A DEVELOPMENTAL CONCEPTUALIZATION OF CLINICAL PROBLEM-SOLVING

A taxonomy for assessing clinician development in three areas of probl em solving based upon cognitive learning theory (Shapiro & Moses, 1989 ) was applied to the analysis of videotaped clinical sessions involvin g three student clinicians. The purpose was to evaluate, from a develo pmental perspective, the clinical performance of clinicians rated by t heir supervisors as performing at different skill levels. Three develo pmental profiles in three domains of problem solving (perspective taki ng, variables considered, and solutions generated during clinical prob lem solving) were derived from these analyses. The results supported t he application of a developmental conceptualization to the assessment and facilitation of problem-solving skills in the professional prepara tion of speech-language pathologists.