and the inclusion of teaching and learning strategies to achieve the intended goal.
Conceptual Framework
Philosophy tends to focus on the features and quality of the products of critical thinking, while psychologists focus on. This is of extreme importance for the development of critical thinking within the context of clinical reasoning and decision-making in Physiotherapy, which relies on the justification of claims to ensure good judgement. The proposed model combined the critical thinking skills model of Philosophy, which is process-oriented, and the problem-solving strategies of Psychology, which is product-oriented.
There is a lack of critical thinking if the problem solving approach is used in isolation. The proposed framework for Higher Order Thinking Skills by Quellmalz (1987) has great applicability for the development of critical thinking and reasoning skills within the context of physiotherapy. It is unclear whether "metacognition" referred to in the model refers to just one of the three processes of metaknowledge described by Kuhn (1999) or whether it refers to the composite higher order thinking processes of reflection and critical thinking.
McPeck (1990), whose definition of critical thinking was cited earlier, emphasized the importance of knowledge in developing an individual's ability to think critically. The process of clinical reasoning and the skills to develop critical thinking within that process would be meaningless if there were no adequate knowledge base.
Methodology
The most important benefits of action research are the improvement of practice, the improvement of the. The actual data in the study was at an experiential level, revolving around the self-awareness, self-perceptions and self-concepts of the teachers of physiotherapy in their current practice. This was with the aim of gaining access to and acceptance of the institution and to alleviate tensions surrounding the anonymity of the institution and the research participants.
The reflective nature of the interviews and interaction in the workshop served as a tool to obtain in-depth data about participants' awareness, perceptions and perceptions of critical thinking in the practice of teaching physiotherapy. Furthermore, it is the coordinator's responsibility to examine the academic and clinical program for synergy. The active nature of the interview in this study was based on the work of Holstein and Gubrium in Silverman (1997).
In this study, the content of the responses produced was in collaboration with an active interviewer. The questions are derived from the formulation of the research problems outlined earlier. The researcher was aware of the meaning of the given information and therefore asked questions to clarify these meanings.
The researcher is unaware of the existence of any other such specific model for physiotherapy. The workshop was based on analysis of the reasoning skills of qualified physiotherapists in determining the diagnosis of a patient presented in the form of a paper case. Verbatim transcripts of the session served as the source of data for analysis of the clinical problem.
Participant D had to determine methods for implementing teaching in the clinical reasoning process that A and B demonstrated. The purpose of the discussion was to interpret findings and gain consensus about the clinical reasoning process and the component skills of critical thinking used in the process from the rest of the group. The researcher endeavored to share his opinion and interpretations of the observed phenomena with the people involved in the research, invited their views and criticisms and negotiated a consensus of opinion.
Findings
In my experience, the process involves the clinical educator commenting on the performance and selection of the physical skill in relation to the patient's condition, followed by a corrective demonstration by the clinical educator if necessary. Comments on the performance and the rationale for the choice of skill are also elicited from the rest of the student group. This is further emphasized in the form that evaluates the student's performance in the treatment of the assessed patient.
A large portion of the points are awarded with little attention to the performance of the physical skill. However, it is a very small contribution and focuses the assessor's attention more on the student's critical thinking than on the ability itself. It may also result from poor monitoring of the steps in the problem-solving process, which prevents the transfer of knowledge between disciplines (Perkins, 1987).
This is in line with findings that emerged from a review of course plans. No single definition has provided a complete understanding of the concept, which shows the complex nature of critical thinking itself. Much of what was theorized in the previous discussion was actually seen in the workshop as the physiotherapists modeled the process of clinical reasoning in response to the example presented on paper. This type of testing is atomistic compared to the holistic approach to patient assessment required of students in the clinical field.
The findings of the workshop were divided into two parts.. a) The process of clinical reasoning and the simultaneous use of critical thinking skills to solve a clinical problem. The first stage of the clinical reasoning process involved the perception of information and the interpretation of data in conjunction with a relevant source of knowledge in an attempt to extract meaning. Through the process of visualization, the participants explained how the method of injury caused changes in the anatomical structures and biomechanics of the back.
However, neither she nor any of the other participants were able to relate this information to the two different pain sites that the patient complained about. This suggests that there may be a poor correlation between knowledge and use of if. This was confirmed by the evidence of some of the participants who. was involved in questioning the process with Participant A.
It was clear from the data emerging from the workshop that the skill of analysis and transfer was used by the participants to make judgments. Furthermore, it was necessary to determine what constitutes the meanings and perceptions of the concept of critical thinking for the teachers of physiotherapy.
A Proposed Framework of Critical Thinking Skills for Clinical Reasoning in Physiotherapy
- Conclusion
- Critical thinking skills
- Qualitative Research Framework
- References
The conclusion of the study relates to the component skills of critical thinking that a teacher can focus on to teach and assess for critical thinking within the context of Physiotherapy, and to the appropriateness of the methodology used for this study. A repertoire of critical thinking skills has been identified to aid clinical decision making in Physiotherapy. They allow one to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses during the process of clinical reasoning.
Teaching and assessment strategies should be more process-focused by incorporating and assessing reasoning skills in courses and in the clinical setting. This can be followed in the real world by entrusting students with patient wards in clinical areas rather than treating selected patients. At the beginning, students could work in pairs and model the questioning process demonstrated by participants A and B in the workshop.
The qualitative research approach adopted in this study was successful in capturing the nature of critical thinking in the physiotherapy department. The approach provided breadth and depth in coverage of the total experience of critical thinking within the world of physiotherapy at this institution, from novice student to experienced practitioner. A feature that emerged from the processing of data is that the workshop participants, who had undergone specialist training in orthopedic manipulation therapy, found the clinical problem easier to solve due to following a systematic checklist that the course promotes .
What follows is the implementation of the facilitated clinical practical laboratories in conjunction with the framework of the critical thinking skills presented. After using a paper case in the workshop as a strategy to assess reasoning ability, some academics have already implemented this method as an assessment strategy in their courses. Human Judgment and Decision Making, New York, Hemisphere.. eds) Clinical Reasoning in the Health Professions, Oxford, Butterworth- Heineman.
Human Problem Solving, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. 23) Nickerson, RS. eds) Teaching Thinking Skills: Theory and Practice, New York, W.H. Freeman and Company, 27-37. Critical Thinking, Robert Park, CA: Center for Critical Thinking and Moral Criticism, Sonoma State University. 34;The Development of Rationality and Critical Thinking").. eds) Teaching Thinking Skills: Theory and Practice, New York,.
APPENDICES
CONTINUOUS EVALUATION
STVDENT: ____________________________________ __
PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOUR Responsibility
PATIENT MANAGEMENT
SELF-MANAGEMENT
LETTERS OF CONSENT
Statement of Consent from the Academic Registrar
I am aware of the study being carried out by Mrs SS Ramklass for the purposes of a dissertation with the title. I am aware of the study being carried out by Mrs SS Ramklass in the Department of Physiotherapy for the purposes of a dissertation with the title.
Statement of Consent from Co-ordinators
