Psychosocial factors, but not professional practice skills, linked to self-perceived effectiveness of telepractice in school-based speech and language therapists during COVID-19 pandemic

Psychosocial factors, but not professional practice skills, linked to self-perceived effectiveness of telepractice in school-based speech and language therapists during COVID-19 pandemic

• Lam, Joseph Hin Yan The University of Hong Kong
• Chiu, Ming Ming The Education University of Hong Kong
• Lee, Stephen Man Kit The University of Hong Kong
• Tong, Shelley Xiuli The University of Hong Kong

International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 2022

Wiley

2022

• E Special Education
  • EF Education for Speech & Language Impairments

Attitudes COVID-19 School-based Speech and Language Therapy Service Delivery Telepractice

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Unknown or Unspecified

Background: Face-to-face class suspensions during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in 2019 increased telepractice in speech and language therapy. However, little is known about speech and language therapists’ (SLTs) perceived effectiveness of telepractice and its antecedents.Aims: To examine the use of telepractice and the factors affecting its perceived effectiveness in Hong Kong mainstream schools during COVID-19.Methods & Procedures: Seventy-two school-based Hong Kong SLTs completed a 110-item online survey with six structural components: (1) concerns, (2) adoption, (3) student selection criteria, (4) perceived effectiveness, (5) continuous professional development and (6) attitudes/beliefs.Outcomes & Results: Over 90% of respondents adopted telepractice during the pandemic. Confirmatory factor analysis identified reliable constructs from their component measures. These participants reported great telepractice difficulties (especially in therapy preparation and managing students’ attention and/or communication). Mixed-response analysis revealed that psychosocial factors (i.e., students’ engagement and SLTs’ attitudes towards telepractice) but not professional practice skill factors (i.e., student client selection criteria and SLTs’ years of experience in school settings) contributed to SLTs’ self-perceived effectiveness of telepractice.Conclusions & Implications: Our findings suggest that psychosocial factors play a more important role than professional practice skill factors in the self-perceived effectiveness of telepractice. Copyright © 2022 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

• English

Journal Articles

• 14606984

• 10.1111/1460-6984.12773

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/en/bibs/2818816f

2023-01-05