Teachers’ Perspectives on Best Occupational Therapy Service Provision in School-Based Practice: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT

There is currently limited evidence regarding teachers’ perspectives of push-in and pull-out occupational therapy services in the school-based setting. Occupational therapy services can be delivered in different combinations and often vary based on the needs of the student, needs of the teacher and classroom, need for academic time, and need for social interactions. To examine teachers’ perspectives of push-in and pull-out services, a qualitative approach was used. Thirty-nine participants were recruited using a combination of convenience, snowball, purposive, and voluntary response sampling. Data was collected via a multiple choice and open response online survey. Thematic analysis was completed with the identification of six themes. Pros and cons of both push-in and pull-out service delivery, carryover, and modifications were discussed. Conclusively, most teachers preferred a combination of push-in and pull-out services, highlighting the importance of communication, collaboration, carryover, and finding the just-right fit for each student to best support their needs and learning styles. The findings of this study will better provide school-based occupational therapy practitioners with context for selecting the most appropriate service delivery model for each student.

KEYWORDS:

• School-based
• service delivery
• teacher
• push-in
• pull-out
• least restrictive environment

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I want to thank my capstone professor at Shenandoah University for her support as a mentor, and for her help in revising this paper and encouragement to publish. Secondly, to the teachers and support staff who took the time to respond to the survey, and all friends, family, and colleagues that shared the survey and encouraged people to respond to it. Finally, I want to thank my family and friends for their constant love and support during my doctoral process, for providing encouragement, advice, and words of wisdom when I needed it most.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.