A survey on perception of homoeopathic undergraduate students towards learning environment in an Indian scenario

Abstract

Background and aims – This research was an attempt to understand the views of students of homoeopathic undergraduate schools in West Bengal, India and to identify areas of strength and weakness in the learning environment.
 Methodology – An institutional, cross-sectional, observational study was carried out involving 430 students in May, 2013 in two Government homoeopathic medical colleges in West Bengal, India. A seven-item close-ended questionnaire with four point Likert scale was used to determine students’ perceptions of the learning environment, intellectual climate and teacher-student relationship in homoeopathic schools. The questionnaire generated seven subscales – flexibility, student to student interaction, emotional climate, supportiveness, meaningful experience, organization, and breadth of interest.
 Results – 46.5% of students belonged to rural areas and Bengali was the mother tongue of 93.7% students. 39.5% preferred Bengali as the medium of instruction and group study was preferable to 77.9% students. 47.7% students were dissatisfied with the teaching process and 79.8% preferred the use of multimedia over conventional classroom teaching. Flexibility remained low (mean=1.9, SD=0.9); meaningful experience (theoretical teaching) score was high (mean=2.6, SD=0.9). Scores did not vary significantly (P>0.05) across the pre-clinical and clinical students, but few subscales produced significant differences individually among students of different years. Internal consistency scores of the scale remained questionable (Cronbach’s α 0.310-0.446); however, the scale showed acceptable test-retest reliability (Cohen’s κ 0.680-0.838).
 Conclusions – This study emphasized the areas requiring improvement in homoeopathic school environment based on students’ perspective. Changes in curriculum, faculty and infrastructure should be planned to improve students’ satisfaction.

One decade of “English as a medium of instruction” (EMI) in healthcare education

“…Alhamami and Almelhi ( 28 ) found a majority preference among students for receiving healthcare education in Arabic. Complementing these findings, Saha et al ( 21 ) provided insights into the linguistic preferences of students from rural areas, with a substantial portion favoring Bengali, their mother tongue, as the medium of instruction. The studies collectively suggest that the debate on the efficacy of EMI versus mother tongue instruction in healthcare education remains unresolved, signaling a need for more context-specific research to determine the most effective language of instruction.…”

“…Alrajhi et al ( 13 ) and Horwood et al ( 19 ) found favorable views of EMI, noting its role in global connectivity and career development. In contrast, Al-Zubi et al ( 20 ) and Saha et al ( 21 ) identified a preference for native language instruction due to EMI’s linguistic challenges and resource scarcity. Alfakhry et al ( 22 ) explored attitudes toward language translation in educational content, while Al-Zubi et al ( 20 ) assessed the reception of Arabicized medical terminology.…”

“…The favorable views of EMI, noted by Alrajhi et al ( 13 ) and Horwood et al ( 19 ), reflect its potential in globalizing healthcare education and broadening career prospects. However, the preference for native language instruction, as found by Al-Zubi et al ( 20 ) and Saha et al ( 21 ), indicates the need for a balanced approach that considers linguistic barriers and resource limitations. Challenges highlighted by Al Zumor ( 25 ) and Pomat et al ( 26 ) emphasize the anxiety and resource inadequacies faced by students and faculty, while Yang et al ( 27 ) propose adaptive strategies as a remedy.…”