Abstract
This thesis investigated the relationship between deep or surface learners and their clinical reasoning capability early in their final year of study. The study also considered if there were reasons why the participants may have tended towards one approach or the other. The final year of study is when these participants (physiotherapy students) were exposed to a clinical case-load and therefore the need for clinical reasoning skills. This final year is designed to allow their theoretical knowledge to be combined with practical experience with the expectation of graduating as safe and autonomous practitioners. The research used a mixed methods approach. The quantitative data was used to determine if those students who tended towards a deep approach to learning scored more highly than those who tended towards a surface approach. The qualitative data was produced using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to identify reasons for using either approach.
Results showed that those participants who tended towards a deep approach scored more highly than those who tended towards a surface approach. The participants also identified factors that they thought were influential in encouraging a surface approach. These included the relevance of the course-work, assessment methods, teaching styles, and curriculum design.