Developing teamwork skills among first-year occupational therapy students
Journal Contribution ResearchOnline@JCUAbstract
Introduction/Rationale: Teamwork is an integral part of occupational therapy practice. Subsequently, team-based assessments are commonly used within occupational therapy courses. However, students frequently report negative experiences in completing group assessments. Objectives: (1) To implement teamwork skill building resources in a first-year first-semester occupational therapy subject to assist students in completing a group assessment. (2) To explore students’: teamwork skills; experiences and perceptions of working in teams to complete assessments; and experiences and perceptions of the implemented teamwork skill building resources. Method/Approach: Tuckman’s stages of group development was used to guide the development of teamwork skill building resources. Pre and post surveys were implemented with students. Appropriate statistical analysis techniques and thematic analysis were used to explore survey data. Results/Practice Implications: Developed resources focussed on the importance of teamwork; conflict management and communication strategies; team and individual reflective tasks; a group contract; meeting agendas and minutes; and an online platform to facilitate teamwork. Five students completed the first survey, and four students completed the second survey. A low response rate resulted in removal of pre- and post-survey comparison. Preliminary findings indicate students identified a range of positive and negative aspects of working in teams. The developed resources have the potential to be used in other subjects across the curriculum. Conclusion: Teamwork skill building resources can be incorporated into subjects containing group assessments to assist occupational therapy students in developing teamwork skills for practice.
Journal
Australian Occupational Therapy Journal
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Volume
70
ISBN/ISSN
1440-1630
Edition
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Issue
S1
Pages Count
1
Location
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Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
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Publisher Location
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Date
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EISSN
N/A
DOI
10.1111/1440-1630.12870