A case study of the implementation of a curricular innovation in autonomous physical therapy clinical departments
Abstract
A modified normative re-educative and intersystems model for
planned change was used as the theoretical basis for this study of factors
related to implementation of curricular innovation. The main question
addressed by this study was, "How do you bring about desired change
in external autonomous organizations?"
The sample consisted of two groups of second year physical
therapy students enrolled in the School of Physical Therapy, University
of Saskatchewan. Each of the students completed a questionnaire dealing
with their perceptions of clinical practice following implementation of a
structured teaching program in participating clinical departments of
three hospitals.
The data obtained by the questionnaires were analyzed by using
one-way and two-way analyses of variance techniques and the accompanying
Scheffé test.
The one variable which accounted for the greatest amount of
curriculum implementation was in-service training delivered by an internal
change agent located within her own organization.
This study also provided evidence that the innovativeness of a
modern or traditional organization may well be a factor related to the
rate of adoption and account for the varying degrees of implementation
attributed to the change agent's efforts.
The present study also led to the conclusion that student levels
of confidence were directly proportional to the degree of implementation.
It had been expected that there would be a significant relationship
between gatekeeper and operant agreement, collaborative efforts in curriculum
development and distribution of the curriculum.