Date of Submission
11-12-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Doctor of Health Science
Department
Health Sciences
First Advisor
Houssein El Turkey, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Marcie Berman, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Sandra D’Amato-Palumbo, Ed.D.
LCSH
Pedagogical content knowledge, Allied health personnel, Medicine--Study and teaching, Education--Study and teaching (Higher)
Abstract
Allied health professions are a growing sector of the healthcare fields, leading to an increasing demand for skilled professionals in performing these roles. As a result, there is a need for highly trained educators to teach the next generation of allied health professionals. Unfortunately, existing literature indicates that many of today’s healthcare educators have not received adequate instructor training, despite having content matter expertise in the healthcare field. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the perceptions of allied health educators regarding their preparedness to teach didactic courses in the context of associate degree education. The lived experiences of participants were gathered through semi-structured interviews, during which they reported on their perceptions of their preparedness as they transitioned into an academic role. Using pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) as a framework for the study and a thematic analysis approach to analyze the data, this study provided insight into allied health educators' self-perceptions of their preparedness to teach at the associate degree level. This study found a lack of preparedness among educators to teach at the associate degree level and that a key component of PCK was present while others were lacking among participants. A potential implication of this study is to help in the design and development of training programs that focus on what new educators need to successfully transition into academia. Finally, this study revealed similar struggles at the associate degree level to what existing literature has identified for the graduate and doctoral levels.
Recommended Citation
Shuman, Jeffrey S., "Exploring Allied Health Professionals’ Preparedness to Transition into Educators at the Associate Degree Level" (2024). Health Science Doctoral Thesis. 15.
https://digitalcommons.newhaven.edu/healthscidocthesis/15