The Utilization of the Movement System in Pediatric Physical Therapy Education

In 2013, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) named the movement system (MS) as the core of physical therapy (PT) practice, education, and research. The MS is a framework guiding how physical therapists approach patient/client care and is considered a paradigm shift within the profession (Hoogenboom, 2022). Although endorsed by the APTA, no centralized initiative to develop the MS and facilitate its adoption exists. The purpose of this cross-sectional observational study was to investigate to what extent faculty include the MS when teaching pediatrics within Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs. Survey and semi-structured interview methods were applied to investigate a range of factors and phenomena associated with teaching MS content in pediatric DPT education. Sixty faculty participated in the survey and twenty completed a follow-up semi-structured interview. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Thematic analysis using open and a priori coding was applied to examine the interview results. Faculty most frequently reported being ‘moderately familiar’ with the MS (n=28, 47%), using the phrase “movement system” with learners ‘sometimes (31-50% of days interacting with learners)’ (n=16, 28%), and teaching MS content for at least two iterations (n=24, 48%). Ninety-six percent (n=53) of faculty reported teaching movement analysis and 52% (n=25) reported teaching MS diagnosis. Lecture (n=40, 85%) and videos of children (n=38, 81%) were the most frequently selected instructional strategies applied when teaching MS concepts. Role playing (2 (1)=3.9, p=.047) and practical exams (2 (1)=5.1, p=.025) were significantly positively associated with teaching MS diagnosis. Interview results revealed that faculty associated the MS with movement analysis, movement related diagnosis, the interaction of body systems, and the identity of physical therapists as movement experts. Survey and interview findings suggest clinical experience, motivation, and colleagues with similar perspectives were facilitating factors for teaching MS content while available instructional materials, workload, colleagues with differing perspectives, and incongruency with clinical practice were hindering factors. A conceptual framework was developed to illustrate factors faculty appraise when deciding to teach MS content. The results provide insight about curriculum, instruction, faculty perspectives and decision-making related to adoption of the MS within pediatric DPT education. Hoogenboom, B. J. (2022). The movement system and physical therapist practice: What does the future look like? International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 17(1).

Author dc:creator

• Kristine M. Chase (24400127)

• Education
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Physical Therapy
• Pediatrics
• Movement System

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright
• Open Access after 2028-05-01

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.25417/uic.32995178.v1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/32995178