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Teaching and learning research in higher education, often referred to as the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), is still relatively novel in many academic contexts compared to the mainstay of disciplinary research. One indication of this is the challenges those who engage in SoTL report in terms of how this work is valued or considered credible amongst disciplinary colleagues and in the face of institutional policies and practices. This paper moves beyond the literature that describes these specific challenges to investigate how 23 experienced SoTL researchers from five different countries understood the notion of credibility in relationship to their SoTL research and how they went about developing credibility for their work. Semistructured interviews were facilitated and analyzed using inductive analysis. Findings indicate that notions of credibility encompassed putting SoTL research into action and building capacity and community around research findings, as well as gaining external validation through traditional indicators such as publishing. SoTL researchers reported a variety of strategies and approaches they were using, both formal and informal, to develop credibility for their work. The direct focus of this paper on "credibility" of SoTL work as perceived by experienced SoTL researchers, and how they go about developing credibility, is a distinct contribution to the discussions about the valuing of SoTL work.

This paper is targeted primarily at doctoral students and others considering hermeneutics as a research strategy. Research using hermeneutics was carried out with occupational therapy educators and clinicians in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK. A total of 53 participants engaged in focus groups and individual interviews over a one-year. The paper explores hermeneutics as a credible, rigorous and creative strategy to address aspects of professional practice that similarly need to be flexible, adaptable to particular needs, and justifiable in the contexts of evidence-based as well as client-centred practice. The hermeneutic study produced A Model of Professional Practice Judgment Artistry (Paterson, 2003) which is briefly described and the connections. (Contains 2 tables, 2 figures, and 1 footnote.)

This paper demonstrates how a qualitative methodology can be used to gain novel insights into the demands of wheelchair racing and the impact of particular racing chair configurations on optimal sport performance via engagement with expert users (wheelchair racers, coaches, and manufacturers). We specifically explore how expert users understand how wheels, tires, and bearings impact sport performance and how they engage, implement, or reject evidence-based research pertaining to these components. We identify areas where participants perceive there to be an immediate need for more research especially pertaining to the ability to make individualized recommendations for athletes. The findings from this project speak to the value of a qualitative research design for capturing the embodied knowledge of expert users and also make suggestions for "next step" projects pertaining to wheels, tires, and bearings drawn directly from the comments of participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on three studies conducted in Australia, Canada and Ireland which explore the factors influencing research utilisation in the child protection sector in each country. The paper recognises that research uptake is complicated by a number of factors. It also acknowledges critiques which cite the equally significant influence of ideologies, context, unpredictability, time constraints and political expediency. However, all three studies recognised the increasing importance of evidence-based practice. The methods used in the three studies were not identical but the frameworks used were sufficiently similar to enable the classification of both common and dissimilar barriers and facilitators to research use. Those which they identified were categorised into four types: individual, organisational, environmental and characteristics relating to the nature of research material. Implications were identified for policy makers, service providers and research producers. The point was made that we now live in a period where unprecedented means of knowledge transfer and exchange provide unique opportunities to improve the lives of children and families. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Messages Avail of opportunities to attend learning events., Draw on research findings when conducting assessments, writing reports, devising intervention plans, evaluating programmes and tendering for funding., Establish links with research centres., Become involved in the conduct of research., Support colleagues (champions) who display particular interest and motivation in the use of research evidence by recognising and/or rewarding effort., Avail of opportunities to undertake further study that includes a research component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

mcinnes e., seers k. & tutton l. (2011) Older people's views in relation to risk of falling and need for intervention: a meta-ethnography. Journal of Advanced Nursing 67(12), 2525-2536. Abstract Aim. This paper is a report of a meta-ethnography of qualitative studies of older peoples' views on risk of falling and need for intervention. Background. Falls and falls-related injuries in older people are worldwide problems. A conceptual understanding of older people's views about falls risk and need for intervention is useful for understanding factors likely to impact on acceptance of risk and recommended interventions. Data Sources. Seven electronic databases were searched 1999-2009. Reference lists of included articles were screened for eligible papers. Review Methods. Assessment of quality was carried out. Themes and concepts were extracted using a meta-ethnographic approach to compare similarities and differences across the retrieved studies. A line of argument was developed to produce an explanatory framework of the extracted themes and concepts. Results. Eleven relevant qualitative research articles of reasonable quality were identified. Six key concepts were identified: beyond personal control; rationalizing; salience; life-change and identity; taking control and self-management. A line of argument synthesis describes how older people approach self-appraisal of falls risk and intervention need, and how they cope and adapt to falls risk and intervention need. Conclusion. In response to having an elevated risk status and perceived associations with frailty and impact on an independent life-style, some prefer to adapt to this reality by taking control and implementing self-management strategies. Healthcare professionals should take into account beliefs about risk and negotiate choices for intervention, recognizing that some individuals prefer to drive the decision-making process to preserve identity as a competent and independent person. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lone parents and their children experience higher than average levels of adverse health and social outcomes, much of which are explained by high rates of poverty. Many high income countries have attempted to address high poverty rates by introducing employment requirements for lone parents in receipt of welfare benefits. However, there is evidence that employment may not reduce poverty or improve the health of lone parents and their children.Methods: We conducted a systematic review of qualitative studies reporting lone parents' accounts of participation in welfare to work (WtW), to identify explanations and possible mechanisms for the impacts of WtW on health and wellbeing. Twenty one bibliographic databases were searched. Two reviewers independently screened references and assessed study quality. Studies from any high income country that met the criteria of focussing on lone parents, mandatory WtW interventions, and health or wellbeing were included. Thematic synthesis was used to investigate analytic themes between studies.Results: Screening of the 4703 identified papers and quality assessment resulted in the inclusion of 16 qualitative studies of WtW in five high income countries, USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand, covering a variety of welfare regimes. Our synthesis found that WtW requirements often conflicted with child care responsibilities. Available employment was often poorly paid and precarious. Adverse health impacts, such as increased stress, fatigue, and depression were commonly reported, though employment and appropriate training was linked to increased self-worth for some. WtW appeared to influence health through the pathways of conflict and control, analytical themes which emerged during synthesis. WtW reduced control over the nature of employment and care of children. Access to social support allowed some lone parents to manage the conflict associated with employment, and to increase control over their circumstances, with potentially beneficial health impacts.Conclusion: WtW can result in increased conflict and reduced control, which may lead to negative impacts on mental health. Availability of social support may mediate the negative health impacts of WtW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheelchair basketball (WCBB) often includes reverse integration (RI), defined as the inclusion of athletes without impairment in a sport traditionally aimed at athletes with an impairment. This study explored how RI in WCBB was understood by internal stakeholders. Data were gathered from athletes, coaches, and administrators at an Australian club competition and at a Canadian elite training center. Analysis of semistructured interviews with 29 participants led to the identification of eight themes. Collectively, the findings showed that RI was embedded within WCBB, RI was considered to be a way to advance the growth and improve the quality of WCBB as well as a way to increase awareness of WCBB and disability. There were some concerns that RI may not be equitable, as WCBB is a "disability sport." Stakeholders' perspectives on RI could provide useful information for sport policymakers, managers, administrators, sports organizations, and athletes interested in further developing WCBB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The aim of the present study was to describe how policy makers (bureaucrats and politicians) in Australia and Ontario (Canada) perceive evidence provided by doctors to substantiate applications for disability income support (DIS) by their patients with mental illnesses. Because many mental illnesses (e.g. depression) lack diagnostic tests, their existence and effects are more difficult to demonstrate than most somatic illnesses. Methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 informants, all influential in the design of the assessment of DIS programs. The informants were subcategorised into advocates, legal representatives, doctors (general practitioners (GPs) and specialists (e.g. psychiatrists)), policy insiders and researchers. Informants were found through snowball sampling. Following the principles of grounded theory, data collection and analysis occurred in tandem. Results. Informants expressed some scepticism about doctors' evidence. Informants perceived that doctors could, due to lack of diagnostic certainty, 'write these things [evidence] however [they] want to'. Psychiatrists, perceived as having more time and skills, were considered as providing more trustworthy evidence than GPs. Conclusion. Doctors, providing evidence to support applications, play an important role in determining disability. However, policy makers perceive doctors' evidence about mental illnesses as less trustworthy than evidence about somatic illnesses. This affects decisions by government adjudicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports findings from a large mixed-method study exploring the migration to the United Kingdom (UK) of social workers trained in Australia, Canada, India, Romania, South Africa, the US, and Zimbabwe, and the migration of British trained social workers to Australia. The project aimed at exploring the motivations for migration, the experiences of integration, and the impact of culture on these. This article focuses on the quantitative findings and will use some of the qualitative data to further explain and interrogate the differences between these groups based on their country of origin. The findings show the greater challenges migrants from developing countries have experienced, including lack of recognition of their qualifications and experience, and discrimination. The findings also show that contrary to common assumptions, the migration experiences of social workers coming from Australia, Canada and the US are not as easy as expected. American social workers who migrated to the UK turned out to be the group least professionally satisfied. The British in Australia on the other hand, were the most satisfied. Implications for practice and future research are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the knowledge and confidence of physiotherapists in managing knee osteoarthritis (OA) and patellofemoral pain (PFP); and explore their learning behaviors and preferences related to the management of these knee conditions. One hundred and sixteen Australian and Canadian Physiotherapists were recruited via social media, e-mail, and an online course. Part 1: Quantitative involved an online survey evaluating knowledge of evidence and confidence in providing treatments for knee OA and PFP. Part 2: Qualitative involved semi-structured interviews with 13 participants exploring current practice and learning needs, that were analyzed using an initial framework structured on interview questions, followed by inductive approach to identify additional themes. Awareness regarding evidence supporting exercise for knee OA and PFP was good (89–96%), and qualitative themes indicated physiotherapists emphasized exercise-therapy and education. Perceived value of passive treatments and surgery varied. Preference for face-to-face workshops to address learning needs, alongside describing time and cost barriers to access them, emerged from qualitative findings. Online learning formats were viewed as convenient, but not as effective as face-to-face learning. Knowledge and confidence related to interventions for knee OA and PFP of Australian and Canadian physiotherapist participants broadly aligns with guidelines. Knowledge translation strategies focused on face-to-face workshops, supported by online education may help to bridge evidence-to-practice gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Increasing numbers of older people are living longer, often alone, in their own homes. Services and products that enable older people to remain safely in their own homes are required. The My Smart Home project recruited 30 community-dwelling people aged 65+ to co-design a package of technology to address their individual goals for safety and security at home. The technology package, up to the value of $4000, included installation of health monitoring, communication and entertainment devices, and security alarms, with 6 hours of technology coaching. Methods: Participants completed the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI), the Australian Quality of Life-8 Dimensions (AQoL-8D) and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) at baseline, and after 4 weeks' use of the technology package. Semi-structured interviews were also used to qualitatively understand the challenges, enablers and outcomes of the project with respect to safety and security in the home. Results: Significant improvements in PWI (p < 0.01), AQoL-8D (p < 0.001) and COPM for goal performance (p < 0.001) and goal satisfaction (p < 0.001) were reported. Participants also reported feeling safer and more secure in their own homes. Common barriers to adoption of technology, cost, integration with already-owned technology and lack of confidence were overcome with this technology and coaching package. Conclusions: An individualised package of technology, with coaching, that supports older people to realise their personal goals with technology resulted in improved well-being, quality of life and sense of safety and security in community-dwelling older people. Ultimately, this should support a longer and better quality of life at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To determine which characteristics of academic leadership are perceived to be necessary for nursing deans to be successful. Background Effective leadership is essential for the continued growth of the discipline. Method A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 30 deans (academics in universities who headed a nursing faculty and degree programmes) was conducted in three countries - Canada, England and Australia. The conversations were analysed for leadership attributes. Result Sixty personal and positional attributes were nominated by the participants. Of these, the most frequent attribute was 'having vision'. Personal attributes included: passion, patience, courage, facilitating, sharing and being supportive. Positional attributes included: communication, faculty development, role modelling, good management and promoting nursing. Conclusion Both positional and personal aspects of academic leadership are important to assist in developing a succession plan and education for new deans. Implications for nursing management It is important that talented people are recognised as potential leaders of the future. These future leaders should be given every chance to grow and develop through exposure to opportunities to develop skills and the attributes necessary for effective deanship. Strategic mentoring could prove to be useful in developing and supporting the growth of future deans of nursing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In late 2019, a pathogen outbreak occurred that rapidly spread, resulting in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. Governments responded to the pandemic with a range of strategies, including forced quarantines and nationwide lockdowns. Research on professional identity during the pandemic has predominately focused on health care providers declared as ''essential'' rather than ''nonessential.'' In this study, the authors examine the impacts on the professional identity of massage therapists (MTs) who were predominately deemed as nonessential health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: An online, questionnaire-based study sought to answer ''In what ways has the professional identity of MTs in Canada and Australia been impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic?'' MTs in Canada and Australia were recruited using convenience sampling through e-mail and social media. A questionnaire was developed and pilot tested before implementation. Results: Six hundred and forty-nine MTs participated (329 from Canada and 316 from Australia). Known constructs of professional identity that were affected during the pandemic included not feeling respected as a health care practitioner, feeling less professional than other health care providers, and experiencing burnout. New constructs that may have developed out of the pandemic and the measures established to manage them included being classified as nonessential and feeling a sense of camaraderie and belonging. Conclusions: This study is the first of its kind to report the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the professional identity of MTs. The emerging constructs reported will be used to create interview questions for the subsequent qualitative strand of this explanatory mixed-methods study. In the qualitative study, respondents will be invited to share their experiences with their own voice to further the understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on MTs' professional identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical scholarship has been conceptualised and theorised in the nursing literature for over 30 years but no research has captured nurses' clinicians' views on how it differs or is the same as clinical expertise and clinical leadership. The aim of this study was to determine clinical nurses' understanding of the differences and similarities between the clinical expert, clinical leader and clinical scholar. Methods: A descriptive interpretative qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with 18 practising nurses from Australia, Canada and England. The audio-taped interviews were transcribed and the text coded for emerging themes. The themes were sorted into categories of clinical expert, clinical leader and clinical scholarship as described by the participants. These themes were then compared and contrasted and the essential elements that characterise the nursing roles of the clinical expert, clinical leader and clinical scholar were identified. Results: Clinical experts were seen as linking knowledge to practice with some displaying clinical leadership and scholarship. Clinical leadership is seen as a positional construct with a management emphasis. For the clinical scholar they linked theory and practice and encouraged research and dissemination of knowledge. Conclusion: There are distinct markers for the roles of clinical expert, clinical leader and clinical scholar. Nurses working in one or more of these roles need to work together to improve patient care. An 'ideal nurse' may be a blending of all three constructs. As nursing is a practice discipline its scholarship should be predominantly based on clinical scholarship. Nurses need to be encouraged to go beyond their roles as clinical leaders and experts to use their position to challenge and change through the propagation of knowledge to their community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To explore the experiences of strategic leads for nurse education as they sought to respond to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Design: We utilised a qualitative interpretative approach to explore education leaders' experiences of leading during the early months of the pandemic. Methods: Nineteen leaders with significant strategic responsibility for nurse education in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom were identified via purposive sampling and agreed to participate. Interviews were held between May and July 2020. Results: Four overarching themes arose from the analysis: (1) Crisis driven adaptability & flexibility; (2) Responsive, complex and changing communication; (3) Making decisions for student and staff safety; (4) Looking to the future; stronger partnerships. Conclusion: Internationally, while nursing education leaders faced different problems, they shared a common goal amidst the crisis to remain student‐centred. They demonstrated they were able to face major challenges, respond to large scale logistical problems and make decisions under significant and ongoing pressure. Impact: In responding to the pandemic, nurse leaders shared knowledge and offered mutual support. This bodes well for future collaboration. The move to online learning accelerated an existing trend and it seems likely that this will continue. Given the pressures they experienced over an extended period, the sector may wish to consider how it prepares and supports existing and future leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Implementation theories, models and frameworks offer guidance when implementing and sustaining healthcare evidence-based interventions. However, selection can be challenging given the myriad of potential options. We propose to inform a decision support tool to facilitate the appropriate selection of an implementation theory, model or framework in practice. To inform tool development, this study aimed to explore barriers and facilitators to identifying and selecting implementation theories, models and frameworks in research and practice, as well as end-user preferences for features and functions of the proposed tool.Methods: We used an interpretive descriptive approach to conduct semi-structured interviews with implementation researchers and practitioners in Canada, the United States and Australia. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim. Data were inductively coded by a single investigator with a subset of 20% coded independently by a second investigator and analyzed using thematic analysis.Results: Twenty-four individuals participated in the study. Categories of barriers/facilitators, to inform tool development, included characteristics of the individual or team conducting implementation and characteristics of the implementation theory, model or framework. Major barriers to selection included inconsistent terminology, poor fit with the implementation context and limited knowledge about and training in existing theories, models and frameworks. Major facilitators to selection included the importance of clear and concise language and evidence that the theory, model or framework was applied in a relevant health setting or context. Participants were enthusiastic about the development of a decision support tool that is user-friendly, accessible and practical. Preferences for tool features included key questions about the implementation intervention or project (e.g., purpose, stage of implementation, intended target for change) and a comprehensive list of relevant theories, models and frameworks to choose from along with a glossary of terms and the contexts in which they were applied.Conclusions: An easy to use decision support tool that addresses key barriers to selecting an implementation theory, model or framework in practice may be beneficial to individuals who facilitate implementation practice activities. Findings on end-user preferences for tool features and functions will inform tool development and design through a user-centered approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debriefing is used across many disciplines and for different purposes in work-integrated learning (WIL), but there remains much ambiguity about what debriefing actually is, and what it entails. This study explored conceptualizations of debriefing for 35 WIL practitioners. located across a range of disciplines, professions, institutions and countries (Australia, New Zealand, Canada). Findings point to a broad range of views and demonstrate that debriefing is associated with three different types of learning in WIL: academic, reflective and performance related. Our results show that the most consistently cited feature of debriefing was the presence of a facilitator, with the value of debriefing seen as enabling deeper insights than would be possible via solitary reflection. For supporting learning, most practitioners used both reflection and debriefing, suggesting that neither is seen as better than the other, but that both are useful and necessary strategies for student learning in WIL. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, adult migrant and refugee women's negotiation of sexual agency in the context of marriage is explored. In Sydney, Australia and Vancouver, Canada, 78 semistructured individual interviews, and 15 focus groups, comprised of 82 participants, were conducted with women who had recently migrated from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Sri Lanka, and South America. Women's negotiation of sexual agency was evident with respect to husband choice, disclosure of sexual desire, pleasure, pain, and sexual consent. While some participants took up subjugated sexual subject positions reflecting dominant cultural or religious discourses, many women also resisted these discourses to enact sexual agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Occupational therapists' are increasingly working with communities and providing services at the community level. There is, however, a lack of conceptual frameworks to guide this work. Aim: The aim of this article is to present a new conceptual framework for community-centered practice in occupational therapy. Material and Method: The conceptual framework was developed from qualitative multi-case research on exemplars of community participation. The first was, a network of Canadian food security programs, and the second, a rural Australian community banking initiative. Key themes were identified from across the case studies, and cross-case findings interpreted using occupational therapy and occupational science knowledge, and relevant social theory. The outcome is a four-stage, occupation-focused, community-centered practice framework. Findings: The Community-Centred Practice Framework can be used by occupational therapists to understand and apply a community-centered practice approach. The four stages are: (1) Community Identity, (2) Community Occupations, (3) Community Resources and Barriers, and (4) Participation Enablement. Conclusions: Further research is needed to trial and critically evaluate the framework, to assess its usefulness as a robust, occupation-focused, frame of reference to guide community-centered practice in occupational therapy. Significance: The proposed framework should assist occupational therapists to conceptualize community-centered practice, and to utilize and apply theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The creative arts can be used to support stakeholders of mental health services to communicate and share their lived experience. Digital storytelling is one method that has been used to capture people's lived experience. In this scoping review, we were interested in mapping how digital storytelling has been used in mental health, and to identify gaps in the literature. Nine databases were searched to identify peer reviewed literature published between January 2000 and August 2015; 15 articles were included in the review. The articles were categorized across four broad areas: educational interventions, learning skills, learning about other people's lived experience, and learning about personal lived experience. We identify that while digital storytelling has potential as a participatory process to promote mutual understanding of and empathy towards lived experiences in mental health, there is a dearth of research in this area. More research is needed on the use of digital storytelling in mental health to determine its effectiveness in progressing a recovery orientation in service provision that is built on solidarity and a social justice agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]