Innovative activities with edible creations to enhance interdisciplinary health profession students' levels of perceived self-efficacy and cultural competence: An experimental study

Background: Structured, innovative-designed activities including edible creations may enhance interdisciplinary (athletic training, nursing, health science, physical therapy) health profession students' levels of perceived self-efficacy, cultural competence, and overall learning through integration of an educationally-sound framework. Interprofessional cultural education provides fundamental skills to address diverse individual and societal needs.

Objective: To determine the impact of innovative and creative activities on health profession students' levels of perceived self-efficacy and cultural competence as measured by pre/post Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool-Multidisciplinary Healthcare Provider (TSET-MHP) (Jeffreys, 2010) surveys.

Design: Quasi-experimental comparative pretest/posttest survey to determine the effects of change, if any, on health profession students' levels of self-efficacy and cultural competence.

Setting: Health profession students enrolled in a cultural course at a private Pennsylvania university.

Participants: Convenience sample of interdisciplinary health profession students (n = 32) that completed paired pre/post TSET-MHP (Jeffreys, 2010) surveys.

Methods: Innovative teaching strategies including edible creations were implemented throughout a semester to 32 participants. Health profession students' levels of perceived self-efficacy and cultural competence were measured by TSET-MHP (Jeffreys, 2010) surveys prior to and after completion of all activities.

Results: The Cronbach alpha coefficient value on both pre/post surveys was 0.98. Median scores on the post-survey score total (Md = 719) increased from the pre-survey score total (Md = 423.5). The Wilcoxon Signed Rank test revealed Z = -4.92, p < .001, with a large effect size (r = 0.62). Scores determined a 46% increase in learning with 97% of students positively impacted by the innovative interventions.

Conclusion: The survey findings suggest a need to include structured, innovative, and engaged activities in the classroom to effectively prepare health profession students to be safe and competent practitioners in caring for diverse individuals. An evidence-based framework may further support self-efficacy in the cultural education learning process.