Open AccessRole Perception and Professional Identity of Occupational Therapists Working in Education Systems: Perception du rôle et identité professionnelle des ergothérapeutes qui travaillent dans les systèmes scolaires
Author(s) -
Liron Lamash,
Yael Fogel
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
canadian journal of occupational therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.454
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1911-9828
pISSN - 0008-4174
DOI - 10.1177/00084174211005898
Subject(s) - psychology , perception , identity (music) , humanities , occupational therapy , pedagogy , art , aesthetics , neuroscience , psychiatry
Background. Occupational therapists, especially those in education systems, are challenged to define their professional roles and identities.Purpose. This research evaluated the Role-Perception Questionnaire for Occupational Therapists in the Education System’s (RP-OT) psychometric properties, the Professional Identity Scale (PIS) internal consistency among occupational therapists, and relationships among role perception, professional identity, and demographic characteristics.Method. A sample of 147 occupational therapists in education systems completed the RP-OT and PIS. We conducted exploratory factor analysis and calculated Cronbach alpha to evaluate the RP-OT and PIS psychometric properties. Relationships were examined using Pearson correlation.Findings. The RP-OT was found reliable and valid, with medium-to-strong correlations among role perception, professional identity, and demographics. Teamwork in the education system was the major predictor (82%) of professional identity.Implications. Teamwork is part of the professional role of occupational therapists in the education system and a significant component for developing their positive professional-identity perception.