Breaking down barriers: Understanding positive deviance in the context of undergraduate radiography research culture

Higgins, Robert; McKnight, Louise; Michael, James; Potter, Lianne; Dyson, Judith

Abstract

The term ‘positive deviance’ is used to describe the behaviour of an individual or team who are successful in any situation. For example, Baxter et al. (2016. p190) define positive deviants as people who “demonstrate exceptional performance, despite facing the same constraints as others.” Lawton et al. (2014) discuss improvements in healthcare which come about from the actions of people who are identified as positive deviants in clinical settings. They suggest that the first step is to identify these positive deviants and then understand how they succeed, and how their practice has led to better clinical practice and patient outcomes.
 
We took a step back into the higher education setting to ask student diagnostic radiographers how they understand the phenomenon by which some students and qualified radiographers appear to do well, in the context of above average performance in research tasks such as assessments and continuing to have an active role in research in clinical and academic practice in the face of many perceived barriers. Our aim was not to uncover barriers to success, but rather to understand what it might be about individuals, from their own and others’ perspectives, which lead to success, sometimes in the face of difficulties. The research question was:
 
‘How do radiography students understand successful attributes in relation to research teaching and learning?’
 
Finding out what success looks like from a range of students will inform future research pedagogy and curriculum development in radiography and other Allied Health Professions (AHPs) as positive deviant behaviour modelling can be shared.

Citation

Higgins, R., McKnight, L., Michael, J., Potter, L., & Dyson, J. (2023, June). Breaking down barriers: Understanding positive deviance in the context of undergraduate radiography research culture. Poster presented at UK Imaging & Oncology Congress, Liverpool

• Presentation Conference Type: Poster
• Conference Name: UK Imaging & Oncology Congress
• Conference Location: Liverpool
• Start Date: Jun 5, 2023
• End Date: Jun 7, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jul 24, 2023