A lack of understanding about the challenges CALD students face during clinical placement can hinder CEs from providing culturally responsive clinical education. In this research study, the perspectives of physiotherapy students and CEs were explored to identify the issues impacting clinical learning and to understand how placement experiences may be improved for both stakeholder groups. The perspectives of non-CALD students were included to determine if their experiences were different from those of CALD students.
A qualitative descriptive design was utilised to gain insights from physiotherapy students and CEs regarding their placement experiences. Focus groups were held for CALD students, non-CALD students, and CEs. Data were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analysed using grounded theory principles to ascertain emerging categories and sub-categories to formulate final themes.
Three main themes were identified for all groups: mismatch in placement expectations, communication and language, and cultural differences. Mismatch in placement expectations related to differences in understanding of roles, learning needs, and expected behaviours during placement and was common to all groups, however, for CALD students and CEs the mismatch was amplified by the cultural differences. Themes of communication, language, and cultural differences were common to CALD students and CEs including factors such as accent, pronunciation, vocabulary, thought processing time, teaching and learning styles, saving face, and respect. CEs also reported a lack of access to training resources to prepare for CALD student supervision.
The results of this study draw attention to the key areas of difficulty for CALD students to navigate with their CEs in the clinical environment. It highlights the need to address mismatched placement expectations early and for CEs to create a clinical learning environment where cultural and language differences can be openly discussed. All stakeholders including students, CEs, universities, and health facilities, have a shared responsibility to ensure preparedness for placement. There is a need for education resources to be developed to prepare physiotherapy CEs for the supervision of CALD students during placement.
The study demonstrates the importance of developing strategies and resources to prepare CEs to supervise CALD students effectively. Implementing these strategies and resources will promote efficient and sustainable teaching practices, enabling students from diverse backgrounds to deliver high-quality patient care. Building the capacity of the physiotherapy workforce to deliver culturally responsive education is essential for addressing increasing student numbers and the resulting placement demands in an evolving healthcare system. By understanding the factors shaping CALD students’ learning experiences, universities and workplaces can better target training and support efforts to improve placement preparation and learning.
culturally and linguistically diverse
physiotherapy clinical education
