Mitra Gharib; Mohammad Reza Sarmadi; Issa Ebrahimzadeh; Hossein Zare; Amir Hossein Emami; Atoosa Gharib
Volume 8, Issue 1 , July 2011, , Pages 22-32
Abstract
Background & Objective: As enrollment in virtual online courses continues to grow one of the stakeholders concerns is the enhancement of critical thinking in students This study was performed in order to answer this core question: what are the barriers and facilitating factors of critical thinking ...
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Background & Objective: As enrollment in virtual online courses continues to grow one of the stakeholders concerns is the enhancement of critical thinking in students This study was performed in order to answer this core question: what are the barriers and facilitating factors of critical thinking in virtual environment? Methods: This qualitative study is part of a mixed qualitative and quantitative study performed for developing the process of teaching critical thinking in virtual medical education program in which 7 eteachers and 11 postgraduate estudents (out of a total of 12 students) of virtual medical education discipline were investigated Data were gathered using a semistructured questionnaire All interviews were taperecorded transcribed and then analyzed using Strauss and Corbins constant comparative method Results: Participants had a variety of experiences about critical thinking improvement that were conceptualized in three major themes of: belief system including personal beliefs and aspects that are considered as constant during a short time period educational management including factors that can be manipulated by the educational leaders and critical thinking in virtual environment including motivating and limiting factors of critical thinking Conclusion: The results of this study highlight the barriers and facilitating factors of enhancing critical thinking in virtual environment Teachers educational planners and leaders can use the results of this study in order to improve their virtual programs and students critical thinking
Azam Meyari; Ahmad Sabouri Kashani; Mitra Gharib; Mahdi Beiglarkhani
Volume 6, Issue 2 , January 2010, , Pages 110-118
Abstract
Background & Objective : Students learning style as one of the effective factors on learning and academic achievement is always taken into consideration in a successful educational system Identifying learners learning style would lead to selecting more appropriate teaching methods by teachers ...
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Background & Objective : Students learning style as one of the effective factors on learning and academic achievement is always taken into consideration in a successful educational system Identifying learners learning style would lead to selecting more appropriate teaching methods by teachers and learning styles by learners Therefore this study was aimed to identify medical students learning style and its relationship with their academic achievement Methods : In this descriptiveanalytic study medical freshmen and fifthyear students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences participated by completing the standard questionnaire of Kolbs The average of all students theoretical and practical exam scores together with the fifthyear students OSCE and preinternship exam scores were considered as indices for academic achievement Results : The most common learning styles among the freshmen were convergent (503%) and assimilation (366%) whereas the fifthyear medical students mentioned convergent (69%) and accommodation (167%) There was a statistically significant difference between learning styles in both student groups (P=00001) convergent and accommodation learning styles were more common among fifthyear students compared with the freshmen while such a result was the inverse for divergent and assimilation learning styles There was no significant difference between learning style and students academic achievement Conclusion : As convergent learning style was considered to be the dominant one and simulation laboratory assignments and problem–based learning are the most suitable learning atmospheres it is appreciated if educational planners prepare such environments
