Yukari Horimoto

Longitudinal Study of Level of Satisfaction with Learning and School Life of Physical Therapy Students for the 3 Years from Sophomore to Senior Undergraduate: ─2年末から卒業まで─

[Purpose] To clarify the longitudinal influence by gender on satisfaction with learning and school life of physical therapy students for three years from sophomore to senior undergraduate. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 56 male and 42 female physical therapy students who graduated from the International University of Health and Welfare in March 2017 and agreed to cooperate with this survey. Satisfaction levels were longitudinally assessed at the end of the sophomore, junior and senior year using a visual analog scale. [Results] The satisfaction with learning significantly increased before graduation in both genders. The satisfaction with school life had high scores for three years, continuously, so no significant change was observed. Before graduation, females showed a higher relationship between learning and school life satisfactions. [Conclusion] For the three years before graduation, satisfaction with learning increased and high satisfaction with school life was maintained. Satisfaction with learning and school life showed different characteristics.

A Longitudinal Study on Physical Therapy Students’ Interest in Specialized Fields

[Purpose] To clarify longitudinal changes in physical therapy students’ interest in specialized fields. [Subjects and Methods] A questionnaire survey was conducted, involving 98 students who were in their fourth year at the Department of Physical Therapy in FY2016. The questionnaire was conducted at 4 points: during the first half of the second year, first and second halves of the third year, and second half of the fourth year, to ask the students to choose 1 specialized field and 1 specialized domain which interested them the most from 7 and 23 options, respectively. [Results] The students’ interest in <Basic physical therapy sciences>, <Neurology>, and <Cardiovascular, pulmonary and metabolic disease> as specialized fields longitudinally increased. As for specialized domains, <Sports physical therapy> was the most interesting domain (49; 55%) during the first half of the second year. However, during the second half of the fourth year, it followed <Neuromuscular disorders> and <Orthopaedic disorders>, in this order. [Conclusion] The students’ interest in specialized domains tended to shift from <Sports physical therapy> to <Neuromuscular disorders> and <Cardiovascular, pulmonary and metabolic disease> during first half of the third year and the fourth year, respectively.