Purpose This study investigated medical students’ attitudes toward academic misconduct that occurs in the learning environment during the pre-clinical and clinical periods.
Methods Third-year medical students from seven medical schools were invited to participate in this study. A total of 337 of the 557 (60.5%) students completed an inventory assessing their attitudes toward academic misconduct. The inventory covered seven factors: scientific misconduct (eight items), irresponsibility in class (six items), disrespectful behavior in patient care (five items), dishonesty in clerkship tasks (four items), free riding on group assignments (four items), irresponsibility during clerkship (two items), and cheating on examinations (one item).
Results Medical students showed a strict attitude toward academic misconduct such as cheating on examinations and disrespectful behavior in patient care, but they showed a less rigorous attitude toward dishonesty in clerkship tasks and irresponsibility in class. There was no difference in students’ attitudes toward unprofessional behaviors by gender. The graduate medical school students showed a stricter attitude toward some factors of academic misconduct than the medical college students. This difference was significant for irresponsibility in class, disrespectful behavior in patient care, and free riding on group assignments.
Conclusion This study indicates a critical vulnerability in medical students’ professionalism toward academic integrity and responsibility. Further study evidence is needed to confirm whether this professionalism lapse is confined only to this population or is pervasive in other medical schools as well.
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METHODS Fourteen third-year subjects from Chonnam National University Medical School, Korea formed two tutorial groups.
Two tutorial sessions were videotaped and analyzed. All videotapes were transcribed to analyze the interaction type.
The criteria of interaction analysis were learning-oriented interaction (exploratory questioning, cumulative reasoning, handling conflicts about the knowledge), procedural interactions, and irrelevant task interactions.
RESULTS Nearly all discourses between tutors and students were learning-oriented interactions. The results showed that students spent more time on cumulative reasoning. In contrast, tutors implemented more exploratory questioning.
Little time was spent on handling conflicts about knowledge and procedural and irrelevant/off-task interactions.
CONCLUSION To improve critical thinking and problem-solving competence in PBL, we should consider various efforts to encourage discussion about conflicting knowledge. A PBL tutor training program should be provided to facilitate PBL group discussions.
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PURPOSE Epistemological beliefs (EBs) are fundamental assumptions about the nature of knowledge and learning.
Self-regulation (SR) is the ability and willingness to effectively use and monitor cognitive strategies.
Problem-based learning (PBL) emphasizes meaningful learning through solving ill-structured problems. PBL, as a constructivist learning environment, affects students' epistemological beliefs (EBs) and self-regulation learning (SRL). The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in EBs and SRL between pre- and post-PBL.
METHODS The subjects were 123 third-year medical students who attended Chonnam National University Medical School (CNUMS), Korea. Participants had to fill out a questionnaire concerning epistemological beliefs and self-regulated learning before and after PBL.
RESULTS Students' EBs about rigid learning was positively changed; however, certainty of knowledge and speed of knowledge acquisition were negatively changed after PBL.
Students' SRL related to self-efficacy and self-regulation was significantly improved in PBL. There was no significant change with regard to internal value, cognitive strategy, and anxiety.
CONCLUSION EBs on certainty of knowledge and speed of knowledge acquisition were negatively changed after PBL.
This result may be due to other leaning environments besides PBL i.e., the lecture-based objective learning environment of medical school. It is suggested that partial PBL cannot fully change students' EBs to higher levels. Students' SR about self-efficacy and self-regulation was significantly improved in PBL. The characteristics of PBL: small-group discussion and co-operative team activity, as well as students-centered learning environments, facilitate self-efficacy, and self-regulation.
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PURPOSE For medical students to have a meaningful learning experience, the curriculum must integrate what students are learning in class with the skills and knowledge required in the clinicalsetting. To satisfy these needs, an integrated curriculum (IC) has been operating at Chonnam National University Medical School since 1999. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in IC students during two implementation periods, the first in 2001 and the second in 2004. This study focused on the student viewpointin order to create an authentic IC program.
METHODS Questionnaires were used to evaluate the differences in the student perception of IC. The content of the questionnaire dealt with the appropriateness of time management, coherence of the content, teachinglearning method, and IC evaluation.
RESULTS There were positive responses from the second implementation period than from the first, for almost all sub-items. However, the results showed that IC has to be reinforced by instructors teaching a coherentcontent, by using a variety of teaching-learning methods, by having the students participate actively, and by offering holistic and integrated assessments.
CONCLUSION The following three steps are recommended for the improvement of IC: facilitate an IC committee, develop teaching-learning methods, and guide student participation.
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