To be or not to be a facilitator of reflective learning for medical students? a case study of medical teachers’ perceptions of introducing a reflective writing exercise to an undergraduate curriculum

Abstract

BackgroundIntroducing reflective writing to a medical curriculum requires the acceptance and participation of teachers. The purpose of this study was to explore medical teachers’ views on the benefits of introducing a reflective writing exercise into an undergraduate medical curriculum, including their levels of satisfaction and their concerns. We also investigated effects on the teachers’ personal and professional development arising from their roles as novice facilitators.MethodsA qualitative approach was employed using semi-structured interviews. During an attachment to Primary Care Medicine course, fourth-year medical students (n = 180) in the Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand were assigned to write a reflective essay titled, “A Significant Event in My First Clinical Year”. After reading the essays and facilitating between one to three small group discussions based on these, each of the 18 teachers enrolled in our study completed an in-depth face to face interview. Transcripts of these were studied, using thematic content analysis to identify emerging themes.ResultsThe novice facilitators felt that facilitated reflection was both valuable and appropriate for students. They also perceived that it had a positive impact on their own personal and professional lives. In the early phase of implementing this activity, teachers expressed concerns about 1) their ability and confidence as facilitators in small group discussion 2) their ability to deal with emotions raised within their groups 3) the effectiveness of the activity 4) poor presentation and possible fabrication of student work.ConclusionsMost teachers regarded this activity as being beneficial to them, to student learning, and to the curriculum. Their insights, including concerns about the level of skill needed for facilitation, provide valuable material for planning a comprehensive faculty development programme.

Effects of different methods of reflection on nurses' gaze and judgement in a task using a touch panel

“…Reflective writing has a learning effect in the medical education and clinical setting (Liu, Jawitz, Zheng, Gusberg, & Kim, ; Sukhato et al., ; Wald, Haramati, Bachner, & Urkin, ). It has been suggested that writing was an effective reflection method for the cognitive process and resulted in favourable outcomes both theoretically and practically (Zarei, Pourghasemian, & Jalali, ).…”

Making it “More Real”: Using Personal Narrative in Faculty Feedback to a Medical Student’s Reflective Writing – An Illustrative Exemplar

“…Reciprocally, I've written about realizing personal and professional growth as a medical educator within the IRW paradigm (Wald 2008, Wald 2010, an example of relationship-centered education (Rabow et al 2014). This was supported more recently with teachers reporting that the activity of facilitating reflective learning through a RW exercise for medical students enhanced personal and professional fulfillment and renewed their enthusiasm (Sukhato et al 2016 proceeded with caution given caveats about boundaries and physician disclosure within the clinical context (Morse et al 2008). Such sharing has, however, also been described as a means of fostering trust and rapport in the patientphysician relationship (Candib 1987) and I would hope within the teacher-student relationship as well.…”

“…The development of critical reflective skills can reduce stress and foster wellness in medical students (Lutz et al 2013, Peterkin et al 2012. Benefits of IRW curriculum for both trainees (Borgstrom et al 2016, Wald et al 2009) and faculty have been reported (Wald 2008, Sukhato et al 2016). Our implementation of an IRW curriculum within our Family Medicine Clerkship has been described .…”

Medical educators’ Beliefs about Alignment of Learning goals, Teaching and Assessment in the Context of Curriculum Changes

“…Teachers' beliefs refer to an integrated system of judgments that relate to teachers' classroom work (Peck & Herriot, 2015). They can help students to convey their experiences more explicitly (Sukhato et al, 2016; Siemens, Punnen, Wong, Kanji, 2010).…”