Occupational therapy and Paulo Freire: a scoping review

Abstract

Introduction: Paulo Freire's theoretical references and methodological propositions are spread over different study areas, including occupational therapy. Objective: To understand how the Freirean framework has been used in academic publications on occupational therapy, gathering and analyzing this literature to identify thematic axes and gaps. Method: A scoping review conducted through an open-period search until April 2020 for all academic articles that explicitly referenced at least one work by Paulo Freire. Data from the retrieved articles were gathered, synthesized, and organized on a Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet and then analyzed from significant thematic axes. Results: The search identified 56 articles published between 1993 and April 2020. Freire's work has been used in occupational therapy academic publications, with emphasis on the book “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” and the concepts of Dialogue/dialogics and Critical and political consciousness/conscientization. Three thematic axes were defined and discussed: 33 (58.9%) studies used Paulo Freire as a theoretical-methodological framework for thinking/practicing occupational therapy, 10 (17.8%) used Freire as a framework to assist with research in the area, and 13 (23.2%) used Freire's contributions in analyses and propositions involving the education of occupational therapists. Conclusions: Paulo Freire contributes to occupational therapy in different ways, favoring a praxis for social transformation; however, in most cases, the Freirean propositions are not the center of reflexive development efforts.