Educator Perspectives on Indigenous Cultural Content in an Occupational Therapy Curriculum

Authors

  • Belinda Melchert James Cook University
  • Marion Gray University of the Sunshine Coast
  • Adrian Miller Griffith University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1017/jie.2016.3

Keywords:

Indigenous, cultural competence, curriculum, occupational therapy

Abstract

Health professionals must understand Indigenous perspectives to deliver effective health services. This study set out to determine the amount, type and effectiveness of current Indigenous content in an occupational therapy curriculum at an Australian regional university and the progress in meeting the National Aboriginal Health Strategy (NAHS) minimum standards for Indigenous content for Australian Universities. Twenty-one academic staff teaching at an Australian University were surveyed with five follow-up interviews. Findings suggest that while educators saw the importance of Indigenous cultural content, they lacked confidence in delivering this content. The need for a strategic and planned approach to embedding Indigenous content throughout the curriculum was identified. Future research evaluating the effectiveness of cultural competency initiatives is suggested.

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Published

2016-04-08

How to Cite

Melchert, B., Gray, M., & Miller, A. (2016). Educator Perspectives on Indigenous Cultural Content in an Occupational Therapy Curriculum. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 45(1), 100–109. https://doi.org/10.1017/jie.2016.3

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