TITLE:
What Are School-Based OT Practitioners’ Perceptions of Meaningful Occupations for Students in Middle School Special Education Programs?
AUTHORS:
Pamela Purcell
KEYWORDS:
Middle School, IEP, Meaningful Occupations, Student, Interventions, Occupational Therapy, School-Based, Qualitative, Phenomenological
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.17 No.7,
July
30,
2026
ABSTRACT: Valued occupation of children is enhanced by purposeful, occupation-based interventions. Meaningful activity differs between elementary and middle school students, yet practitioners continue to address foundational rather than occupation-based skills. Although current literature proposes which interventions are suitable for adolescents in middle school, little evidence is available about which occupations are important to middle school students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This qualitative study using a phenomenological approach aimed to develop a deeper understanding into what activities middle school adolescents with an IEP find meaningful. Overall, the findings revealed practitioners believed that students with IEPs frequently seek out the same activities as their non-classified peers. Further, there may be barriers in place that unintentionally impede access to such activities which may include the lack of student involvement in IEP planning or infrequent peer socialization. OT practitioners are well-equipped to help students develop skills needed to access those meaningful activities. The purpose of this study is to explore occupational therapy practitioners’ perceptions of what meaningful occupation is for middle school students with IEPs with the intent to broaden the scope and effectiveness of occupational therapy intervention.