Witchcraft and Physical Therapy Management: Application of the Inquiry-Based Model to Physical Therapy Education

Abstract

The purpose of this case report is to describe the inquiry-based model of instruction and its use in an entry-level physical therapy educational setting. Educators facilitate the acquisition of critical thinking skills through their choice and application of various instructional strategies and methodologies. The inquiry model is designed to help students problem solve by facilitating the acquisition of both analytical and process skills. Practice and mastery of these skills are beneficial to students in the health professions, as they will need to transfer these abilities to the complex clinical setting. This is particularly true of physical therapists, who practice in an increasingly autonomous manner. The use of the inquiry model as an instructional method complements a learner centered environment. The learning activity described below is used as a bridge to the examination, evaluation and diagnostic process the physical therapy students will need to master in subsequent didactic and clinical educational experiences. The selection of the problem used in the inquiry process is a key consideration to the success of the activity. The problem chosen must be interesting, intriguing and hold the attention of the students. A general problem such as the witchcraft example discussed in this paper is suitable for most disciplines, as specific clinical skills or content knowledge is not necessary for students to participate and be successful in this activity. The key element of the inquiry method is the debriefing session that concludes the activity. In the debriefing, faculty lead a guided discussion regarding the processes used by the learners to reach a viable solution to the problem. Areas examined include why certain hypotheses were formed, what information was sought and utilized by the learners to try to prove or disprove the hypotheses, and how the learners classified or grouped information together. The debriefing discussion highlights not the outcome of the problem but rather the critical reasoning process utilized by the learners to reach a conclusion, which is the primary goal of this learning activity. Students consistently respond favorably to this activity as evidenced by their active participation and positive course feedback. The faculty and students of the entry-level physical therapy program have found this activity to be a very pertinent precursor to the critical reasoning required for the clinical diagnostic process. Practical guidelines for the organization and implementation of the inquiry model as a type of instructional strategy are presented.