| One occupational therapist who worked full time in a public elementary school was observed for almost one year as she practiced in this setting. This study examined the following initial research questions: what the occupational therapist did in school, how she created and sustained relationships with others, what her sources of cultural knowledge were, and how she was socialized into her role.; As health professionals, occupational therapists have been acculturated into the medical rather than the educational community. When occupational therapists enter school settings as related service providers, they are entering cultural contexts dissimilar to those for which they have been traditionally educated or professionally socialized.; The therapist who participated in this study had many years of experience working with children and had been in her present position for four years. Data were collected using the qualitative methods of participant observation and in-depth interviewing. The occupational therapist, several colleagues, parents, and administrators were interviewed. Interviews were audio taped and transcribed, and these transcriptions, together with the detailed observational notes, became part of the log. Recursive analysis of the log over time led to the identification of themes that ran throughout the data.; Findings were presented in the form of thematic analysis. One theme that emerged focused on the main participant's awareness of the school culture, including the recognition that there are many "rules"---particularly that classroom teachers are in charge. Other themes presented the participant's perceptions that her professional opinions have no weight, that what occupational therapy has to offer was under-utilized in this school, and that her holistic philosophy did not fit into prevailing educational priorities and values. A metathematic analysis looked at the occupational therapist's experiences in the light of interview data that included her professional colleagues. The three metathemes documented that related service providers working from holistic perspectives may find themselves at odds with the practices and mores of the school, that related service personnel perceived themselves as "outsiders" who must work at becoming "insiders," and that the occupational therapist and certain of her colleagues did not experience professional collaboration on a commonplace basis in this setting. |
