Equipping nutrition graduates for the complex realities of practice: using practitioner perspectives and experiences to inform authentic sustainability curriculum

Judith Maher; Theresa Ashford; Michèle Verdonck; Elizabeth English; Sarah Burkhart

doi:10.1111/jhn.13159

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Equipping nutrition graduates for the complex realities of practice: using practitioner perspectives and experiences to inform authentic sustainability curriculum

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Equipping nutrition graduates for the complex realities of practice: using practitioner perspectives and experiences to inform authentic sustainability curriculum

Judith Maher, Theresa Ashford, Michèle Verdonck, Elizabeth English and Sarah Burkhart

Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Vol.36(4), pp.1406-1416

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13159

PMID: 36793238

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Abstract

Learning and teaching

dietetic

nutrition

education

Authentic pedagogy

Sustainability

practitioner perspectives

Nutrition professionals function at the nexus of food, nutrition status and the myriad of determinants influencing these. However, defining our role in food system transformation requires a multifaceted and deep understanding of sustainability in the context of nutrition and dietetics (N&D). Practitioner perspectives and experiences provide a rich source of practice wisdom that can inform authentic curriculum to equip students for the complex realities of practice, however, there is limited understanding of these in the Australian higher education setting. Qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews with 10 Australian N&D professionals. Thematic analysis was used to understand how they perceive opportunities and barriers for integrating sustainability into practice' RESULTS: Practitioners' experience in sustainability practice varied. Themes were identified in two categories: opportunities and barriers. Themes that reflected future practice opportunities included 'Preparing the workforce' (for academics and practitioners interfacing with students), 'Practical individual level work' and 'System level and policy interests'. Themes that were considered barriers to integrating sustainability in practice included 'lack of contextual evidence' and 'complexity and competing priorities'. Our findings make a novel contribution to the current literature as we recognise practitioners as a source of experience anticipating where sustainability and nutrition practice intersect. Our work provides practice-informed content and context which may assist educators to create authentic sustainability-focused curriculum and assessment to replicate the complexity of practice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Details

Title: Equipping nutrition graduates for the complex realities of practice: using practitioner perspectives and experiences to inform authentic sustainability curriculum
Authors: Judith Maher (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Nutrition & Dietetics
Theresa Ashford (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
Michèle Verdonck (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Occupational Therapy
Elizabeth English (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
Sarah Burkhart (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Nutrition & Dietetics
Publication details: Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Vol.36(4), pp.1406-1416
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Date published: 2023
DOI: 10.1111/jhn.13159
ISSN: 1365-277X; 0952-3871
PMID: 36793238
Copyright note: © 2023 The Authors. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Dietetic Association. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Organisation Unit: Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; School of Health - Nutrition & Dietetics; School of Health - Occupational Therapy; School of Law and Society; Centre for Bioinnovation; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99706796902621
Output Type: Journal article