Perceptions of physiotherapy clinical educators’ dual roles as mentors and assessors : influence on teaching–learning relationships
Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AOSIS
Abstract
Background: Central to clinical education is the teaching–learning (T-L) relationship that evolves between the clinical educator (CE) and the student. Within this T-L relationship, CEs may be expected to fulfil dual roles as mentors and assessors of students. Challenges for both
parties may arise when CEs take on these different roles.
Objectives: The goal of this study was to ascertain how CEs perceived the influence of their
dual roles as mentors and assessors on their T-L relationships with physiotherapy students.
Method: Individual interviews were semi-structured with nine CEs during this qualitative
descriptive study at the Division of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences,
Stellenbosch University. A content analysis followed to analyse the data obtained. An iterative
process, aimed to understand the phenomena under study, was conducted via an interpretive
approach in context. This revealed main themes that were identified and refined.
Results: Clinical educators experienced challenges when their role changed from being a
mentor to that of assessor. These challenges affected the learning of students, as they influenced
the T-L relationship. Clinical educators experienced ambiguities regarding their dual roles
and, as a result, their expectations were often not fulfilled.
Conclusion: Students’ learning processes were negatively affected by the changing roles of
CEs, who acted as mentors and later as assessors of clinical competence during the students’
clinical rotations. The positioning theory was offered as a framework to resolve the challenges
created by the dual roles and to manage expectations between CEs and students. The T-L
encounters could be enhanced if students and CEs aligned themselves to a learning-centred
paradigm where the focus was on learning and where the needs of the diverse students and
the expectations of CEs were balanced. Further research should explore how a workshop with
role play, demonstrating to CEs in practice how to reposition themselves, would impact the
relationships between both parties.
Description
CITATION: Meyer, I. S., Louw, A. & Ernstzen, D. 2019. Perceptions of physiotherapy clinical educators’ dual roles as mentors and assessors : influence on teaching–learning relationships. South African Journal of Physiotherapy, 75(1):a468, doi:10.4102/sajp.v75i1.468.
The original publication is available at http://www.sajp.co.za
The original publication is available at http://www.sajp.co.za
Keywords
Physiotherapy -- Study and teaching (Higher), College teachers -- Attitudes, Teacher-student relationships, Clinical medicine -- Study and teaching (Higher)
Citation
Meyer, I. S., Louw, A. & Ernstzen, D. 2019. Perceptions of physiotherapy clinical educators’ dual roles as mentors and assessors : influence on teaching–learning relationships. South African Journal of Physiotherapy, 75(1):a468, doi:10.4102/sajp.v75i1.468