Educator Perceptions of the Evidence-Based Teaching Model in Undergraduate Athletic Training Education

Context: While research recommends that health professions expand the instruction and use of evidence-based practice (EBP) due to the individualized approach to patient health care, few examples of the incorporation of EBP into academic courses exist in athletic training.

Objective: To evaluate educators' perceptions of the Evidence-Based Teaching Model (EBTM) as a strategy to introduce EBP concepts to athletic training (AT) students.

Design: Qualitative program evaluation including semi-structured interviews. Setting: Institutions that sponsor CAATE-accredited professional undergraduate programs.

Participants: Stratified purposeful sampling of 9 experienced educators (2 males, 7 females; average years teaching 8 ± 5 years) teaching therapeutic modalities or rehabilitation were trained in the EBTM and interviewed regarding their experience.

Measures: Educators' experiences regarding implementation of the EBTM. Coded categories were triangulated via member checks and peer review to establish trustworthiness of the findings.

Results: Educators valued the EBTM as a method to implement evidence-based concepts within a short time frame in their course, and perceived it as a user-friendly and effective teaching tool. Assignments requiring direct interaction between students and clinical instructors were considered most favorable. Training materials provided educators with a new perspective of how to implement EBP at the professional level.

Conclusions: Implementation of the EBTM helped educators attain their goals of expanding evidence-based concepts within professional undergraduate curricula and increasing student and clinical instructor interaction. Overall, the EBTM provided a mechanism to begin incorporation of EBP concepts in athletic training curricula.