A systematic review of professional reasoning literature in occupational therapy

Introduction: Over the past 33 years, theoretical and empirical articles have been published on professional reasoning in occupational therapy. This systematic review sought to answer two questions: (1) What is the nature and volume of professional reasoning literature; and (2) What do we know about...

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Main Authors: Unsworth, Carolyn, Baker, A.
Format: Journal Article
Published: The College of Occupational Therapists - UK 2016
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/7458
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author Unsworth, Carolyn
Baker, A.
author_facet Unsworth, Carolyn
Baker, A.
author_sort Unsworth, Carolyn
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Introduction: Over the past 33 years, theoretical and empirical articles have been published on professional reasoning in occupational therapy. This systematic review sought to answer two questions: (1) What is the nature and volume of professional reasoning literature; and (2) What do we know about the development of professional reasoning in students through literature exploring novice and expert differences? Method: A systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature with narrative and critical analysis. Findings: A total of 140 articles were classified into six topic areas: what is professional reasoning, ethics and moral reasoning?, methods of studying professional reasoning, novice-expert differences, professional reasoning of assistants, and advancing specific fields of practice using professional reasoning. Of these, 68% included analysis of data, and the remainder were discussions. Fourteen articles examining novice-expert differences were critiqued but only eight were rated as strong. Research findings prompt the need for reflection, extended fieldwork, and development of protocols to facilitate reasoning. Conclusion: This is the first systematic review of the professional reasoning literature, and provides a foundation for more detailed critiques of specific topics to be undertaken. While research strengths have been identified, gaps include the use of standardised measures of professional reasoning and identification of educational approaches that promote professional reasoning.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-74582017-09-13T14:34:28Z A systematic review of professional reasoning literature in occupational therapy Unsworth, Carolyn Baker, A. Introduction: Over the past 33 years, theoretical and empirical articles have been published on professional reasoning in occupational therapy. This systematic review sought to answer two questions: (1) What is the nature and volume of professional reasoning literature; and (2) What do we know about the development of professional reasoning in students through literature exploring novice and expert differences? Method: A systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature with narrative and critical analysis. Findings: A total of 140 articles were classified into six topic areas: what is professional reasoning, ethics and moral reasoning?, methods of studying professional reasoning, novice-expert differences, professional reasoning of assistants, and advancing specific fields of practice using professional reasoning. Of these, 68% included analysis of data, and the remainder were discussions. Fourteen articles examining novice-expert differences were critiqued but only eight were rated as strong. Research findings prompt the need for reflection, extended fieldwork, and development of protocols to facilitate reasoning. Conclusion: This is the first systematic review of the professional reasoning literature, and provides a foundation for more detailed critiques of specific topics to be undertaken. While research strengths have been identified, gaps include the use of standardised measures of professional reasoning and identification of educational approaches that promote professional reasoning. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/7458 10.1177/0308022615599994 The College of Occupational Therapists - UK unknown
spellingShingle Unsworth, Carolyn
Baker, A.
A systematic review of professional reasoning literature in occupational therapy
title A systematic review of professional reasoning literature in occupational therapy
title_full A systematic review of professional reasoning literature in occupational therapy
title_fullStr A systematic review of professional reasoning literature in occupational therapy
title_full_unstemmed A systematic review of professional reasoning literature in occupational therapy
title_short A systematic review of professional reasoning literature in occupational therapy
title_sort systematic review of professional reasoning literature in occupational therapy
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/7458