ARTICLE INFO

Article Type

Descriptive & Survey Study

Authors

Keshavarzi   Z. (1)
Akbari   H. (2)
Forouzanian   S. (*)
Sharifian   E. (3)






(*) Medical Department, Faculty of Medicine, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
(1) Physiology & PharmacologyDepartment, Faculty of Medicine, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
(2) English Language & Literature Department, Literature & Humanities Faculty, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
(3) Physiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran

Correspondence

Address: College of Medicine, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Taleghani Street, Bojnurd, Iran
Phone: +985832297157
Fax: +985832297157
aeedfor20.1393@gmail.com

Article History

Received:  November  11, 2015
Accepted:  February 16, 2016
ePublished:  March 28, 2016

BRIEF TEXT


… [1-6] New technologies provide more attractive situations in learning according to the abilities of the student [7]. The technologies can facilitate the learning and teaching process [8]. Nowadays, there are a variety of teaching methods for the medical students [9, 10]. … [11-14]

Different training and learning styles are needed to translate knowledge, considering educational situations [5]. Most of the studies emphasize models which are combined of different methods [3].

The aim of this study was to compare the satisfaction levels of medical students with physiology course teaching through traditional and combined methods.

This is a descriptive analytic study.

Four-semester medical students of Bojnoord University of Medical Sciences were studied in 2015.

50 students, including 21 males and 29 females, were randomly selected based on availability. The subjects, aged between 18 and 22 years, had passed basic courses such as anatomy and kidney tissue and endocrines.

Data was collected using two researcher-made questionnaires based on 5-point Likert scale as “completely disagree”, “disagree”, “no idea”, “agree”, and “completely agree”. Questionnaires 1 and 2 included 6 and 7 items, respectively. Their primary reliability was confirmed via a pilot study. Based on Cronbach’s alpha, the reliability values of the questionnaires 1 and 2 were 0.73 and 0.69, respectively. Their validity was assessed by two physiology teachers, one medical education teacher, and one English language teacher. Kidney and endocrine course having been presented via lecture method in four 60-minute sessions, the questionnaire No. 1 was completed before the presentation via combined method. The questionnaires 1 and 2 were completed after four 60-minute kidney and endocrine sessions via combined method. The method included tales about daily life, changes in the sitting mode, students’ playing roles, educational movies and animations, the utilization of models and real animal parts, and clinical topics. The sitting mode and chair-arrangement increased the students’ comprehension and concentration. In order to increase the learning level, each student was asked to explain her own role to other students. Data was analyzed by SPSS 16 software. Dependent T test was used to compare the students’ satisfaction with traditional and combined methods.

Mean scores of the students’ satisfaction with teaching the kidney course via traditional and combined methods were 24.80±3.48 and 22.30±4.03, respectively. The difference was significant (p<0.0001). Then, there was a higher satisfaction level with traditional method than combined method. In traditional and new methods, 24% and, only, 16% of the students either disagree or completely disagree in the item expressing that the teaching method could engage them to learn the topics, respectively. There was no considerable difference between the methods in the students’ satisfaction with participating in the classroom general discussions. In addition, the relation between the physiology course and the field of the study of the medical students was better in the new method. Totally, the traditional and the new methods were assessed as effective methods on the topics understanding by 84% and 52% of the students, respectively. There was a lower anxiety level during the course presentation in the traditional method. Most of the students were either agree or completely agree with daily life tales (to comprehend the issue), sitting mode and attribution of different cell roles to the students (for better comprehension), movies and animations and the utilization of models and real animal parts (for better comprehension of the topics), and clinical issues (to enhance the learning motivations; Table 1). Based on the analysis of the qualitative questions providing the students’ viewpoints, suggestions, and critics about the teaching methods to enhance the satisfaction level and educational quality, group teaching method and the students’ participation in the classroom topics were assessed valuable and useful by most of the students. In addition, the students assessed the expression of the relation between the course topics and daily matters, as well as the utilization of the clinical items, as effective on the relations between the course topics and their field of study, as well as on any increase in their motivations.

The new methods considerably increased the interests in learning and comprehensions of the relations between the issues and field of study. However, the lecture method was assessed more effective on better understanding of the topics. The students tend to traditional methods [7]. There are equal functions in traditional [15] and electronic [16] methods. The educational movies were considerably effective. Such movies can make the students to accept teaching very well [9]. Both lecture and discussion methods effectively increase the comprehension of the subjects [17]. Both lecture method and teaching by movies are effective, while the latter is more effective [18]. There is a significant difference between the quality of teaching via educational movies and the teaching quality through clinical trainings [19]. … [20] Despite the fact that the educational movies might be preferred by the students, the educational movies can enhance the students’ learning [21, 22]. There are better results from the method by educational movies about true orthodontic brackets putting on the tooth than slide show in lecture method [23]. The clinical issues considerably increased learning motivation. There are significant differences between the students’ satisfactions with the case study method and the lecture method in the theoretical teaching of the infectious diseases [24]. There are considerably higher levels of motivations and attitudes in the students trained via clinical issues than those trained by the traditional method in the course of endocrine physiology [25]. The compound teaching of basic sciences and clinical issues leads to an enhancement in the students’ interests in the medical sciences [26, 27]. There are significant differences in the attitudes and motivations of the students taught by lecture method in training blood flow compounded with clinical issues and a computer program [28]. Playing roles is a proper educational method to empower the attitudes [29]. Role playing is effective on the enhancement of attitude and awareness of the intern students compared to group discussion [30]. There is a significant difference between the effectiveness of teaching via role playing and that of lecture method [31]. The role playing method leads to better functions of the students to weaken bad news for the patients’ family [32]. Most of the students agree with both the utilization of models with lecture and educational movies with lecture, while there is no considerable difference between the students’ satisfaction percentage which is a result consistent with the present study. However, in the present study, the students’ satisfaction with models was higher than the educational films, which is a result inconsistent with the aforesaid study [33].

Changes in the students’ skills and knowledge should be studied to acquire more universal information about the efficiency of the combined method.

Two different teachers conducted combined and traditional methods. Any generalization to other students should be done by care.

Favorable satisfaction levels of the students with the lecture method in understanding the topics, as well as their welcome to new and active methods in teaching, show efficiency and effectiveness of the traditional method and requirements to enhance it through combined methods.

The teachers of medical physiology department and the students of North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences are appreciated.

There are no either financial or intellectual conflicts.

The aim of the study was explained for the students and the questionnaires were nameless. The students’ consent was confirmed by the consent forms.

The study was not funded by any organization.

TABLES and CHARTS

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