Date Presented 4/19/2018
The study explored the academic experiences of occupational therapists of color. Results show that academic and leadership success did not shield them from marginalization or racism, highlighting the need for the occupational therapy profession to transform its educational standards, policies, and operations to provide social justice for students.
Primary Author and Speaker: Cheryl Lucas
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: People of color make up only 20% of the total enrollment in professional occupational therapy education programs (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2016). Inequalities in the participation of people of color can lead to diminished educational experiences for all students, isolation for occupational therapy students and professionals of color, and decreased health care quality for minority clients. The purpose of this five-phase qualitative, constructionist study (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016) was to describe and interpret the educational experience of occupational therapy practitioners of color while enrolled in their occupational therapy educational programs. The study was guided by the following research questions: How do occupational therapy practitioners of color ascribe meaning to their educational experiences in their occupational therapy program? How do occupational therapy practitioners of color describe their perceived facilitators of and barriers to educational success? In what ways do occupational therapy students and practitioners of color navigate their culture of origin and the majority white culture to succeed in occupational therapy educational programs and in professional practice?
METHOD: Participants (N = 14) were solicited by email through the AOTA Multicultural, Diversity, and Inclusion Network. Participants completed demographic and interest questionnaires in Phase I, a reflective questionnaire regarding educational facilitators and barriers in Phase II, and in-depth interviews in Phase III. Using Colaizzi’s (1978) data analysis strategy, the results of the Phase III interviews were used to complete the Phase IV elite informant interviews with occupational therapy leaders (N = 4). Phase V consisted of a document analysis of historical and current policy documents.
All phases of data collection were corroborated and integrated to generate the emergent findings. Prolonged engagement during both the online interviews and follow-up emails, as well as the researcher’s reflexive journal during data collection and analysis, provided additional data for triangulation and minimized researcher bias. Two theories, critical race theory (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995) and bridging multiple worlds theory (Cooper, 2011), were integrated and used as a lens to explore and describe the essence of the educational experience of occupational therapy practitioners of color.
RESULTS: Six themes emerged from this study: (1) decision to enroll in an occupational therapy program, (2) educational program culture, (3) faculty relationships, (4) peer relationships, (5) student resilience, and (6) working professionals. This qualitative study of successful, high-achieving occupational therapists of color explored their perceptions and descriptions of their academic experiences. The majority of participants who detailed program experiences as difficult and challenging primarily associated their challenges with the cultural disconnect between occupational therapy program curriculum components and the bias and racial attitudes of majority White faculty and peers. Through persistence and determination, participants completed their occupational therapy programs, despite the presence of gatekeepers attempting to block their path. The long-term effects of these culturally marginalizing and discriminatory experiences affected participants in numerous ways, but in the end, they collectively expressed their satisfaction and pride that they had become successful occupational therapy practitioners.
CONCLUSION: These results may inform the occupational therapy profession regarding enrollment strategies for students of color and the imperative for student-centered program standards and zero-tolerance policies regarding discrimination in occupational therapy educational programs.
References
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2016). Academic programs annual data report: Academic year 2015–2016. Retrieved from https://www.aota.org/∼/media/Corporate/Files/EducationCareers/Educators/2015-2016-Annual-Data-Report.pdf
Barfield, J., Folio, M., Lam, E., & Zhang, J. (2011). Factors associated with enrollment in allied health programs: Development of a predicative scale. Journal of Allied Health, 40, 82–89.
Colaizzi, P. F. (1978). Psychological research as the phenomenologist views it. In R. S. Valle & M. King (Eds.), Existential phenomenological alternatives for psychology (pp. 48–71). New York: Plenum Press.
Cooper, C. R. (2011). Bridging multiple worlds: Cultures, identities, and pathways to college. New York: Oxford University Press.
Ladson-Billings, G., & Tate, W. (1995). Toward a critical race theory of education. Teachers College Record, 97, 47–68.
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Valentine, P., Wynn, J., & McLean, D. (2016). Improving diversity in the health professions. North Carolina Medical Journal, 77, 137–140. https://doi.org/10.18043/ncm.77.2.137
