Vak: Research & Innovation 3 credits: 10

To provide the best possible care, it is important for physiotherapists to be investigative, critical, and innovative. Physiotherapists must demonstrate to clients and health insurers that their physiotherapy interventions are well-founded from a scientific perspective. The ability to properly interpret and critically assess the scientific value of research and literature is a key skill in this regard. It is also important for physiotherapists to be able to use their investigative skills to facilitate developments and innovations.

In R&I 3, students work in a journal club for the first few weeks to gain insight into the differences between qualitative and quantitative research and to develop a deeper understanding of the reliability of quantitative research and inferential statistics. The articles discussed cover current, relevant physiotherapy topics.
Students are then introduced to conducting research using quantitative and qualitative research designs. Each student, in collaboration with fellow students and under the supervision of the tutor, designs and conducts a quantitative and a qualitative study. The topics for these studies are either devised by the students themselves or provided by external parties. The topics are relevant to physiotherapy and ultimately result in well-founded advice/recommendations and/or the impetus for a design, product, or innovation.

For the quantitative research, a research question will be formulated, an appropriate method and assessment selected, and data collection and analysis conducted. For the qualitative research, a research question will be formulated and at least two in-depth interviews per person will be conducted, transcribed, and coded. Students will learn to process and interpret collected data and draw appropriate conclusions. The qualitative research and its results will be presented in an oral presentation, and the quantitative research and its results will be presented in a research report.

In meetings with a supervising instructor, the progress of the research will be discussed and there will be opportunity for (peer) feedback on interim products. In addition, supporting education is offered, such as an SPSS practical and a lesson in scientific presentations.