Investigating supervisors’ experiences of veterinary intern placements

Abstract

Investigating supervisors’ experiences of veterinary intern placements Abstract Work-based learning (WBL) experiences are a valuable and increasingly essential component of many professional education programmes. These experiences are designed to be closely aligned to a student centred approach to teaching and learning and are seen to be well suited to supporting students in their transition towards ‘being’ the professional. It is expected that universities will continue if not increase their reliance on alternative and innovative educational practices of which WBL is a part. As such it is incumbent on universities to consider how WBL environments are managed and how teaching and learning activities are supported, monitored and sustained. Supervisors of veterinary interns play a key role in teaching and guiding students in their transition from the theoretical world of university academia to the world of veterinary professional practice. The way in which supervisors conceive of their role and approach their supervision will likely impact the way that students approach their learning in a WBL environment. This in turn will likely influence the quality of student learning. The main aim of this study was to first identify and describe the variation in supervisors’ experiences of supervision in a WBL environment and secondly identify those types of supervisor experiences that are more likely to encourage quality learning outcomes. Phenomenography was the qualitative research method selected for this study as it describes the limited number of categorically different ways that a group of individuals experience a phenomenon. Quantitative analysis was subsequently conducted to examine the relationship between supervisors’ conceptions and approaches to supervision. This study validates the hypothesis that there is variation in supervisors’ experiences in a veterinary WBL environment. Supervisors’ conceptions of supervision varied; in what they intended students to learn and what they conceived supervision to be about. Variation was also found in the way that supervisors approach supervision; in what they did, the way they went about doing it and why they did it that way. The investigations reported in this thesis consisted of two stages. A broad, large scale investigation of supervisors’ experiences was prefaced by a preliminary phenomenographic analysis of surveys collected for a teaching evaluation activity. In both the preliminary teaching evaluation activity (n = 39) and the subsequent broader investigation of supervisors’ experiences (n = 117) four distinct hierarchical categories of description for supervisors’ conceptions and their approach to supervision were described. Increasing in complexity a qualitative difference was identified between categories B and C for both conceptions and approaches. Quantitative analysis of this qualitative data revealed that in the teaching evaluation activity over half of the supervisors (59%) reported less complete, fragmented conceptions of learning outcomes and a slightly lower proportion (51%) reported using transmission / supervisor focused approaches. The subsequent larger scale study revealed a similar distribution with 55% of supervisors reporting a less complete, fragmented conception of what supervision is about and 51.5% reporting a transmission / supervisor focused approach. Further to this, in both stages of the research a strong relationship was found between supervisors’ conceptions and their approach (n = 39, p < 0.001, 2 = 16.36,  = 0.65; n = 117, p < 0.001, 2 = 45.66,  = 0.624). In short those supervisors who conceive of supervision in a fragmented, multistructural and less complete way were more likely to adopt transmission, supervisor centred approaches to supervision. Those supervisors with cohesive, relational and more complete conceptions were more likely to use an engagement, student centred approach to supervision. The effective and ongoing provision of WBL experiences needs to ensure that targeted and credible support is provided for the professionals that supervise students during these placements. Strategies employed by universities and faculties should be designed to expand conceptions of what supervision is about and encourage methods of delivery that are more likely to be aligned with a student centred approach to supervision.