Effect of Concept Mapping Education on Critical Thinking Skills of Medical Students: A Quasi-experimental Study

BACKGROUND፡ Fostering critical thinking (CT) is one of the most important missions in medical education. Concept mapping is a method used to plan and create medical care through a diagrammatic representation of patient problems and medical interventions. Concept mapping as a general method can be used to improve CT skills in medical students. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of concept mapping on CT skills of medical students.METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 100 second-year medical students which take an anatomy course. Participants were randomly assigned into a control group (lecture-based) and an intervention group (concept mapping). CT levels of medical students were assessed using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test. Data were analyzed using independent sample t-test.RESULTS: Before intervention, CT scores of the intervention and control groups were 6.68 ± 2.55 and 6.64±2.74, respectively, and after intervention, they were 11.64±2.29 and 10.04 ± 3.11, respectively. Comparison of mean score differences for both groups before and after intervention demonstrated that CT scores in the experimental group significantly increased after intervention (P=0.021).CONCLUSIONS: Medical students who were taught through concept mapping showed an increase in CT scores, compared with those in the control group. Medical students require effective CT skills in order to make sound knowledge-based assessment and treatment choices during patient care. Therefore, instructors and planners of medical education are expected to apply this educational strategy for developing CT skills in medical students

The effect of question generation activity on students’ learning and perception

Introduction: Student-generated questions can be a very helpful tool in medical education. The use of this activity can allow the students to feel more involved in the subjects covered and may improve their knowledge and learning. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of question-writing activity as a stimulus factor on learning in midwifery students and determine their perception about this activity. Methods: This quasi-experimental study with two groups of pre- and post-tests was conducted on two groups of midwifery students who had taken the immunology course. Two classes of midwifery students (N=62) participated and were randomly assigned to two different groups. One class was selected as the experimental group (n=32) and the other class was considered as the control group (n=30). The experimental group’s students were asked to write questions covering different topics of the syllabus components taught during 15 weeks from February 2016 to May 2016. They were asked to write, answer and explain their multiple-choice questions (MCQs). The students’ performance in immunology course was compared between the two groups at the end of the semester. After their final exam, we asked them to fill in a questionnaire on their views about this activity. The data were analyzed by independent t- test using SPSS software, version 18. Results: The differences between pre- and post-test mean scores of the experimental and control groups were 24.53±5.74 and 20.63±5.58, respectively. The results of independent t-test showed that these differences in the two groups were significant (p=0.009). Nevertheless, most of the students stated that question writing activity as a learning tool is an unfamiliar exercise and unpopular learning strategy. Conclusion: Results showed that question writing by students has been found to promote learning when it is implemented as a part of the teaching curriculum in immunology course; therefore, this activity could be effective in improving the students’ learning

An Analysis of the Trend of Students’ Referral to the Counseling Service Center of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Background & Objective: A survey of the trend of students’ referral to university counseling service centers can aid administrators in identifying students’ problems and resolving them. In this study, the trend of students’ referral to the university counseling service center was evaluated during 7 semesters. Methods: In this retrospective study, the causes of students’ referral to the university counseling service center were examined over a period of time. Data were collected from the archives of the university counseling center. The data were analyzed using chi-square test in SPSS software and were described through percentage and frequency. Results: Among the 2,130 studied students, 28.9% were men and 71.1% women with a mean age of 22.39 ± 3.5 (18 to 38 years). The students’ referral to the university counseling service center had a linear and decreasing trend. The most common causes of students’ referral to the counseling service center in this period were adaptive and individual problems (31%), psycho-emotional (26.5%), educational (18.9%), familial-marital (15.8%), and others (7.8%). During this period, the rate of students’ referral decreased in all areas except others. Conclusion: The findings revealed that the most common causes for students’ referrals to the counseling center were adaptive and individual problems, psycho-emotional problems. The rate of students’ referral had a linear trend and decreased in most areas. Key Words: Counseling center, Trend, Students' referral, Ahvaz Universit

The Effects of Student-Generated MCQs on their Academic Achievement

Introduction: Involvement of students in exam questions generating is a technique that has been recently used in order to increase learning and improve academic achievement. This study aimed to investigate the effects of multiple choice questions (MCQ) generating by students on their academic achievement in Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in 2014-15 academic years. Methods: This quasi-experimental study with a two-group pretest-posttest design was conducted on nursing and midwifery students who took the immunology course with a single instructor. Midwifery students (n=40) were selected as the experimental group and nursing students (n=60) were selected as the control group. Midwifery students were asked to prepare 7 multiple choice questions from the course content of each session as homework and submit them the next session. Data collection tool was multiple choice tests prepared by the instructor based on the course content. The pre-test and post-test each consisted of 50 MCQs with the minimum and maximum scores at zero and 50 respectively. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test and covariance analysis. Results: The means and standard deviations of pre- and post-tests in the experimental group were 14.78±4.65 and 44.85±6.21 respectively; in the control group these were 15.72±3.58 and 42.33±7.05 respectively. Covariance analysis showed that the mean score of the experimental group was significantly higher than the mean score of the control group (p=0.048). Conclusion: Findings showed that involvement of students in exam questions generating increased their scores in the immunology course

Critical Thinking Skills of Medical Students at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Critical thinking is one of the main goals of education and the accreditation criteria of educational centers, which has been emphasized by the World Federation of Medical Education in medical education. The purpose of this study was to identify critical thinking skills in medical students at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 181 medical students studying basic sciences. Subjects were selected through convenience sampling. Critical thinking skills were evaluated using the B form of California critical thinking skills test (CCTST) containing 34 items. The average score of critical thinking skills was 15.89; less-than-average scores was considered weak critical thinking skills and higher-than-average scores was considered good critical thinking skills. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The mean score and standard deviation of students’ critical thinking skills was 7.53±2.98 namely less than 50% of the total score (compared to 15.89 as the average). There was no significant difference in medical students’ critical thinking skills in terms of sex, age and academic performance (p≥0.05). Conclusion: Results showed that the critical thinking skills of medical students were lower than the average level and weak. Given the importance of critical thinking in clinical decision-making, university faculty members are expected to focus more on developing critical thinking in medical students

Educational and psychological characteristics of students as predictors of Students’ Academic Failure in Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Defining the factors influencing the students’ academic failure and timely identification of high-risk students, one can prevent the loss of money and manpower. The purpose of this study was to explore the educational and psychological characteristics of students as predictors of students’ academic failure in Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences Methods: This cross - sectional case-control study was conducted on 73 failed and 73 non-failed students in the academic year 1396. To collect data, seven questionnaires including Kolb's learning styles, Rosenberg self-esteem, academic burnout, self-efficacy, life satisfaction, spiritual well-being and academic stresses were used. These standard questionnaires had a good validity and reliability. Data were analyzed using synchronous and step-by-step manner, and in the accreditation section, using Cronbach's alpha and confirmatory factors analysis. Results: The mean and standard deviation of failed and unfailed students' age was 22.11±3.03 and 21.67±3.32 years, respectively. 33 (45.2%) of the failed students were female and 69 (94.5%) were single. Educational variables were the average grade of the diploma and the quota of the exam and the psychological variables of educational conditions, religious health and converging learning style in predicting group membership had a role, and none of the other variables had any role in predicting group membership in a step-by-step approach. Conclusion: Regarding the role of some variables as the main factors influencing the students’ academic failure, it seems indispensable to prevent students' academic failure by identifying students at risk and adopting supportive approaches to their vulnerabilit