A Qualitative Study on Occupational Therapy Students’ Perceptions of Using Keyform Maps

Abstract

A keyform map is an innovative tool, derived from Rasch analyzed measures, that reveals the relationship of a client to the item challenges on an assessment to reflect more clearly what the client can and cannot do. These maps offer increased ease and efficiency when using standardized evaluation measures. Keyform map use has been studied in clinical occupational therapy practice. Their use in occupational therapy education, however, has not been studied which creates a potential gap with the untapped student stakeholder. This qualitative study examined the impacts of using keyform maps in an online course with occupational therapy students during the evaluation and intervention planning process for different client case vignettes. A constant comparative analysis revealed that students perceived keyform maps show them two themes more clearly: (1) the just right challenge that is difficult but not impossible and (2) a task hierarchy that helps efficiently prioritize and justify choices specific to the client and decisions personalized to the client. By introducing pre-service learners to keyform maps, OT educators can take a huge step forward in meeting the profession’s charge to increase efforts towards personalized measurement.