Students’ Perception of Effective Teaching Practices in a Medical School

Abstract

Introduction: It is often portrayed in literature and academic settings that effective teaching is the cornerstone of student learning environment in large classes; but the characteristics of effective teaching is rather mysterious. Objective: To delve more into this aspect, the student perceptions of effective teaching practices were analysed to derive certain principles which could contribute to teaching effectively. Method: Medical students in first year, second year and clinical batches (n= 451) were enrolled. The study was done in three phases. In the first phase of the study, data was gathered from 128 students of a batch, individually, about the core qualities of effective teaching during a lecture. In the second phase, the class of 198 students was divided into small groups of 5 students each, worked together, discussed about effective teaching practices and then listed five qualities that are required to qualify for effective teaching. In the third phase, based on the responses of phase 1 and 2, a questionnaire was prepared. The questionnaire was peer validated and administered to 125 students. Result: The student responses of the phase 1 and phase 2 of the study clearly fell under the following five themes which include a. Clarity and easy understanding of the subject b. Interactivity in the classroom c. Motivation factor d. Making topics fun to learn e. Dedication and patience exhibited by the teacher. Conclusion: Majority of the students perceived that a teacher who gave clear explanation, simplified the subject for easy understanding; and made the topic fun to learn, very effective.