Characterization of research seedbeds in Occupational Therapy in Colombia

Abstract

Research seedbeds in Colombia emerged in the 1990s as a university strategy to promote a research culture, integrating students, professors, and graduates, to give rise to the creation of learning communities. This article presents the results of the first phase of a descriptive-exploratory study, called “Formative Research in Occupational Therapy. Mapping research seedbeds and research initiatives 2022-2023. Possibilities and scope in Colombia and Chile”. For the Colombia phase, a questionnaire sent to previously identified coordinators was used with the aim of characterizing the research seedbeds in occupational therapy, highlighting their production context, activities, achievements, and challenges. The results showed, for this specific case, that the seedbeds emerged in 2000 as spaces that foster a culture and practices of initial research through the development of specific skills in this area. In this way, research training was enhanced, in line with professional, institutional, and governmental demands. In this context, the creation of seedbeds has been encouraged in both public and private universities, which in some cases have functioned as disciplines. In addition, the various dissemination strategies employed have been geared towards the democratization of knowledge. Finally, the challenges were related to the sustainability of the seedbeds, considering student motivation, resource management and the time required. It is concluded that, through research seedbeds, initial research practices were constructed that faced challenges and developed different strategies that favor the training process of students and contribute to the advancement of a research culture.