@2025 Afarand., IRAN

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ISSN: 2228-5468    Education Strategies in Medical Sciences 2014;7(3):181-189

Background
… [1-5] All life-long skills are divided into communication skills, self-directed learning skills, library and virtual searching skills, study skills and learning strategies, meta-cognitive skills, high-level thinking skills, and learning styles [6]. Awareness of the dynamicity of medical sciences, evidence-based medical skills, self-directed learning skills, professional communication skills, and blended learning and inter-professional skills, are the competencies of the life-long medical learner [7]. Understanding how to learn, problem-solving, critical thinking, and determining the learning needs are part of the main needed skills [8]. The medical students should learn how to use information and apply the evidences to clinical context, as well as continue learning after graduation, efficiently [9]. It is said that physicians’ ability is reduced after graduation due to inability to acquire current knowledge [6]. In Iran, there are weaknesses in the current curricula to educate life-long learning-characterized general medicine [10]. There are three sets of theories about teaching in higher education [11]. In the first set, teaching is defined as restatement and transformation of information. In the second set, teaching is defined as the organization of students’ activities. In the third set, teaching is defined as creation of learning opportunities. While the first theory emphasizes the role of the teachers and the second theory emphasizes the role of the students, in the third theory, teaching and learning are considered the same thing essentially. In the theory, the student and the content that should be learned are interrelated by an inclusive framework [7, 11]. … [12, 13]
Previous Studies
Non-declared
Aim(s)
The aim of this study was to investigate the aspects of effective teaching on promotion of required competencies for continuity learning and training the life-long learners.
Research type
This is a qualitative study with data collection, analytical and perceptual description of the data, and data classification [14].
Research society, place and time
The professors and experts of Medical Education Development Centers (due to medical education experience) and professors of adults’ education and curriculum planning in Tehran, Iran, (due to familiarity with adult education) were studied in 2011.
Sampling method and number
Purposeful sampling continued until data saturation, which was achieved with 21 interviews [15]. The 21 persons included 14 experts of Medical Education Development Centers (Tehran, Shahid Beheshti, Tabriz, Mashhad, and Isfahan Universities of Medical Sciences and Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Iran) and 7 experts of adults’ education and curriculum planning (Education Department of UNESCO of Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Tarbiat Modares University, and Education Science Faculties of Shahid Beheshti, Shahid Rajaee, and Tehran Payam Noor Universities).
Used devices&materials
Qualitative content analysis, systematic review, and study library methods were used to broaden data collecting resources. Data were collected through personal semi-structured and depth interview. Interviews were done with 15, 1, and 5 persons through personal, telephone, and E-mail interviews (with personal interviews, instead, in the case of need for more explanations), respectively. Each interview lasted for 45min to 1h. The 7 open-ended questions were (1) In your opinion, what are the active teaching-learning methods? (2)Which one of the teaching methods leads to reinforce the self-directed learning skill in the medical students? (3) In your opinion, what are the characteristics of the teaching-learning methods for the life-long learner? (4) Please, tell about your experiences about teaching methods, if any, which have led to active learning in your students. (5) Which one of the learning methods leads to reinforce the information literacy skill and evidence-based medical practice in the medical students? (6) In what way can the communication skills be transferred to the medical students? and (7) Which one of the teaching-learning methods can reinforce the skill of feedback on performance? Data were analyzed, using qualitative content analysis method [16]. Collecting (recording the materials), data integration, inference, and analysis were the used stages in interview analyzing, based on the analysis approach [17, 18]. MAXqda software was used to analyze data. Systematic browsing method was done in some databases (ERIC, PubMEd, ISI Web of Science, and SID) with Life Long Learning, Teaching and Learning, Medical Education, and Curriculum keywords to complete the collected data. Articles, related to the research questions, were selected and studied. Inference, interpretation, and classification of the contents (with more and more reading the articles and classifying the data in the domain of the research question) were used to analyze data.
Findings by Text
Mean educational experience of 21 participants was 16.3±5.2years (max.31years and min.7years). 12 persons (57.1%) were male. 6 persons (28.6%), 7 persons (33.3%), and 8 persons (38.1%) were professors, associate professors, and professor assistant. After eliminating the repeated codes and integrating the similar materials in analyzing the interviews, 11 procedures were obtained as the effective procedures on reinforcing the needed competencies for general medical students in the life-long learning. Through completing the obtained data from the interviews with systematic browsing of the resources, 16 teaching methods were identified as the effective strategies on motivation reinforcement and training every life-long learning ability in the medical students (Table 1).
Main comparison to the similar studies
… [19, 20] Problem-based learning was one of the effective methods on reinforcing the competencies of the life-long learning. Problem-based learning has been highlighted as a tool for critical thinking and the life-long learning [21-23]. … [24] Case-based learning was one of the effective methods on reinforcing the competencies of the life-long learner. In agreement with the results, case-based learning is effective on establishing and reinforcing critical thinking and problem solving skills, as well as other cognitive higher skills. As an alternative model for problem-based teaching in the small groups, case-based learning is used in the groups [25]. Learning from peers is an important and effective method in the implementation of the life-long learning [20], which is consistent with the results. …[26-31] In agreement with the results, to help the medical students to survive and compete against the vast new information and the physicians, the medical teachers should learn the life-long learning skills to the students. In medicine, meaningful learning through concept mapping has been known as an important goal among the teachers [32]. … [33-37] Discussion, question-answer, and problem solving methods have been introduced as the most authoritative teaching methods in teaching the thinking skills (levels of analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and classification of the goals in the cognitive domain), especially for the adult learners [38].
Suggestions
Non-declared
Limitations
Non-declared
Conclusions
The appropriate teaching-learning methods in training and reinforcing the life-long learning competencies in the general medicine curriculum should be based on the learner-centered approach, the constructivist theories, adults learning theories, and Kolb and Schon’s theory.
Acknowledgments
The researchers feel grateful to all the professors and experts, who participated in the research, especially the professors of Medical Education Development Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
Conflict of interest
Non-declared
Ethical Permissions
Non-declared
Funding Sources
Non-declared

TABLES and CHARTS

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