Susan Bazyk

Service Learning: The Process of Doing and Becoming an Occupational Therapist

ABSTRACT The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of entry-level occupational therapy students participating in a service-learning experience designed to provide preventive occupation-based social skills groups to low-income urban youth attending after-school care. Reflective journals and focus groups were used to study how the students made sense of their experience. Qualitative data analysis resulted in six major themes revealing the process of professional growth over the eight-weeks. Professional reasoning progressed from mechanical procedural reasoning to flexible forms of conditioning reasoning. Findings emphasize the critical role of active participation in real-life contexts on learning how to become an occupational therapist. Study findings provide a discussion about the possibilities of preparing future occupational therapy practitioners to address societys occupational needs in emerging practice areas.

The Use of Therapeutic Listening with Preschoolers with Developmental Disabilities: A Look at the Outcomes

A one-group pretest–posttest design was used to measure developmental outcomes in 15 preschoolers receiving Therapeutic Listening in addition to their typical therapy services. Six assessments measuring fine-motor, visual-motor, social, language, and sensory processing were used. Statistically significant improvements were found in all areas except sensory processing and the behavior subtest of the Social Skills Rating System. Proportional Change Index scores indicated an accelerated rate of development in fine-motor, visual-motor, nonverbal ability, and language. Observations from parents, teachers, and therapists were consistent with these results. Findings suggest that the use of Therapeutic Listening in addition to typical therapy services may have a role in supporting the development for children with developmental disabilities.

An Occupational Perspective of the Weil-Being of Maya Women in Southern Belize

A study was designed to explore the relationship between occupation and the well-being of indigenous Maya women living in a rural village in the Toledo District of southern Belize. Using a qualitative multiple methods approach, data were collected through participant observation, interviews, a focus group, and document review. Subjects were Maya women, 18 years or older, living in a rural village in southern Belize. The women demonstrated similarities in daily physical and social routines at the river and in their homes, reflecting occupational patterns and routines that are deeply imbedded in their culture and play a critical role in the formation of self-identity. Several themes emerged describing the womens definitions of health and well-being. Each woman interpreted her life in relation to her occupations and well-being differently. This seemed to vary depending on individual life experiences, routines, and contexts.