Perception of freshmen Medical students about learning during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: In 2019, with the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, the world had to adapt to using social distancing measures to control the spread of the virus. Social isolation measures were imposed and one of the sectors that suffered the greatest impact from these measures was the education sector, having to adapt to emergency remote education (ERE). Objectives: To understand the perception of students attending a medical course in relation to their own learning during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic. Method: This is a descriptive and exploratory research with a qualitative approach. The theoretical framework was Symbolic Interactionism. The study was carried out in a private higher education institution in the Federal District. The study included 14 students attending the third semester of medical undergraduate school from classes that had the opportunity to attend undergraduate periods through ERE. Data were collected through recorded interviews, in the Focus Group modality, and analyzed using Inductive Thematic Analysis. All ethical concepts of Resolution n. 466/2012 from the Health National Council were respected. Results and Discussion: The analysis of the discourses resulted in three thematic categories that explore the students’ perception of learning. The first category, “Living as if in a test balloon”, addresses the changes experienced by students when entering college, with feelings of fear, insecurity and lack of motivation due to the stress of the pandemic. The second category, “Feeling isolated and desolate”, observed the perception of mental illness and the lack of support from classmates, teachers and the institution, influencing the students’ performance and learning. The third category, “Dealing with mistakes and successes”, identified the perception of learning outcomes during and after the pandemic, highlighting the impact on the knowledge deficit and the need to adapt when returning to face-to-face teaching. Final considerations: the Emergency Remote Education brought drastic changes in medical teaching. Understanding these changes and understanding the students’ perception of learning in this period allows us to recognize the challenges faced, understand the need for adequate emotional support and think of effective learning strategies to overcome these and other adversities.