Biomedical subjects

N J Entwistle

Publications and source records attributed to N J Entwistle.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Findings and implications from research on student learning.

This paper sets out a number of important conclusions drawn from research on student learning in higher education. Although there is an emphasis on medical education, most of the research conclusions presented are relevant to undergraduate education in general. The conclusions and accompanying questions are intended to promote debate among academic practitioners and students on how to improve the quality of student learning. In conjunction with the complementary research review by Entwistle on how departments may influence the quality of student learning, the conclusions and questions presented here formed the basis of a workshop presented at the 1991 Conference of the South African Association for Medical Education held at the University of Cape Town.

Cognition↗

PubMed1992

Influences on the quality of student learning--implications for medical education.

This paper reviews recent research into the ways in which departments influence the quality of student learning. A substantial literature has developed which describes differences in the ways in which students learn and study in higher education. These differences emphasise the distinction between seeking personal understanding and reproducing information or procedures. The research indicates that certain departments, and some lecturers, are much better than others in encouraging students to look for deep levels of meaning. The quality of teaching and the methods of assessment are particularly influential, but so is the extent to which students are helped to develop effective studying and learning strategies. Some students have been shown to have major problems in the way they perceive and utilise the opportunities for learning provided by departments. While much of the research is not drawn directly from medical faculties, the relevance to medical education is pointed up and supported by specific examples of relevant research.

Attitude↗

PubMed1988

Towards the identification of student learning problems: the development of a diagnostic inventory.

An understanding of how students approach their learning has important implications for medical education. Of particular interest is the fact that the approach students use in their study has a significant impact on both the quality of the learning and their academic success. It would clearly be of value to identify students whose approach to learning was predictive of unsatisfactory performance. This paper describes the initial development of two versions of an inventory (questionnaire) which was designed to aid in the diagnosis of student learning problems. Preliminary information is given on the reliability and validity of these instruments. Factor analyses support the underlying design. Correlation of subscales with academic performance has provided encouraging evidence of the potential of these inventories in identifying students with specific learning or study problems.

Education, Medical, Undergraduate↗

PubMed1986

Learning styles and approaches: implications for medical education.

This paper reviews the recent literature on learning styles and approaches to learning. It identifies two separate streams of research, one originating from mainstream cognitive and psychometric psychology and one from research undertaken within the everyday learning environment. The latter is dealt with in greater detail as it seems to have more immediate practical relevance. A simple model of the teaching-learning process is presented showing how students learn in different ways which are partly attributable to their preferred learning style and partly to the context in which the learning takes place. Three basic approaches have been identified: surface, deep and strategic, each resulting in a different learning outcome. The most desirable and successful is the deep approach. The way in which the teaching and the policies of the department and school influence the students' approach to learning are reviewed in some detail. A consideration of these characteristics in medical schools suggested that many may hinder rather than assist in the development of the desired approach. The work reviewed here suggests that the remedy will require not only substantial changes in the teaching, curriculum and, particularly, assessment, but also a new strategy based on identifying and assisting individual students whose approaches to study are not those expected of a competent university-educated doctor.

Australia↗

PubMed1972