Illuminating undergraduate experiential and situated learning in podiatry clinical placement provision at a UK school of podiatric medicine
Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning
ISSN: 2042-3896
Article publication date: 15 May 2019
Issue publication date: 20 September 2019
Abstract
Purpose
Situated and experiential learning methodologies are largely underresearched in relation to student experience and satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to illuminate the perspectives of students studying on a BSc (Hons) Podiatry degree programme to establish perceptions of their experience in practice.
Design/methodology/approach
Using an interpretivist methodological framework, Free Association Narrative Interviewing was used to provide an insight into the perceived impact that experiential learning in clinical placements had on undergraduate podiatry students.
Findings
Students perceived that what could not be taught but what could be experienced, contributed much to the confidence that students had gained during their training and which they anticipated would be further developed during the initial years of their training in practice, particularly in the context of the NHS.
Research limitations/implications
This is a study from which it is acknowledged that within the underpinning research design and methodology there is no scope for generalisability.
Practical implications
The study highlights an appreciation for the implication and recognition of “tacit” knowledge, currently recognised in medical curricula as an asset which can aid a move towards higher order critical thinking skills.
Social implications
Student acknowledgement of the need for emphasis on “soft skills” can be posited, in the context of this small-scale study as an appreciation for affective domain learning in the context of podiatric academic and clinical curricula.
Originality/value
Limited information from the extant literature is available in relation to the illumination of podiatry student placement experiences, so this research contributes to an effectively underresearched field.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Ethical considerations: formal Ethical approval for this study was granted from the Ethics Committees of the University of Sunderland and New College, Durham. The authors would like to thank all podiatry students who volunteered their time so sacrificially to take part in this study.
Citation
Hayes, C., Bussey, S. and Graham, Y. (2019), "Illuminating undergraduate experiential and situated learning in podiatry clinical placement provision at a UK school of podiatric medicine", Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 9 No. 4, pp. 688-694. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-10-2018-0119
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited