Embryos of occupational therapist paradigms: An exploratory study of Swedish occupational therapy students’ perceptions of occupational therapy

The present study is an exploratory study of newly enrolled Swedish occupational therapy students’ world view and field of action view of occupational therapy during their introductory week at the Occupational Therapist Educational Program at the University College of Health Sciences, Jönköping, Sweden, in the autumn of 1995. The study has its starting point in Törnebohm’s theory of paradigms. The students answered essay questions on paradigmatic matters and the data were analysed qualitatively. Three themes were identified in the data: (i) notions of some concepts fundamental to occupational therapy; (ii) notions of the ‘setting’ of occupational therapy reality; and (iii) notions of the operational reality of occupational therapy. With their limited personal experience of occupational therapy, the students’ perceptions reflected interested outsiders’ views on the topic, influenced by information available in society and the questions given. They were shown to possess relevant and varied information about occupational therapy, but had difficulties in joining the information together in a coherent unity.