Iranian Journal of Medical Education
Year:2009 | Volume:9 | Issue:1 (21)|Papers Count:9

Introduction: Are the education students receive prior to entering the university, based on critical thinking skills? Are their scientific abilities associated with this thinking style? This study was designed with the aim of evaluating critical thinking skills and its relationship with the achieved rank in university entrance exam in the students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.Methods: In a descriptive study, critical thinking skills of 89 randomly selected students who entered Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in the academic year of 2006-2007, and were spending their first semester was evaluated. Data was gathered using California standard test of critical thinking skills (form B) which was run officially. The attained scores were regarded as students' critical thinking skills criteria and were investigated considering its relationship with the students rank in university entrance exam. The data was analyzed by SPSS software using t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient.Results: The mean and standard deviation of students' scores in critical thinking skills was 12.48±3.23. There was no significant relationship between the rank in university entrance exam and the total score of critical thinking. Among domains of critical thinking, there was just a significant relationship between the domain of inference and student's rank in the university entrance exam, with a relatively low correlation. In two groups of doctorate (professional doctorate) and bachelor students, only in doctorate students and in the domain of deductive reasoning, there was a significant correlation between university entrance exam rank and critical thinking scores.Conclusion: It seems that students' critical thinking scores at the time of their entrance to the university are not so desirable and their rank in the university entrance exam is not related to these skills. Therefore, it is necessary to consider teaching and promoting critical thinking skills in the university educational planning.

Introduction: Having critical thinking skills requires an attentive personality with decision making power which is an attribute of self esteem. This study was performed to determine the relationship between critical thinking disposition and self esteem in third and fourth year bachelor nursing students.Methods: This correlational study was conducted on 170 third and fourth year bachelor nursing students in Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Yazd Islamic Azad University in 2008. The students were selected through stratified sampling method. The data gathering tool was a questionnaire containing 3 parts: demographic data questionnaire, California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, and, Rosenberg self esteem scale. Data analysis was done by SPSS software using frequency distribution, and Fisher exact test.Results: Based on the results 81.8% of students had an ambivalent critical thinking disposition. There was a significant correlation between critical thinking disposition and self esteem.Conclusion: Critical thinkers need to possess high level of self esteem. Therefore, faculty members should impart the sense of self esteem in their students for proper clinical judgment and decision making in different clinical circumstances.

Introduction: One of the major problems in educational systems is students' probation during their course of study. With regard to the importance of identifying factors affecting the incidence of probation, this study was performed to determine the status of incidence of probation and its related factors in all graduated students of Kashan Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery.Methods: All graduated students of Kashan Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery (n=1174) during the years 1981 till 2003 were selected through census in this cross-sectional study. The data was gathered by a questionnaire including demographic information and probation status (probation records, probation semester, and the number of probation semesters). Incidence of probation was calculated and odds ratio and difference percentage were used for analyzing the status of probable related factors.Results: Probation record was argued in 46 students (3.9%) that 26 of them (2.2%) were probated just for one semester, 11 of them (0.9%) for two semesters, 8 of them (0.7%) for three semesters, and, 1 of them (0.1%) for four semesters. The utmost frequency was related to the second academic semester and then, the first semester. The average score of high school diploma and age were different in probated and not probated graduated students. The most expectancy of probation risk was related to master program and nursing discipline.Conclusion: Demographic features, educational background, and admission criteria are among factors affecting probation. Therefore, with regard to their role, it is necessary to identify at risk students and support them.

Introduction: The significance of learning strategies used by students in their academic achievement has been argued. In this study, the effect of a study skills educational workshop on employing learning and study strategies by talented students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences has been investigated.Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 40 talented students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2008. All students completed a learning and study strategies questionnaire and then, the students of intervention group participated in a 20 hours educational workshop on learning and study strategies. The questionnaire for learning and study strategies was again completed by all students. Information about students’ experiences in applying the learned strategies during the educational workshop was gathered through interview, a month after that. Data was analyzed by SPSS software using student t test, paired t-test, and Chi². The results were also compared with the norm scores of United States' students. Results: Students’ scores in 5 domains of selecting the main idea (p=0.019), study guide (p=0.000), information processing (p=0.021), self-evaluation (p=0.006), and use of test strategies enhanced after participating in the workshop, compared to the control group. Moreover, the scores of the experiment group in these 5 domains showed a significant increase compared to their pre-test scores. In comparing with the norm scores of United States' students, our students’ scores were low in motivation scale which was equal to 25th percentile and increased to 45th percentile after participation in the workshop. Investigating students’ experiences demonstrated that their skills in study, time management, employing memorizing techniques, speed and amount of learning, improved significantly after participation in the workshop. Conclusion: This study showed that reflective skills and intellectual strategies can be taught and learned. This prepared educational program might be used for promoting students’ learning and study strategies in 5 domains of choosing the main idea, study guide, information processing, self-evaluation, and test strategies. Using the results of this study, an optional course for study skills which can promote students’ learning has been designed in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

Introduction: Learning style as a whole is less regarded in nursing education. This study was conducted to explore, describe, and illustrate students' perceptions and experiences of learning style. The multiplicity feature of students' learning style in theoretical courses is presented in this article.Methods: In this qualitative study, 16 bachelor and master students in different academic semesters were selected through purposeful sampling and interviewed using deep and semi-structured interviews. All interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed and then analyzed using constant comparison based on Strauss and Corbin's method.Results: Students' learning style in theoretical courses as the main theme comprised 8 sub-themes including learning through question and answer; learning through example, story, and objective instances (visualizing or exemplifying intellectually); observational or visual learning; learning through organizing the content; learning through practice and homework; learning through active participation and cooperation; learning through making to think and get motivated; and, learning through listening and note-taking. Conclusion: Students make use of different learning styles or a combination of them based on the type of content, environment, and educational situation. Students' learning style is highly influenced by instructors teaching style who are more focused on their teaching style and completing their course syllabus. Nursing instructors, students, and curriculum planners could use the introduced styles in this study in order to modify and promote the quality of nursing education.

Introduction: This study tries to design and validate the experiential curriculum model putting emphasis on phenomenological scientists' viewpoints.Method: This study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, the model was designed based on a theoretical study emphasizing the perspectives of Van Manen and Ted Aoki. In the second phase, a phenomenological study was conducted. Students of dentistry and master of nursing in Khorasgan Azad University and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences were deep interviewed and the results were analyzed using Van Manen model.Results: The levels of the designed model included Expected Curriculum, Imaginal Curriculum, Concealed Curriculum, Interactive Curriculum (pedagogical action, in loco parentis, covered curriculum), Pedagogical Influences and Self-reflection.Conclusion: One of the basic needs of educational institutions is to increasingly adapt to the parenting criteria, norms and relations which parents themselves seem to have forgotten. This issue poses the need for a profound relation between the essence of teaching and parenting, one that seldom receives attention. The "influence" has to be on the heart and the center of interactions and specific situations as well as on the communications between the instructor and student that are aimed at students' self-reflection.

Introduction: The prevalence of cesarean section in our country is growing. Our aim was to investigate the education and attitudes of obstetrics team toward the preferable delivery method in some selected educational hospitals in Tehran.Methods: The population under investigation in this descriptive cross-sectional study was a group of interns, gynecology residents, obstetricians, midwifery students, and midwives working in delivery wards of Baqiatollah, Najimeh, Shariati, Imam Khomeini, and Bouali hospitals in Tehran. The questionnaire included patients' demographic data, individuals’ attitudes toward delivery methods and their willingness to cesarean section, their knowledge about delivery methods, and their satisfaction with the education they received during academic years. Data was analyzed by SPSS software using Chi², Fisher exact test, ANOVA, and Mann Whitney.Results: Fifty two cases of cesarean out of total 103 deliveries, provides an approximate rate of 50.5% cesarean among the medical population. The amount of education received during academic period was reported as perfect and comprehensive by 17.7% of them and 26.4% mentioned normal delivery as a better method for delivery.Conclusion: The increase in the willingness of medical society toward cesarean section compared to other countries in an unbelievable manner, counts for their poor level of knowledge about benefits and deficiencies of cesarean as well as the dissatisfaction of students and graduates of medical disciplines with received educations. Medical and midwifery education administrators should regard this matter seriously.

Introduction: Despite their ascribed intellectual ability and achieved academic pursuits, medical students’ academic achievement is influenced by academic motivation. This study is an endeavor to examine the role of academic motivation in the academic achievement of medical students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.Methods: In this cross-sectional correlational study, out of the total 422 medical students, from 4th to final year during the academic year 2007-08, at school of medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 344 participated in completion of the Inventory of School Motivation(ISM), comprising of 43 items and measuring 8 aspects of motivation. The gold standard for academic achievement was their average academic marks at pre-clinical and clinical levels. Data were computer analyzed, using SPSS 15.1 and running a couple of descriptive and analytical tests including Pearson Correlation and t-student.Results: Higher motivation scores in areas of competition, effort, social concern, and task was accompanied by higher average marks at pre-clinical as well as clinical levels. However, the later ones showed greater motivation for social power as compared to the former group. Task and Competition motivation for boys was higher than girls.Conclusion: In view of our observations, students' academic achievement requires coordination and interaction between different aspects of motivation.