Background: Despite numerous studies exploring medical students' attitudes to communication skills learning (CSL), there are apparently no studies comparing different experiential learning methods and their influence on students' attitudes. Aims: We compared medical students' attitudes to learning communication skills before and after a communication course in the data as a whole, by gender and when divided into three groups using different methods. Method: Second-year medical students (n ¼ 129) were randomly assigned to three groups. In group A (n ¼ 42) the theatre in education method, in group B (n ¼ 44) simulated patients and in group C (n ¼ 43) role-play were used. The data were gathered before and after the course using Communication Skills Attitude Scale. Results: Students' positive attitudes to learning communication skills (PAS; positive attitude scale) increased significantly and their negative attitudes (NAS; negative attitude scale) decreased significantly between the beginning and end of the course. Female students had more positive attitudes than the male students. There were no significant differences in the three groups in the mean scores for PAS or NAS measured before or after the course. Conclusions: The use of experiential methods and integrating communication skills training with visits to health centres may help medical students to appreciate the importance of CSL.
One of the most used theories in the research of political debates is the functional theory of campaign discourse. However, the theory has been criticized for being too culturally limited. In the present article, a Finnish presidential debate is analyzed from the perspective of functional theory. The goal is to critically evaluate the applicability of functional theory to the analysis of Finnish political campaigning. The results show that a Finnish presidential debate differs in many ways from an American presidential debate. The study shows how strongly the culture is reflected in political television debates and how important it is to take account of the cultural perspective in the development of a theory.
Purpose -This study aims to compare Finnish medical students' perceptions of the suitability of three experiential methods in learning interpersonal communication competence (ICC). The three methods it seeks to explore are: theatre in education; simulated patient interview with amateur actors; and role-play with peers. The methods were introduced in a pilot course of speech communication. Design/methodology/approach -Students (n ¼ 132) were randomly assigned to three groups. The data were collected via questionnaire and focus group interviews, and analysed using qualitative content analysis and cross-case analysis. Findings -Most of the medical students thought these methods were suitable or very suitable for learning ICC. The methods had five similar elements: the doctor's role, the patient's role, reflective participation, emotional reactions and teachers' actions. Being in a doctor's role, realistic scripts and patient-roles, observing the interaction and reflection in small groups were the most helpful elements in these methods. Originality/value -The results of this study show that simulated patient interview with amateur actors, role-play with peers, and TIE are very suitable methods for practising professionally relevant ICC in the context of doctor-patient encounters from the medical students' perspective.
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