The Phenomenon of Communities of Practice as Professional Development for Occupational Therapy Practitioners in the Atlanta, Georgia Metropolitan Area
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Authors
Shaffer, Amy Lynne
Issue Date
2020-08-07
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Adult learning , Atlanta (Ga.) , Continuing education , Dissertations, Academic--United States , Georgia , Occupational therapy , Professional development—Law and legislation—Georgia , Professional development
Alternative Title
Abstract
Occupational Therapy practitioners in the state of Georgia are required to participate in formal professional development activities for licensure renewal biennially. Formal professional development activity participation, such as continuing education, is regulated by state licensure law. A variety of research can be located indicating such formal professional development activities are not meeting the immediate needs required to maintain professional currency. The informal professional development activities in which Occupational Therapy practitioners in Georgia participate are not regulated, nor tracked. Limited research has been located related to engagement in informal professional development activities by allied health professionals such as Occupational Therapy practitioners. This study investigated the phenomenon of communities of practice as a form of informal professional development employed by the Occupational Therapy practitioner in the state of Georgia.
A review of the literature was conducted using the proficiency theory of adult learning as the catalyst for informal professional development participation. The literature surveyed further indicated deficits in expected versus reported learning during participation in formal continuing education activities. As a result of this review, a qualitative study using focus groups was conducted to determine how the informal learning in a community of practice influenced the professional development of Occupational Therapy practitioners in the state of Georgia. Analysis of the data indicated that Occupational Therapy practitioners support the proficiency theory of adult learning by consulting communities of practice frequently to impact patient outcomes, support peers, and translate knowledge to practice quickly.
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This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed.