Date Presented 04/04/2025
This poster presents preliminary findings of a scoping review of peer-reviewed literature on the use of learning theories in different levels of OT education.
Primary Author and Speaker: Nancy W. Doyle
Additional Authors and Speakers: Melissa Fernandez Mora
PURPOSE: Embedding learning theories (LTs) into the design of occupational therapy (OT) learning opportunities can promote the development of pivotal professional skills. While there are several studies on the use of LTs in other health professions, there is a gap in recent knowledge that is specific to OT education (Heeb et al., 2020). Defining how LTs fit into OT education is one of the major research goals in our field (AOTA, 2018). This study contributes to this endeavor by determining what is known from the existing literature about the use of LTs in OT education.
DESIGN: A scoping review of the use of LTs in OT education.
METHOD: This developing study followed the scoping review process described by Arksey and O’Malley and further detailed by Aromataris et al. (2024). We conducted searches for peer-reviewed evidence through the following engines: CINAHL, EMBASE, ERIC, Google Scholar. Search terms were relevant to OT education, and included the LTs listed in the Occupational Therapy Curriculum Design Framework (OTCDF) (AOTA, 2021).
RESULTS: We screened 236 and selected 100 articles from 1983 to 2024, featuring 10 of the 18 learning theories from the OTCDF. Preliminary results show that andragogy, experiential learning, and transformative learning are some of the theories with the highest frequencies. The majority of the articles were related to entry-level education. LTs were more frequently used to guide learning experiences related to practical skills. Only a small portion of the articles described the use of the learning theories in depth. Most articles with thorough descriptions are recent.
CONCLUSION: The recent surge of publications related to LTs in OT education indicates increasing interest in designing learning experiences from a perspective that is consistently mindful of the learner, content, and context. This study presents the current state of its subject matter. Its findings can be used to further advance research pertaining to OT education.
References
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2018). Occupational therapy education research agenda–revised. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(7212420070). https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.72S218
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2021). Occupational therapy curriculum design framework. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75(Suppl. 3), 7513430010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2021.75S3008
Aromataris, E., Lockwood, C., Porritt, K., Pilla, B., & Jordan, Z. (Eds.). (2024). JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. JBI. https://doi.org/10.46658/JBIMES-24-01
Heeb, R., Hooper, B., & Taff, S. (2020). Representation of Theory in Occupational Therapy Education: An International Systematic Mapping Review 1940–2015. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2020.040401
