Educator perspectives on concussion management in the college classroom: a grounded theory introduction to collegiate return-to-learn

• Published in: BMJ open Vol. 11; no. 4; p. e044487
• Main Authors: Bevilacqua, Zachary, Cothran, Donetta J, Rettke, Devin J, Koceja, David M, Nelson-Laird, Thomas F, Kawata, Keisuke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group LTD 20.04.2021; BMJ Publishing Group
• Series: Original research
• Subjects: Classrooms; Codes; College students; Concussion; Grounded theory; Interviews; Learning; Public health; Qualitative research; Rehabilitation Medicine; Secondary school students; Secondary schools; Software; Teaching; Tenure; trauma management; neuropathology; public health
• ISSN: 2044-6055; 2044-6055
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044487

ObjectivesTo gather the perspectives of collegiate instructors regarding how concussion is managed within the college classroom. To introduce the themes surrounding collegiate return-to-learn (RTL) and the classroom management of students with concussion.DesignQualitative grounded theory.SettingLarge, public university in the Midwest.ParticipantsTwenty-three college instructors participated in a private, semistructured, audio-recorded, one-on-one interview. Participants included 12 males and 11 females. Interview recordings were transcribed verbatim, followed by an iterative process of open-coding and axial-coding, performed by two researchers.ResultsThree themes emerged from the coded data: (1) awareness—external knowledge of concussion and previous experiences, (2) legitimacy—medical note provided and no note provided and (3) accommodating the student—instructor’s role and feasibility of the accommodation. Psychosocial factors such as small class sizes, graduate-level students and an instructor’s empathy appeared to influence an instructor’s decision making when accommodating a student recovering from concussion.ConclusionThese novel data provide foundational evidence regarding how college instructors perceive and subsequently manage concussion within the classroom, while also offering accuracy to aims of subsequent collegiate RTL investigationsArticle summaryRTL is an emerging field within concussion management, yet is grossly underexplored within the college setting. By utilising a grounded theory approach, this article introduces the themes that dictate the landscape of RTL for a college student.