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The Obstacle Is the Way: Communication Sciences and Disorders Student Perceptions of a Meaningful Work Seminar

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Title: The Obstacle Is the Way: Communication Sciences and Disorders Student Perceptions of a Meaningful Work Seminar
Language: English
Authors: Brian Orr (ORCID 0009-0001-6801-5896), Konstantinos Xanthios, Raha Razaghi, Tom Sather (ORCID 0000-0001-6903-5138), Michel Ferrari
Source: Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups. 2026 11(2):420-438.
Availability: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 800-638-8255; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: perspectives@asha.org; https://perspectives.pubs.asha.org/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 19
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Allied Health Occupations Education, Seminars, Well Being, Work Attitudes, Speech Language Pathology, Philosophy, Student Attitudes, Instructional Effectiveness
DOI: 10.1044/2025_PERSP-25-00102
ISSN: 2381-473X
Abstract: Purpose: Motivated by rising demands placed on allied health professionals, the health care industry is moving toward the inclusion of training and educational initiatives that foster clinician well-being by foregrounding a sense of resilience, purpose, and meaning making in student clinicians. This study examines conceptions of flourishing and meaning in life in eight undergraduate communication sciences and disorders students enrolled in a Meaningful Work seminar incorporating concepts and practices rooted in ancient Greco-Roman philosophy. Method: A social constructivist paradigm was utilized to understand how students construct meaning through interaction with seminar content. Upon seminar completion, students completed Likert scale measures concerning their conceptions of meaning in life, meaningful work, and thriving, retrospectively gauging how their perceptions of meaning and quality of life changed after the seminar course. Students also completed a semistructured interview and created a portfolio representing their philosophy of work. Analysis of difference scores was utilized for rating scale responses, and reflexive thematic analysis was conducted for the interviews and portfolios. Results: Difference score analysis indicated that students perceived the seminar's philosophical content as contributing to their personal growth and their ability to engage meaningfully with their work as aspiring clinicians. Thematic analysis indicated that students identified multiple key ideas and strategies discussed in the seminar that were grounded in the empirical and philosophical literature pertaining to meaning in life, which emerged as cornerstones of their personal philosophies of meaningful work. Conclusions: Students employed several strategies and principles to make sense of their experiences that helped them develop a more coherent understanding of why they chose to pursue clinical practice, how they find meaning in it, and the implications for their futures. The authors conclude that student-reported changes can be understood through the lens of the philosophy and psychology of wisdom, emphasizing conceptual skills necessary to enact excellence in decision making and understanding of the pragmatic aspects of life.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1504305
Database: ERIC
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  Data: The Obstacle Is the Way: Communication Sciences and Disorders Student Perceptions of a Meaningful Work Seminar
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Brian+Orr%22">Brian Orr</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6801-5896">0009-0001-6801-5896</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Konstantinos+Xanthios%22">Konstantinos Xanthios</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Raha+Razaghi%22">Raha Razaghi</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tom+Sather%22">Tom Sather</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6903-5138">0000-0001-6903-5138</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Michel+Ferrari%22">Michel Ferrari</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Perspectives+of+the+ASHA+Special+Interest+Groups%22"><i>Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups</i></searchLink>. 2026 11(2):420-438.
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  Data: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 800-638-8255; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: perspectives@asha.org; https://perspectives.pubs.asha.org/
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Undergraduate+Students%22">Undergraduate Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Allied+Health+Occupations+Education%22">Allied Health Occupations Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Seminars%22">Seminars</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Well+Being%22">Well Being</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Work+Attitudes%22">Work Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Speech+Language+Pathology%22">Speech Language Pathology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Philosophy%22">Philosophy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Attitudes%22">Student Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Instructional+Effectiveness%22">Instructional Effectiveness</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1044/2025_PERSP-25-00102
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  Data: 2381-473X
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  Data: Purpose: Motivated by rising demands placed on allied health professionals, the health care industry is moving toward the inclusion of training and educational initiatives that foster clinician well-being by foregrounding a sense of resilience, purpose, and meaning making in student clinicians. This study examines conceptions of flourishing and meaning in life in eight undergraduate communication sciences and disorders students enrolled in a Meaningful Work seminar incorporating concepts and practices rooted in ancient Greco-Roman philosophy. Method: A social constructivist paradigm was utilized to understand how students construct meaning through interaction with seminar content. Upon seminar completion, students completed Likert scale measures concerning their conceptions of meaning in life, meaningful work, and thriving, retrospectively gauging how their perceptions of meaning and quality of life changed after the seminar course. Students also completed a semistructured interview and created a portfolio representing their philosophy of work. Analysis of difference scores was utilized for rating scale responses, and reflexive thematic analysis was conducted for the interviews and portfolios. Results: Difference score analysis indicated that students perceived the seminar's philosophical content as contributing to their personal growth and their ability to engage meaningfully with their work as aspiring clinicians. Thematic analysis indicated that students identified multiple key ideas and strategies discussed in the seminar that were grounded in the empirical and philosophical literature pertaining to meaning in life, which emerged as cornerstones of their personal philosophies of meaningful work. Conclusions: Students employed several strategies and principles to make sense of their experiences that helped them develop a more coherent understanding of why they chose to pursue clinical practice, how they find meaning in it, and the implications for their futures. The authors conclude that student-reported changes can be understood through the lens of the philosophy and psychology of wisdom, emphasizing conceptual skills necessary to enact excellence in decision making and understanding of the pragmatic aspects of life.
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