Date of Award

Summer 1-1-2020

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts In Speech Pathology And Audiology Degree

Department

Speech Pathology and Audiology

First Advisor

Pershey, Monica Gordon

Second Advisor

Emily St. Julian, M.S., CCC-SLP

Third Advisor

Barbara Milliken, Ed.D., OTR/L, CVW

Abstract

Speech-language pathologists’ continuing education courses employ two different mediums of instruction (live, in-person versus remote) to effectively produce learning outcomes, such as knowledge, skills, and attitudes. This research aimed to (1) obtain data about speech-language pathologists’ perceptions of their motivation, the costs, the interactivity, and the quality of continuing education courses for the mediums of live, inperson continuing education courses and for remote continuing education courses; (2) determine whether speech-language pathologists express a preference based on (a) motivation, costs, interactivity, and quality, and on (b) medium of continuing education courses (live, in-person versus remote), and (3) ascertain if speech-language pathologists report a transfer of the learning outcomes taught in continuing education courses to their practice settings. This study surveyed 425 licensed and/or certified speech-language pathologists who had previously attended one or more continuing education experiences in the last five years related to speech-language pathology content. The design of the survey instrument enabled the comparison of continuing education course mediums across the six constructs of motivation, costs, interactivity, quality, preferred medium, and transfer of learning. Final analysis revealed that speech-language pathologists’ motivation to attend continuing education was more so for the medium of remote instruction. Data v analysis established that, based on speech-language pathologists’ perceptions of the costs to attend and the interactivity of continuing education, live, in-person courses are the preferred medium. As for the quality of continuing education courses, the data did not establish a preference among speech-language pathologists for one medium of continuing education (live, in-person versus remote). The preferred medium of instruction as reported by speech-language pathologists is live, in-person courses. Speech-language pathologists reported that their transfer of learning outcomes taught at continuing education courses to their practice settings is more so for live, in-person continuing education courses.

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