Does a Simulation-Based Learning Programme Assist with the Development of Speech-Language Pathology Students' Clinical Skills in Stuttering Management?

• Published in: International journal of language & communication disorders Vol. 56; no. 6; pp. 1334 - 1346
• Main Authors: Penman, Adriana, Hill, Anne E, Hewat, Sally, Scarinci, Nerina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley 01.11.2021
• Subjects: Adult; Allied Health Occupations Education; Clinical Competence; College Instruction; College Students; Content Validity; Humans; Instructional Effectiveness; Rating Scales; Reproducibility of Results; Simulation; Skill Development; Speech Language Pathology; Speech-Language Pathology - education; Students; Stuttering; Stuttering - diagnosis; Stuttering - therapy; Test Reliability; student learning; stuttering; speech-language pathology students; simulation
• ISSN: 1368-2822; 1460-6984
• DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12670

Background: Simulation-based learning can be used in university programmes to provide speech-language pathology students with essential clinical experiences. However, limited research has explored the use of simulation to support students' development of skills in clinical practice with people who stutter. Aims: (1) To evaluate students' clinical skills in managing stuttering within a simulation-based learning programme; (2) to develop an assessment tool, the Standardised Patient Interview Rating Scale for Stuttering (SPIRS-Stuttering); and (3) to conduct a preliminary investigation of its validity in measuring students' performance. Methods & Procedures: Speech-language pathology students (n = 114) participated in a simulation-based stuttering programme in addition to academic coursework in fluency disorders. Students' clinical skills were assessed over two simulation sessions using the SPIRS-Stuttering tool, adapted from an earlier iteration of the SPIRS tool. Content validity, intra-rater reliability and internal consistency of the SPIRS-Stuttering tool were also explored. Outcomes & Results: Students demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in stuttering clinical skills between sessions 1 and 4 of the simulation-based stuttering programme. Good content validity was achieved for the SPIRS-Stuttering tool with a low level of intra-rater reliability and variable internal consistency. Conclusions & Implications: This study identified that students' clinical skills in stuttering improved during participation in a simulation-based programme undertaken in conjunction with an academic course on fluency disorders. The results of this study support the inclusion of this learning modality in university programme curricula. Whilst the SPIRS-Stuttering tool enabled assessment of speech-language pathology students' clinical skills in stuttering management, further exploration of reliability is required.