Effective Teaching Behaviors of APTA-Credentialed Versus Noncredentialed Clinical Instructors

• Published in: Journal of physical therapy education 2008-04, Vol.22 (1), p.65-74
• Main Authors: Wetherbee, Ellen, Nordrum, Jon T, Giles, Scott
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accreditation; Clinical Experience; Clinical medicine; Clinical Teaching (Health Professions); College students; Colleges & universities; Critical thinking; Data Analysis; Education; Learning; Skills; Studies; Teaching; Teaching Skills
• ISSN: 0899-1855; 1938-3533
• DOI: 10.1097/00001416-200801000-00010

Recently, there has been a heightened expectation that physical therapy education programs assess the competence of physical therapists (PTs) serving as clinical instructors (CIs). The purpose of this study was to determine whether students perceived APTA-credentialed CIs to demonstrate a greater number of effective clinical teaching behaviors than noncredentialed CIs. 158 PT students, participating in full-time clinical experiences (CEs), and their respective CIs (73 credentialed, 85 noncredentialed) were included in this study. Subjects were recruited from the 209 accredited PT education programs in the United States. Students completed an adapted version of the Nursing Clinical Teacher Effectiveness Inventory (NCTEI), which listed CI teaching behaviors within 5 general domains. A multiple linear regression model was utilized to evaluate confounding variables among the CI demographics. Chi-square or Fisher exact tests were calculated for nominal variables and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were calculated for ordinal and continuous variables to examine differences in student ratings of teaching behaviors for their CIs. Spearman rank correlation coefficients (r) were also utilized in subsequent data analysis to determine relationships between years of experience as a CI and the aggregate score of the NCTEI. A P = .05 level of significance was utilized for all analyses. Data analysis revealed no significant difference in aggregate NCTEI scores between APTA-credentialed CIs and noncredentialed CIs. Additionally, the 2 groups did not differ significantly in any of the individual domain scores. A positive correlation existed between the number of years a PT functioned as a CI and a higher NCTEI aggregate score. These results fail to support the hypothesis that APTA-credentialed CIs obtain higher scores on the adapted NCTEI than clinicians who were not credentialed, as perceived by their respective students. Results suggest that years of experience as a CI are more positively associated with effective teaching behaviors.