Journal of Medical Education Development
Year:2016 | Volume:9 | Issue:21 |Papers Count:14

Background and objective: Educational centers in addition to developing formal goals, also achieve other goals which have undetermined outcomes and are called hidden curriculum. The purpose of this study was to review and assess hidden curriculum at pediatrics group. Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive survey research. Target population was all of pediatrics externships at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (N=130). Data was collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. This questionnaire included 4 components and 20 questions. Validity was estimated through specialist advice and in order to calculate its reliability the Cronbach alpha coefficient was measured (% 87). Descriptive statistics were used to calculate mean and standard deviation, and to estimate inferential statistics t-test was performed. Data was analyzed using SPSS16. Results: Findings showed that three components of beliefs and values, communications and also rules and regulations were desirable but component of department physical structure and appearance was undesirable. The overall status of hidden curriculum of pediatrics was desirable. There was no significant difference between males and females. Conclusion: According to the importance of hidden curriculum on students' learning, teachers, administrators and education authorities should attempt to align hidden curriculum with educational objectives and outcomes of formal curriculum, otherwise it can lead to neutralizing the effects of the explicit curriculum.

Background and Objective: Motivation is one of the most important tools for the production of results in the induction of an effective and successful implementation program is foreseen. University professors motivated, as one of the pillars of education need to be effective in teaching students of study aimed to determine the organizational factors affecting job motivation among faculty members was conducted. Materials and Methods: The present study in terms of purpose, and in terms of gathering information and data of cross correlation. The population of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences faculty members with a total of 210 samples were selected. . Data collection, compilation of five standard questionnaire and scored 5-point Likert questionnaire was for. Data using software (lisrel8. 5) were analyzed. Results: All variables affecting job motivation of faculty members in the form of conceptual model were evaluated and finally conceptual model goodness of fit index was reviewed and approved. Conclusion: too many variables affect job motivation of faculty members, some of whom were examined. Path analysis results indicate that job satisfaction and management support to the most effective use of the criterion variable of job motivation are significant.

Background and Objective: In medicine, one of the most common ways of research is students' theses. Writing a thesis based on a standard method is an important aspect of performing a research project. The aim of this study was to assess writing principles and application of results of medical students' theses in Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2007-2011. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all theses of medical students who defended between 2007 and 2011 were evaluated using a checklist which was designed according to writing principles. Data was analyzed using frequency tables, central measures and statistical tests such as ANOVA, independent Ttest, and chi-square test via SPSS software. Results: Mean of overall score for theses was 80. 16± 5. 93 with maximum and minimum score of 91. 5 and 52 respectively. 134 (85. 9%) of theses had a good quality of writing, 21(13. 5%) were moderate and 1(0. 6%) was unstructured. The highest quality of writing was related to “ reference” section and the lowest was related to “ discussion” section. The mean of overall score was statistically different between basic and clinical education groups (P=0. 003). Results of 68. 6% of students' theses had been used in practice and there was an association between application of results and paper publication (P=0. 009). Conclusion: Results of this study indicated that a high proportion of medical students' theses had a good quality of writing and the highest quality of writing was related to “ reference” section and the lowest was related to “ discussion” section. Therefore, educational workshops on writing principles especially methods of writing “ discussion” section of thesis and paper writing are recommended to be held for students.

Background and objective: Nowadays, higher education institutions especially universities are the most important knowledge-based organizations. Therefore, promotion of knowledge sharing among faculty members can lead to the enhancement of stored knowledge within the organizational memory. The purpose of this research was to verify knowledge sharing behavior of faculty members of Isfahan selected universities. Materials and Methods: Research method was descriptive and survey type. Statistical population consisted of 1472 faculty members of Isfahan selected universities (University of Isfahan, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Islamic Azad University; Khorasgan Branch) from which a sample of 177 was chosen through stratified random sampling. In order to collect data, a 10-item knowledge sharing behavior questionnaire was used. The questionnaire's validity was confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach alpha coefficient was estimated 0. 87. Data was analyzed using SPSS16 and Amos18. Results: There was a significant difference between faculty members' knowledge sharing behavior considering variables of gender, academic rank, working experience and university. Conclusion: By developing knowledge sharing culture at universities, knowledge sharing behavior among teachers, students and faculty members can be promoted.

Background and Objective: Nowadays pathology course is presented in classrooms. Traditional learning doesn’ t meet the educational needs of the present age. Web-based electronic learning (e-learning) is one of the new learning methods and also it has some disadvantages. Combined learning is a combination of traditional learning and e-learning. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of traditional and combined instructions on learning of practical oral pathology course. Materials and Methods: A weblog was designed containing parts of practical oral pathology course. 30 dentistry students were divided into two equal groups. Before students attend their classroom, one group studied contents on the weblog. Before traditional instruction, evaluation of e-learning was done. Then, the two groups were trained by traditional method. After a period, evaluation of combined and traditional learning of the two groups was done. At later stage, the place of the two groups was changed and also contents were changed. Similar to the early stage, evaluation of e-learning, traditional and combined learning was done. Data was analyzed through statistical software and the effects of e-learning, traditional and combined training on students’ learning were compared. Results: Results showed that there was a significant difference between mean scores of e-learning and traditional learning (P=0. 033) and between mean scores of traditional and combined training (P=0. 007). Conclusion: It can be concluded that we can benefit from web-based learning as a complementary method besides the traditional instruction for more improvement in students’ learning and even it can be replaced by the traditional instruction.

Background and Objective: The rapid emergence of technology in education contexts may lead many ESP teachers to integrate the new technology into their classroom. This study aimed to investigate the effects of online learning, traditional learning and blended learning on university students' achievement in an ESP course, taking field of study and gender into account as well. Materials and Methods: The subjects of this study included 94 male and female, (62 female and 32 male), undergraduate Iranian students from Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in two fields of study: pharmacy and medicine. 61 of the subjects were students of medicine and 33 were pharmacy students in the age range of 18-21. Pretest and posttest were used to compare population mean scores for the learning gain before and after the course delivery in each group. To determine if there is a difference in students' achievement using the three modes of delivery, students' final exam scores were compared. Results: The study results indicated that in traditional group, students scored higher than the online and blended groups. This difference between traditional and online group was significant. Also findings showed that students' field of study and gender did not have any significant effect on their achievement. Conclusion: It can be concluded that traditional learning was the most effective mode in students' achievement, blended learning was the second effective mode and online learning was the least effective one.

Background and Objective: Emotional Intelligence provides a new perspective to anticipate effective factors on people's success in a society. Cognitive Intelligence, in its best context, is the cause of 20 percent of people's success in their life. 80 percent of success depends on other factors like Emotional Intelligence. In our educational system there is more emphasis on cognitive intelligence than emotional intelligence. Therefore, as EQ is of paramount importance in people's future, this study investigated a comparison between talented and normal students regarding Emotional Intelligence. Materials and Methods: This sectional descriptive study had an analytical approach between two groups and was conducted in 1392 on students of Golestan University of Medical Sciences. 152 students, including 41talented and 111 normal students participated in this study. Instrument of collecting data included a questionnaire with 133 Questions about Emotional Intelligence with N-bar normalization and demographic and educational specification. Analysis of data was performed by ANOVA, T-test and Kruskal Wallis. Results: Findings showed that an average EQ of talented students was 77. 103 and that of normal ones was 41. 98. Comparison test and T-test showed that there was no significant difference in EQ of students between the two groups (P= 00085). In self-actualization component, there was a meaningful significance between talented and normal students (P=0. 004). As a whole, it was worth to note that there was a meaningful difference regarding EQ among talented students with educated fathers (P=0. 046). It was also shown that there was a meaningful difference regarding EQ among normal students with educated fathers (P=0. 04). Conclusion: Results showed that there was no significant difference regarding EQ between talented and normal students. So it can be said that being talented could not be the only factor to have higher abilities. It is proposed that in measuring talented students' abilities, not only cognitive intelligence but also EQ which causes more than 80 percent of peoples' success in a society should be considered.

Background and Objective: Philosophical mindset is one of the factors that can influence creativity of faculty members' teaching method. The purpose of this study was to predict faculty members' creative teaching based on their philosophical mindset. Materials and Methods: From the total of 374 faculty members of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, based on Cochran estimation and adjusting sample size formula, a sample of 126 members was selected by systematic random sampling. Data collection tools included philosophical mentality and creative teaching questionnaires. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient (0. 85 and 0. 89) was obtained. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used to estimate Pearson Correlation and Regression Analysis through SPSS software 16. Results: Findings indicated that philosophical mentality of faculty members was good and philosophical mindset and creative teaching had a significant correlation. According to results, components of comprehensive philosophical mentality can be used to predict creative teaching method of faculty members of medical sciences universities. Conclusion: According to the results faculty members' creative teaching method can be predicted based on their philosophical mindset.

Background and Objective: Students general health is the most important factor in their education at university. Since the task of university is training committed and efficient human resources, it is also possible with a balanced growth in all aspects of mental health. This study aimed to assess the general health of new students in Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in the first semester of the academic year 93-94. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study. All new students in Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in the first semester of the academic year 93-94, who were more than 471 people, were population of this research. Sampling was done randomly for this research. Goldberg general health questionnaire (GHQ 28) was given to all of them in order to gather data. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, etc. ) were used to analyze data. Results: Of 471 students, 156 (35. 8%) were male and 280 (64. 2%) were female. The highest frequency of age was 18-22. The average score and standard division in the first group were respectively 10. 83 and 5. 13 and in the second group were 35. 02 and 12. 33. From the subscales of general health, social functioning factor had the maximum number of students who were suspected of having disorders. Regarding general health problems, females (33 persons, 14%) had a higher prevalence. Conclusion: General health of students in this study was reported at an appropriate level. Just the social function of the students seemed inappropriate. So, according to the results, it is essential that authorities continue these types of research and apply the results in cultural planning and spend more effort in such studies.

Background and Objective: Any jobs contain ethical codes that are proportional to their special structure and are called professional ethics. University professors, who are responsible for education and training of students, should be aware of their professional ethics and by making commitment to them, guarantee safety of teaching-learning process. This study was conducted to assess faculty members' professional ethics from students' viewpoint of medical school of Shahed University. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-sectional study involved 90 students who were selected by stratified random sampling. Research tool was a researcher made questionnaire containing 6 components and 48 items and its content and face validity were approved by experts and its reliability was determined 0. 92 by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS 20 statistical software and through descriptive statistics and one-sample-T test. Results: professors' characteristics (3/40± 0/71), mastery of subject (3/39± 0/79), mastery of teaching methods (3/33± 0/86), recognition of different aspects of learners (3/04± 0/82), standard evaluation (3/42± 0/86) and commitment to university regulations (3/63± 0/83) which are different dimensions of faculty members' professional ethics, were evaluated higher than the average level. Conclusions: Endeavoring to prepare and codify professional ethics charter in universities with collaboration of authorities and experts on the one hand and putting them in curriculum content of in-service teachers on the other hand can help much to improve faculty members' teaching method.

Background and Objective: Regarding the importance of medical education development, it is imperative to determine the crucial factors which have influence on improvement of academic staff efficiency. Job satisfaction is one of the most important promoters among faculty members for enhancement of teaching quality. This study was conducted to evaluate this satisfaction among faculty members of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences (ZUMS). Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-sectional study, research population consisted of basic science and clinical faculty members (instructor, assistant professor and associated professor) in 6 faculties of ZUMS in 2013. Data was collected through demographic as well as Herzberg job satisfaction 5-point Likert Scale questionnaire. Results: Results demonstrated that 35. 5% of faculty members' satisfaction score was low, 52. 9 was moderate and only 11. 9% was high. Satisfaction with nature of the work (82. 1) was the uppermost, while salary and benefits were the lowest (41. 6). Work place conditions (74. 6), job security (53. 1), supervision and relations (49. 3), and promotion opportunities (45. 3) were in the next steps respectively. Conclusion: ZUMS faculty members were satisfied with nature of their work on the whole. However, by increasing their salaries and job benefits, academic staff efficiency can be improved.

Background and Objective: Establishing and implementing high quality of nursing care for patients is the main objective of any nursing education system. However, the lack of proficient nurses all over the world led to a competition and collaboration among countries to train as much nurses with high skills and knowledge as possible. This paper aims at studying and comparing two nursing education systems in Iran and China. Materials and Methods: Integrative literature review of published literature on the nursing education systems in the Iran and China from 1990 to 2015. Results: The results show that in spite of many common aspects, the most significant similarity between these two systems is their educational paradigm that is concentrated on treatment of internal diseases and surgery with modeling the western bio-medical model, and the major difference is validating the quality of nursing education graduates in these two countries; In China, a national test is hold to receive a certificate after graduation and before starting to work as a nurse, but in Iran, there is no such program at the present. Conclusions: We may use the two countries’ capabilities and educational experiences in order to improve the quality of nursing education in the other country, and hence, we may achieve the ultimate goal of nursing, i. e. providing nursing care with high quality for patients.

Background and Objective: Life skills are abilities that grow with continued training and prepare the person to face with daily life issues, increasing mental, social and health abilities. The present study aimed to evaluate the student's life skills in Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences and its affecting factors. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Three hundred and eighty-five students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences were selected, randomly. Data gathering tool was a standard questionnaire which was including demographic information such as age, gender, degree of education, marital status, level of study, college and 57 questions in 7 areas of life skills. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 20. ANOVA and T test were used to investigate the relationship between the dependent variable and other variables. Results: The total Mean score of students' life skills was 191. 71± 20. 30. There were no significant differences between gender, college and total score of life skills statistically (P=0. 49). There were significant differences between college, problem-solving, decision making (P=0. 049) and also creative thinking (P˂ 0. 0001). Conclusion: The findings showed that the life skills of the students were moderate. In order to improve the life skills of the students establishing workshops and recreational programs are suggested.