Formation of Students’ Motivation in Mastering Pathomorphology Discipline

Abstract

Abstract. Motivation is an essential factor of human activity, which, in turn, determines the development and efficiency of activities, including the educational process. A contradiction was revealed between the objective need to form the motivation of cognitive activity of students of a medical higher education institution (HEI) through the introduction of interactive technologies considering both the internal features of learning and external requirements for medical university-educated specialists – on the one hand, and the lack of scientifically grounded technology for forming the motivation of a medical HEI students’ cognitive activity using the latest systems – on the other hand.
 The main factor influencing students’ motivation to study is mastering of knowledge, skills and abilities that will lay the groundwork of their future professional activities. Students engaged in research are motivated to self-development and achievement. These are the ones that make students work hard, solve complex problems, engage in self-education, and overcome difficulties to achieve the highest results.
 The article presents the ways and methods of formation the students’ motivation when mastering the Pathomorphology discipline.
 In order to improve ways and methods of students’ motivating, we analysed scientific sources on the specifics of professional and educational activity motivation, the principles of educational process organisation at the Pathological Anatomy Department.
 Under trying circumstances of today, every applicant for higher education has the opportunity to obtain a full range of information on the Pathomorphology discipline on the Pathological Anatomy Department website and in the university repository for productive self-training and mastering practical skills and abilities provided by the discipline’s programme. To increase motivation in the study of pathomorphology and the level of assimilation of the material. The department uses general and special innovative methods that depend on the specifics of studying the discipline: explanatory-illustrative (informational-receptive), contextual, problematic, research, heuristic. Different strategies should be used to encourage students to become more intrinsically motivated, developing their sense of competence and control over their learning, and to motivate students with interesting content.
 Under present-day conditions, teaching Pathomorphology requires constant improvement in compliance with medicine development level and the ability to combine classical approaches to teaching with new learning concepts. The decline in traditional teaching methods efficiency, which is observed when considering the peculiarities of students’ learning activities, requires correction and implementation of modern innovative teaching methods. Improving the methods of learning motivation will help to increase the level of study material mastery. Applying new information technology and technical aids in distance and blended learning makes it possible to demonstrate and study morphological changes in pathological processes and diseases, which in turn will maximise the level of learning material mastering. The variety of illustrative material (macro preparations, micro preparations, breadboard models, 3-D models, training charts and diagrams, videos) taken in a whole lays the foundation of basic knowledge. Engaging students in research work is an important factor in learning activities motivating.