bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Professional Tensions in Client-Centered Practice: Using Institutional Ethnography to Generate Understanding and Transformation
Authors: Townsend Elizabeth , Langille Lynn , Ripley Debra 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
For almost 20 years, occupational therapists have advocated client-centered practice. Yet client-centered practice is fraught with tensions that arise outside the practice of individual occupational therapists. This paper is guided by two questions: What produces professional tensions in client-centered practice? and What understanding and change might be generated using institutional ethnography? The sociological theory and method of institutional ethnography are described using data from an ongoing investigation of mental health services as a social institution. Illustrated are the research aim, research questions, and institutional analysis that distinguish institutional ethnography from conventional ethnography. Two professional tensions are associated with attempts to fulfill client-centered practice in mental health. One is that of working at cross-purposes with the prevailing hierarchical structure; the other tension is that of being celebrated yet subordinated in the medical and management hierarchies of health services. Although client-centered practice is difficult to do, the authors recommend institutional ethnography as a research approach to generate understanding and transformation of the context and practice of occupational therapy.
Gazing Anew: The Shift From a Clinical Gaze to an Ethnographic Lens
Authors: Lawlor Mary C. 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to analyze ways of perceiving, knowing, and being with others while engaging in qualitative and ethnographic research. As occupational therapists acquire research expertise and embark on research trajectories, they bring their clinical legacy into the research arena. The ability to conduct qualitative and ethnographic projects may require a reconfiguration of the clinical gaze of occupational therapists. This transformation is complex and also involves acquiring and adopting a stance that alters relational and interpersonal processes and results in new ways of seeing and being. I draw upon experiences in training, mentoring, and supervising therapists who embark on ethnographic research, as well as my own research practices, to illustrate points of intersection and divergence between the clinical gaze and ethnographic lens. Artistic metaphors are also used to highlight aspects of the interactional and intersubjective processes intrinsic to ethnographic practices. I argue that ethnographers are continually evaluating and negotiating their stance in the field. The clinician who becomes an ethnographer faces unique challenges to his or her stance in the midst of moment to moment encounters as well as over time in the course of prolonged engagement.
The Perils of Power in Interpretive Research
Authors: Cohn Ellen S. , Lyons Kathleen Doyle 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
Occupational therapy is based on core values of altruism, equality, and honoring the dignity of others. Embedded in these values is the ever-present negotiation of power. To honor the concern for the welfare of others, researchers are challenged to think about issues of power throughout the research process. This paper identifies dilemmas and raises questions researchers might ask themselves as they struggle to share power in the interpretive research process.
Data Analysis in Qualitative Research: A Plea for Sharing the Magic and the Effort
Authors: Dickie Virginia A. 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
This discussion of data analysis in qualitative research addresses the question of how authors describe this aspect of their research. I suggest that the tradition of organization of research papers from quantitative research is not a good fit for writing qualitative research. I argue for less jargon and more detailed description, with the analytic process integrated into the findings and interpretation.
Using Participant Observation to Study the Meaning of Occupations of Young Children With Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Spitzer Susan L. 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
Understanding the individual meaning of daily activities for children with developmental disabilities such as autism is both important and challenging for researchers and practitioners. Rigorous participant observation offers a method for developing this knowledge base by including the child’s perspective. Through literature and examples from an ethnography of young children with autism, this article illustrates the application of participant observation to children with developmental disabilities. Specific strategies can promote valid interpretations despite developmental, linguistic, and perceptual differences between adult researchers and child participants.
The Effect of Body Orientation on a Point-to-Point Movement in Healthy Elderly Persons
Authors: Nilsen Dawn M. , Kaminski Terry R. , Gordon Andrew M. 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
OBJECTIVE. Upper limb retraining during the early phases of neurological rehabilitation often involves having individuals practice reaching in body orientations that reduce the effect of gravity on various joint motions (e.g., shoulder flexion, elbow extension). However, the efficacy of these training techniques has not been determined. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of reducing gravity through a change in body orientation from sitting to side-lying on the kinematics of a point-to-point movement in healthy elderly persons.
METHOD. Nine healthy, right-hand-dominant women 62 to 66 years of age pointed to a target in two different body orientations—sitting and side-lying. A 2-dimensional kinematic analysis of the movement was performed to compare the trajectory of the hand and the interjoint coordination under the two conditions.
RESULTS. Regardless of body orientation relative to gravity, participants produced straight hand paths and smooth, bell-shaped velocity profiles. However, they moved slower in side-lying, and the pattern of interjoint coordination varied. The shoulder and elbow moved less, whereas the scapula made a greater contribution to the overall movement. Furthermore, the temporal coordination of the joints was modified as a consequence of body position.
CONCLUSION. The results indicate that point-to-point arm movements made against gravity differ from those made in a gravity-reduced plane, particularly at the joint level, illustrating that movement organization is sensitive to this contextual difference. The effect of minimizing gravity on upper limb movement needs to be explored in patient populations to determine whether training patients in gravity-reduced orientations is efficacious.
Computerized Temporal Handwriting Characteristics of Proficient and Non-Proficient Handwriters
Authors: Rosenblum Sara , Parush Shula , Weiss Patrice L. 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to use computerized temporal measures to examine and compare the writing process of proficient and non-proficient third-grade handwriters.
METHOD. A computerized digitizer system was used to compare the temporal handwriting measures of two groups of 8–9-year-old students. Classroom teachers used a questionnaire to identify 50 students who were non-proficient handwriters and 50 students who were proficient handwriters. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) analyses were used to test for the group differences across tasks for each dependent variable. Total time, “on paper” time, “in air” time, speed, and number of characters per minute were recorded as the participants performed graded writing tasks.
RESULTS. Non-proficient handwriters required significantly more time to perform handwriting tasks [F(4,91) = 14.83, p &lt; .0001]; their “in air” time, was especially longer as compared to the proficient handwriters [F(4,91) = 13.63, p &lt; .0001]. Their handwriting speed was slower [F(4,91) = 5.99, p &lt; .0002], and they wrote fewer characters per minute (F(4,91) = 14.63, p &lt; .0001).
CONCLUSION. The use of a computerized handwriting system provides objective temporal measures of handwriting performance, and may lead to the development of additional tools for the evaluation and treatment of handwriting difficulties.
Facilitating Written Work Using Computer Word Processing and Word Prediction
Authors: Handley-More Dottie , Deitz Jean , Billingsley Felix F. , Coggins Truman E. 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether occupational therapy intervention that focused on teaching children to use word processing, either alone or with word prediction, was effective in improving the written communication skills of children with learning disabilities and handwriting problems.
METHOD. A single-subject alternating treatments design was replicated across three children in grades 4 and 5. During the baseline phase the children wrote stories by hand; during the intervention phase, the children wrote stories, alternating among handwriting, word processing, and word processing with word prediction. Dependent variables focused on percentages of legible words, percentages of correctly spelled words, total amount written, and rate of writing. Data were analyzed by visual inspection.
RESULTS. Results were variable. Two children had clear improvements in legibility when using either word processing alone or with word prediction. These same children demonstrated clear improvements in spelling when using word prediction. Though rate of writing was best for two children when using handwriting, relative to total amount produced, one method was not clearly preferable to another.
CONCLUSION. Occupational therapy intervention involving word processing with word prediction improves the legibility and spelling of written assignments completed by some children with learning disabilities and handwriting difficulties. It is important to evaluate each child individually and provide training and ongoing support for technology use.
Effect of an Occupational Intervention on Printing in Children With Economic Disadvantages
Authors: Peterson Cindee Q. , Nelson David L. 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an occupational therapy intervention improved an academic outcome (D’Nealian printing) in a school setting. The study specifically examined improvement in printing skills in economically disadvantaged first graders who were at risk academically and socially. The intervention was based on an occupational framework including biomechanical, sensorimotor, and teaching–learning strategies.
METHOD. The final sample consisted of 59 first-grade children from a low socioeconomic urban elementary school-based health center who were randomly assigned to an occupational therapy intervention or a control condition. In addition to regular academic instruction, the intervention group received 10 weeks of training twice a week for 30-minute sessions. The control group received only regular academic instruction. Subjects were pretested and posttested on the Minnesota Handwriting Test, which assesses legibility, space, line, size, and form (the main variables in this study) as well as speed.
RESULTS. Multivariate analysis of variance confirmed that the gain scores in the occupational therapy intervention group were significantly greater than those in the control group. The Hotelling-Lawley Trace value was 0.606, with F (5, 53) = 6.43, p &lt; .0001). The estimated effect size (η2) was .378, with an observed power of .994. Largest gains for the intervention group were in the areas of space, line, and size.
CONCLUSION. The intervention group demonstrated a significant increase in scores on the posttest of the Minnesota Handwriting Test when compared to the scores of the control group. Occupational intervention was effective in improving the academic outcome of printing in children who are economically disadvantaged.
Consistency of Handwriting in Early Elementary Students
Authors: Marr Deborah , Cermak Sharon 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the consistency of handwriting in children from the beginning of kindergarten to the middle of the first-grade year. Consistency was defined as retaining the same qualitative performance and relative ranking over time.
METHOD. Ninety-three children were tested at the beginning of the kindergarten year and again in the middle of the first-grade year on the Scale of Children’s Readiness In PrinTing (SCRIPT). Data were analyzed with a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) (3 performance groups [lower, middle, upper] x 2 grades) followed by a Tukey’s HSD post hoc analysis. An analysis of the change in performance of individual children also was conducted.
RESULTS. The main effects and the interaction in the ANOVA were significant. Post hoc analysis for grade demonstrated that both the middle and the lower performing groups showed a significant improvement from kindergarten to first grade, whereas the upper performing group remained unchanged. Post hoc analysis found significant differences among all three performance groups in kindergarten. In first grade, the lower performing group continued to score significantly lower than the middle and upper performing groups, whereas the middle and upper performing groups were not significantly different. Analysis of individual data revealed that 60% of the students were consistent in their performance from kindergarten to first grade.
CONCLUSION. The correlation between kindergarten SCRIPT scores and first-grade SCRIPT scores provides initial evidence that a moderately consistent pattern of handwriting performance exists. Students with low- and middle-ranked handwriting skills show relatively similar improvement over time, whereas change for students ranked high is limited.
Community Participation and Quality of Life Outcomes After Adult Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Huebner Ruth A. , Johnson Kerrie , Bennett Chantel Miller , Schneck Colleen 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
OBJECTIVE. This study examined outcomes after traumatic brain injury in adults salient to occupational therapy.
METHOD. Demographic data and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores from the inpatient rehabilitation stay were first gathered from a retrospective chart review. At follow-up, 25 adults, on average 21 months post-injury, completed measures of disability, community participation, quality of life, and satisfaction with occupational therapy during a telephone interview. Analysis of covariance was used to test the differences between pretest and posttest scores on the FIM; regression analysis and correlations were used to analyze predictions and relationships.
RESULTS. Statistically significant improvements in FIM scores during rehabilitation were predictive of the level of long-term disability and community participation among participants. At follow-up, participants were often unemployed, depressed and withdrawn, and experienced limitations in decision making, hand use, bladder control, and community integration. Less disability and more community participation were related to higher quality of life. Satisfaction with occupational therapy, although high, was unrelated to most outcomes.
CONCLUSION. Results support the premise that participation is associated with a high quality of life, yet persons with brain injury have significant needs for long-term occupational therapy.
Personal–Professional Connections in Palliative Care Occupational Therapy
Authors: Prochnau Catherine , Liu Lili , Boman Jeanette 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
This qualitative study examined the experiences of occupational therapists working in palliative care. Multiple qualitative interviews were conducted with each of eight occupational therapists working with people who are terminally ill. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed for recurring and unique themes. Five themes emerged: satisfaction, hardship, coping, spirituality, and growth. Common themes, while resonating through all participants’ stories, were experienced in a uniquely personal way by each participant. The result was the discovery of an individualized “personal–professional connection” for each participant. The exploration of personal–professional connections can contribute to the understanding of occupational therapy practice in palliative care. Furthermore, these individual stories may resonate for other occupational therapists and inspire personal and professional reflection; validation of feelings and issues can arise from parallel comparisons. Therapists may in turn gain insight into the relationship between their own personal and professional experiences.
Perceptions of Effective Professional Behavior Feedback: Occupational Therapy Student Voices
Authors: Scheerer Carol R. 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to gather formative evaluation data to determine students’ perceptions of effective aspects of professional behavior feedback for use in program development. A qualitative design was used to gather data from baccalaureate-level occupational therapy students. Through focus groups and semi-structured interviews, data were gathered about the students’ beliefs, feelings, and recommendations for policy changes. Four themes emerged: Not Just “Contact With a Piece of Paper”; Fieldwork Needs To Be Taken Into Account; Faculty Fairness and Support Need To Be Present; “This Is Like Therapy for Me.” Aspects of these themes have implications for classroom and fieldwork settings. The type of feedback these students found helpful and the desire to have fieldwork performance considered along with their classroom behavior were salient perceptions. As educators, it is important to listen to the voices of students to gain insights into their perceptions of the effective aspects of the feedback process for professional behaviors.
The Effects of Collaborative Goal-Focused Occupational Therapy on Self-Care Skills: A Pilot Study
Authors: Gagné Desirée Elizabeth , Hoppes Steve 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
OBJECTIVE. This pilot study examined collaborative, goal-focused therapy to determine its effects on performance of self-care activities, including eating, grooming, bathing, upper body dressing, lower-body dressing, and toileting.
METHOD. Thirty-one patients at a rehabilitation hospital, divided between control and experimental groups, comprised the sample. Participants’ performances on self-care activities were measured using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) at admission to therapy and again at a 2-week follow-up. Attainment of goals was not emphasized in the control group. In the experimental group, new goals and achievement of previously set goals were regularly discussed and documented. Comparisons were made between 2-week FIM scores of the control and experimental groups, and data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U test.
RESULTS. The experimental group demonstrated greater gains on FIM scores when compared to the control group on all self-care activities, but only upper-body dressing met levels of statistical significance.
CONCLUSION. Findings support the efficacy of collaborative, goal-focused occupational therapy in the treatment of deficits in upper-body dressing, but did not support this approach with toileting, eating, grooming, bathing, and lower-body dressing. Further study, with a larger sample, is recommended.
Outcomes of a Pilot Occupational Therapy Wellness Program for Older Adults
Authors: Matuska Kathleen , Giles-Heinz Amy , Flinn Nancy , Neighbor Michael , Bass-Haugen Julie 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a pilot occupational therapy wellness program designed to teach elders the importance of participation in meaningful social and community occupations to their quality of life.
METHOD. Sixty-five older adults participated in this pilot wellness program held at each of three senior apartment complexes. Measures of health-related quality of life using the SF-36 Health Survey and frequencies of social and community participation from a program-specific intake form were completed by 39 participants before and after the 6-month program. Participants also evaluated components of the program through a satisfaction survey.
RESULTS. Scores on the SF-36 Health Survey were significantly higher in vitality, social functioning, and the mental health summary scores following participation in the program. Participants reported an increased frequency of socialization and community participation with an average of 55% participating in at least three or more activities per week before the program to an average of 66% participating after the program. Participants who benefited the most attended more classes, were older, and were nondrivers. Eighty percent of those polled rated the pilot program as good or excellent.
CONCLUSION. This pilot study provides additional support for prevention efforts for elders in the community. Wellness programs for seniors may be most effective if targeted to those who are older and non-drivers.
Driving to Learn: A New Concept for Training Children With Profound Cognitive Disabilities in a Powered Wheelchair
Authors: Nilsson Lisbeth M. , Nyberg Per J. 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
Analysis of the case studies of two preschool children with profound cognitive disabilities indicates that training in a powered wheelchair can increase wakefulness and alertness, stimulate a limited use of the arms and hands, and promote the understanding of very simple cause-and-effect relationships. The enhanced activity level had a positive influence on the children’s ability to react to external stimuli and invitations to interact. These effects in turn promoted the development of initiative and exploratory behavior. Because of their profound cognitive disabilities, neither of the children was able to reach the normative training goal—to be able to drive purposefully and safely. In this paper the target group is defined according to criteria for the prescription of powered wheelchairs and the resulting new concept of “driving to learn” is described and discussed from different aspects.
Play in Mayan Children
Authors: Bazyk Susan , Stalnaker David , Llerena Maricel , Ekelman Beth , Bazyk John 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of play activities and playfulness in a group of Mayan children in southern Belize.
METHOD. This qualitative study involved participant observation in the daily occupations of 20 children from five Mayan families over a 2-week period. Analysis of the field notes, using open and closed coding, revealed themes specific to customs of child rearing, play activities, and playfulness.
FINDINGS. The primacy of adult work is a major cultural principle that influences Mayan children's daily occupations. Parents did not encourage play but permitted play if it did not interfere with work. Children found ways to integrate play activities and playfulness into their daily occupations.
CONCLUSION. The statement, “play is a child's major occupation,” may not be a universally held belief. Parental values and customs of child rearing should be considered in order to provide culturally sensitive and relevant services.