Journal of Advances in Medical Education & Professionalism
Volume:2 Issue: 2, Apr 2014

Nursing curriculum is not always overt; it can also exist covertly in the form of a hidden curriculum. This study aims to explain the factors influencing learning through the hidden curriculum in the perspective of undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students. This qualitative study was conducted through purposeful sampling strategy on 24 undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students studying in the first to the fourth years of their education. The data were collected using semistructured interviews and this process continued until data saturation and categories’ emergence. Inductive content analysis was used for data analysis. Professional promotion as a learning factor, impact of personal characteristics on learning, educator’s behavior as a learning stimulus, and feedback as a learning stimulus are the main categories emerged in this study; some of them included sub-categories as well. Professional promotion, personal characteristics, educator’s behavior and feedback were the main influencing factors on learning through the hidden curriculum in undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students. The findings of this study can be used for developing strategies to promote nursing education and as a result patient care. Further studies are recommended to identify other factors.

Physicians have to visit, diagnose and refer patients with genetic disorders, so they need to be familiar with the basics and indications of genetic tests. In other words, they should have effective theoretical and practical knowledge about medical genetics before they do their job. Medical genetics courses at Medical Universities of Iran are generally presented as a theoretical subject in the first period of medical education. In this descriptive research, the results of interviews with teachers of medical genetics in 30 medical schools in Islamic Republic of Iran and responses to a questionnaire by 125 medical students of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of medical sciences, about presentation time, curricula and also efficacy of medical genetics courses were analyzed. The interviews with teachers were done on phone and the students’ comments were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire. The data were analyzed, using SPSS software, version. In two thirds of medical universities, medical genetics is taught in the third or fourth semester and in 5 universities in the fifth semester. 86% of the students believed that the quality of genetics courses is moderate and such courses are same as clinical manifestation of genetic disorders are benefitial to medical students. This article suggests that medical genetics be offered in the second or third period of medical education (physiopathology or stagger period). Furthermore, in teaching such courses advanced educational methods (animation presentation, case-based learning, problem-based learning, etc.) should be used, together with simple genetic tests in laboratories, the visit of genetic patients in hospitals, and the genetics consult.

Low self-esteem in adolescence is one of the risk factors for negative outcomes in important domains of adulthood life. Due to the lack of trials based on modern methods of teaching in the field of self-esteem, this study aimed to investigate the effects of a peer-led training program on female second graders’ self-esteem in public secondary schools in Shiraz. The present study is an educational randomized controlled trial. 223 public school female students in the second grade were selected with the Multistage random cluster sampling method. The selected Schools were assigned randomly to experimental and control groups. The data were collected before, one and six weeks after an intervention in the control and experimental group, using Pope’s 5-Scale Test of Self-Esteem with Cronbakh’s alpha reliability of 0.85. The educational intervention in the experimental group was a peer-led approach, using discussion techniques in small groups (the group work, role play and group play) and a 5-volume training manual. The data were analyzed through SPSS, version 14, using Mann-Whitney test, Chi-square test, Wilcoxon and repeated measurements. The results showed that the mean of total self-esteem scores and the sub-scales (except for family self-esteem) in the experimental groups compared to that in the control groups, one and six weeks after the peer-led based approach intervention was significantly different [p<0.001]. Before the intervention, the mean for self-esteem in the experimental groups was 51.80±13.91 but in the first post-test and second post-test the mean increased to 73.72±12.94, and 69.48±12.63, respectively. Before the educational intervention, the frequency distribution of females’ self-esteem in the experimental and control groups did not differ significantly from each other (p=0.340). But during one and six weeks after the intervention, a significant increase was observed between the two groups (p<0.001). The results of this study suggest that peer education is an effective way to promote self-esteem in adolescents. Providing opportunities such as a peer-led approach can help adolescents to acquire practical ways to increase their self-esteem.

One of notable initiatives in improving the academic education is to use the abilities of students to learn together in a new and effective system of peer learning. In this regard, Education Development Center in Shiraz university of Medical Sciences proceed to implementation and study of the curriculum and teaching methods course in the form of peer learning for college students of nutrition science and survey the efficacy of this implementation. This study was conducted two parts: qualitative and quantitative survey. A quasi-experimental, pre test/post-test research was used in quantitative part. In this study, whole groups of undergraduate nutrition students in courses of study and learning techniques with the help of teachers held a course and took a part in a competition in 15 major subjects of study and learning methods. The study lasted for two-week sessions and whole of nutrition students were included. We used pair t test for comparison pre test and post test in this study. In the quantitative part of the study, the results showed a significant difference between pre-test (0.0346+0.108) and post-test scores (0.809+0.187) of the students. This means that the level of knowledge of students, who participated in this course, has significant difference before and after the peer learning course (pair t test 1.010, p=0.002). The results of the quality survey of the training course also indicated satisfaction of participants and necessity of teacher’s presence and control during the courses. The results of this study confirm the results of the previous studies, emphasizing numerous positive effects of peer learning methods in the academic community. The results also suggest that peer learning is effective in the enhancement of the students’ confidence and learning. Peer learning also helps the students to develop their future responsibilities.

The main goal of education is learning and change in behavior which has been revolutionized in the 21st century due to the rapid and widespread changes in science. The traditional approach to education does no longer meet the learners’ needs, necessitating new changes in educational curricula. This study was designed to determine the factors influencing learning in the 21st century and find out the students’ viewpoints on this issue. This is a descriptive study aiming at determining the students’ views on new approaches to learning in the 21st century. To do so, a researcher-made questionnaire was designed. It contained 30 questions in 3 sections including demographic data, background questions and two open questions about their suggestions and criticisms. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire was pilot-tested and measured, which proved to be describable. 150 students participating in university summer schools in Shiraz were enrolled. The questionnaires were sent to the students in person and through electronic mails. The students were asked to return the completed questionnaires to the given email address. The data were analyzed in SPSS, version 14, using descriptive statistics of frequency, mean, percentage and standard deviation, one sample t-test. p<0. 05 was considered as statistically significant. 150 questionnaires were appropriately filled out and given to the researchers. The results indicated that, according to the students, 6 factors including the use of computer in teaching, enhancement of virtual learning, the use of mobile in relations, enjoyment of electronic learning contexts, the learning focus on attitudes and the facilitating role of the lectures were the most influential factors in learning. On the other hand, the government’s responsibility and responsiveness, creativity and risk taking, increase in the social relationship among the learners, focus on practical skills, and management were considered as the least influential factors in learning in the 21st century. It seems that the students philosophically tend to approve constructivism and cooperative learning which is learner-centered as compared to conventional education which is teacher-contended. According to experts, this type of viewpoint is in the same line with new approaches to teaching and education in the present era. Moreover, it impacts the reforms, complementation and expansion of methodology greatly.

Nowadays students’ opinion is considered as a necessary factor to evaluate quality in universities. This study was performed to evaluate the nursing students’ satisfaction about their field of study. The research population in this study consists of all the students of nursing studying at the second to fourth year of university (72 students). The data were collected from all the studied population. Data collection instrument was a research questionnaire. In this cross-sectional research, nursing students’ satisfaction (72 students) in 6 major topics (situation of educational environment, situation of clinical environment, trainers, social image, relation to colleagues and management) was studied. The data were analyzed in SPSS, version14, using quantitative variables and descriptive statistics including frequency distribution tables and diagrams. The findings indicated that 83.3% of the students had little satisfaction as to the situation of educational environment, 47.2% about situation of clinical environment, 41.7% concerning the theoretical educational method by professors, and 41.7% as to the method of clinical education by clinical trainers. Also 47.2% were not that satisfied with the method of evaluation by the school professors, 80.6% with the method of relationship with colleagues and also 62.5% with the nursing social image. Moreover, findings indicated that 33.3% of the participants in this research were dissatisfied with the method of evaluation by clinical trainers and 50% with the method of nursing management. In the present study, most students had little satisfaction concerning their field of study. So it is necessary to make an attempt for continuous development of quality services.

Empathy refers to a personality character that has a great role in communication with others. Thus, proper evaluation and education of empathy in medical students is important for medical education. Because previous studies had suggested that physician’s empathy may reduce with clinical trainings, in this study we decided to measure the empathy score among medical students. This is a cross-sectional study conducted on medical students in the first to seventh years of their studies at Shiraz medical school (south of Iran) in 2010. We designed new Iranian version questionnaire of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy. Sample size was 260 students and the results were analyzed in SPSS, version 11.5 (statistical tests such as descriptive methods, t-test, and ANOVA) and p< 0.05 was considered as the significant level. The empathy score decreased with increase in the students’ age (p= 0.001) and educational level (p= 0.030). The overall rate of empathy score in basic science level (65.5±0.84) was more than that in the clinical level (55.5±1.78). The lowest empathy score was seen in the seventh year students (55.51) and the highest was in the first year students (65.50). Female students had higher mean empathy score (65.53) while it was 59.02 in the male students. In general, medical students in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences had low empathy level and this may be a cause for concern; as such we suggest a possible inclusion of courses on empathy in the curriculum.

Education and training in surgery is in the middle of apprenticeship style of learning especially in operating room with little importance of understanding on how trainees learn. This training is one of the most difficult types of training. Medical training and expertise are the specialty of this education system. We can name these complex fields as “Operational Strategies”. The strategies are includes of “what to do”, “what to think” and “what to create”. These strategies are good to test and train higher functions in persons who have professional’s positions. Most of educational fields are complex. It means that the training is not limited in an area and includes of theory fields, areas of decision making and areas of handy and practical skills. These fields are the most relevant skills or expertise which individual must be informed of the performance of maintenance and repair or upgrade and make a new system. The operational strategy is a new training strategy for surgery students. It is useful to train surgery students to modify and improve their practices and doing surgeries and treating patients in best conditions.