Anatomy education in occupational therapy curricula: Perspectives of practitioners in the United States

The study of human anatomy is an integral component in the education of future occupational therapists, yet there is a paucity of research that explores the anatomy needs of students and new practitioners. As a follow up from a pilot study that surveyed a small cohort of practicing therapists, this article aimed to determine occupational therapy (OT) practitioners' views on anatomy course structure and content deemed important to include in OT curricula, entry level practitioners' anatomy knowledge, and application of anatomy in current practice. A Likert scale and free text questionnaire was distributed to practicing occupational therapists across the United States. Fifty‐four percent of the participants in this cohort favored a standalone course, as compared to 94% in the pilot study group. Anatomy course content areas were comparable across groups. Systems identified as essential to cover in an OT anatomy course included skeletal, muscular, and nervous. Regions included the upper limb, thorax/trunk, head and neck, and lower limb. Seventy percent of participants in both groups felt that entry‐level practitioners had adequate anatomy knowledge; 30% did not. Practice areas requiring anatomy knowledge included assessment of joint movement, muscle strength, pain, and functional mobility. Qualitative analysis of free text response data revealed the importance of anatomy knowledge in OT assessment and intervention strategies, determining the impact of injury or disease on occupational performance, client safety, and communication with other health care professionals and families. Anat Sci Educ 11: 243–253. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.     

Higher education recruitment in the United States: a chronology of significant literature

ABSTRACT

Given the absence of a chronology of the historical philosophies, perspectives, and practices of recruitment within the higher education institutions in the United States, the authors have assembled an overview of the material on recruitment strategies and ideologies of American higher education institutions. Literature from and about the past aids in illuminating the current context while helping to navigate the future of higher education recruitment. The authors have identified five general periods: prior to 1920, 1921 to the end of the Second World War, the post-War decade, mid-1950s through the 1970s, and 1980s to the present. Documentation for each period varies significantly in quality and amount, with the densest data found for the two later periods. Future researchers may explore how recruitment practices and language encourage or discourage under-represented populations in higher education. Further research in other areas of educational recruitment is also suggested.     

The flow of instructors through the segmented labor markets of academe

This paper focuses on two categories of teaching personnel, those inside and outside of the tenure stream, who together provide instruction in North American post-secondary institutions. Segmented labor market thinking is used to examine the extent to which entry to the tenure stream is achieved by those who begin on appointments outside of these internal labor markets. Tabulations provided by Statistics Canada on the fate of seven entering cohorts of full-time instructors at Canadian universites (excluding Quebec) seven years after their initial appointment are analyzed. We find that a consistent and meaningful proportion of each cohort achieves entrance to the tenure stream from an initial external labor market appointment and that such an employment history accounts for almost half of all entrants who actually remain. Thus, despite the hardships of many who have no opportunity to be considered for continuing employment, external labor market appointees are, nonetheless, an important pool for recruitment of permanent faculty. This study adds to the growing body of knowledge that identifies their major role in the provision of post-secondary instruction. Disadvantages accruing to women and young academics and their relationships to external labor markets are discussed, as are the implications of these patterns for the changing career trajectories of those currently entering academe.     

Population education in the United States

The most significant expansion of population education in the U.S. has occurred over the past 5-year period. The environmental movement of the 1960 decade established a foundation on which population education quickly developed in the 1970 decade and gained acceptance in the population establishment and among funding agencies. During the years 1970-1976, several private organizations became actively involved in the population education field. Several viewpoints and population education approaches are now evident in the U.S. These approaches stress different aspects of the issue: extension of family planning, individual and social awareness, demography, behavioral objectives, value analysis, environmental strategy, and inquiry. Although these approaches are diverse, the U.S. has provided a basic framework for population education. Research in population education has consisted of little more than review studies, knowledge and attitude surveys, and several studies on the appropriateness of population education in the formal college school setting. Further research is needed to identify the goals, objectives, and strategy of population education, and these studies would have to be linked to the cognitive and moral development of the student.     

Higher education and employment markets in France

The theory of human capital has been used to account for the link between educational investment and individual earnings. The authors argue that any investigation of the relationship between these two elements must take into account the choice model used by the individual student as he enters higher education. His academic and social background influence his choice as do his estimate of the returns likely to come from investing in the study of particular disciplines and the extent to which he is prepared to risk failure, especially in highly competitive programmes of study with high rates of return. Evidence from a study made in Dijon in 1974 is summarised and offers support for the suggested choice model.     

Higher education markets and public policy

In the major reforms to higher education being introduced throughout the world, market and “market-like” policy instruments are assuming increasing importance. Long perceived as a unique characteristic of the U.S. system of higher education, experiments with market competition in academic labor markets, institutional finance, student support, and the allocation of research funds are now evident in the higher education policy of many different nations. Ironically, the overt rationale for these reforms is not only the traditional argument of economic efficiency—with its supposed corollary benefits of institutional adaptation and innovation—but increasingly a resort to market competition as a means of achieving equity in the form of mass higher education. The paper explores the nature of markets in higher education, the policy mechanisms related to their implementation, and some emerging questions regarding their impact.     

Governing Boards in Public Higher Education Institutions: A perspective from the United States

Governing boards have a long tradition and prominent role in U.S. higher education. The diversity of institutional types, and thus governing boards, represents a multifaceted tapestry of functions, roles, and responsibilities. This paper will attempt to define the parameters of public higher education governing boards in the USA and offer critical insights into their degree of effectiveness. It is the author’s position that both positive and negative lessons can be learned through an examination of these public governing boards in the USA. The recent emergence of university boards in Europe is examined and their characteristics are compared against the characteristics of public and private boards in the USA.     

Governing Boards in Public Higher Education Institutions: A perspective from the United States

Governing boards have a long tradition and prominent role in U.S. higher education. The diversity of institutional types, and thus governing boards, represents a multifaceted tapestry of functions, roles, and responsibilities. This paper will attempt to define the parameters of public higher education governing boards in the USA and offer critical insights into their degree of effectiveness. It is the author’s position that both positive and negative lessons can be learned through an examination of these public governing boards in the USA. The recent emergence of university boards in Europe is examined and their characteristics are compared against the characteristics of public and private boards in the USA.

     

Mathematics education in the United States: past to present

This article presents a historical review of mathematics education since the late 1950s in the United States. Three themes are used to organize the literature reviewed in the article: (a) broad sociopolitical forces, particularly highly publicized educational policy statements; (b) trends in mathematics research; and (c) theories of learning and instruction. At times, these themes coincide, as was the case in the 1990s. In other cases, such as the recent push for educational accountability, these themes conflict. Nonetheless, the themes go a long way to explain the serpentine nature of reform in the United States over the last 45 years. This article also attempts to account for developments in special education as well as general education research, something that does not appear in most historical presentations of mathematics education.     

Higher Education: The Experience of the United States

The United States has been well served by its higher education system that, historically, was the product of two philosophies: commitment to the discovery and furtherance of knowledge and fulfillment of the needs of the people. The interaction of these twin philosophies has been tempered by four movements: (i) public control of higher education institutions through boards of trustees; (ii) open admissions for high school graduates; (iii) the university in service to the community; and (iv) the increasing importance of federally funded research. Only in its ability to influence foreign policy formation has American higher education proven itself to be less effective than in the other areas.     

Preschool policy and bilingual education in the United States

In 1976, Head Start introduced a “Strategy for Spanish-Speaking Children.” The strategy provided support in four areas of activity, which included: (1) Basic and applied research on the developmental progress of Spanish-speaking children; (2) Regional Resource Centers intended to provide access to bilingual/bicultural materials and assistance in their implementation; (3) Head Start staff training; and (4) Curriculum model development in two languages, permitting individualized instruction in either language, and incorporating multicultural resources that facilitate cognitive and social growth.The most significant outcome of the strategy for the Spanish-speaking has been the curriculum development effort and its accompanying evaluation. The remainder of this paper will describe the curriculum development effort, th evaluation results, and some policy implications for national efforts in bilingual education.     

私有化与美国高等教育财政的新趋势

1990年以来,私有化成为美国高等教育发展的主流趋势。众多大学热衷于资助与企业合作的教育研究项目,并且积极参与商业活动。在高等教育领域中,营利性大学呈现出最为积极的发展态势。此外,各种形式的学生经济资助力度的加大使得美国高等教育财政发生了翻天覆地的变化。对于公立和私立大学而言,私有化均意味着市场力量的大力介入。本文从以下三个视角审视美国高等教育财政的发展变化:考察1990年以来高等教育私有化的宏观发展趋势,分析该时期高等教育在校生规模、大学学费及其收入支出的变化趋势,研究当前经济危机对公立和私立高等教育部门产生的影响。大学学费的稳步增长使美国高等教育财政由政府资助转向学生及其家庭分担。学生经济资助,尤其是联邦学生贷款的大幅增长对美国高等教育财政产生了重要影响,而这种影响作用在私立非营利性大学、公立大学、私立营利性大学的表现是截然不同的。最后,私有化潮流对不同性质高等教育机构的财政及其学术研究产生了不同的动态影响。面对高校收入来源及其总额的变化,美国大学的高度自主特质使得各院校必须独立作出适应,这也由此提升了高校对于市场力量的积极响应。