Iranian Journal of Medical Education

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Introduction: Identifying the factors influencing effective teaching, prioritizing these factors, and aligning them in order to improve teaching, may help in learning process improvement. The aim of current study is to prioritize the factors influencing effective teaching from the viewpoint of students of Allied Medicine School in Tehran University of Medical Sciences in year 2011 using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Methods: In this descriptive analytical study, 200 BS students of Allied Medicine School of Tehran University of Medical Sciences were selected using random sampling method and surveyed according to Cochran's formula. Data collection tools were two researcher-made questionnaires. Content validity was approved by the experts and reliability was confirmed by calculating the Cronbach's alpha. Data was analyzed using mean scores and Expert Choice 11 software. Results: Out of 200 distributed questionnaires in each phase, 139 in first phase and 119 in second were filled and returned. From 37 criteria studied in the first phase, 9 criteria with highest mean scores were selected and used in the second phase. In the second phase, the results of criteria prioritization by the students indicated that the factor of “fluent and uncomplicated expression and clear lesson conveyance” had the highest priority with 0.27%, and “ease of access to teacher out of class hours” and “in-class, mid-term and final term assessments” criterion with 0.04%, had the lowest priority among factors influencing effective teaching, respectively. Conclusion: The factor of “fluent and uncomplicated expression and clear lesson conveyance” criterion had the most weight from the viewpoint of study population and was the first priority. This result shows the noticeable value of teaching method and its role in conveying the content effectively which requires for more attention by teachers.

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Introduction: Evaluation of university faculty members which is aimed to improve teaching quality is performed through several methods. One of the most common and conflicting methods is faculty evaluation by students. This method is commonly used in most universities in spite of controversy over its validity. This paper presents a glance at the current research literature on the viewpoints of faculty members toward their evaluation by students. Methods: This study is a literature review performed using library studies and electronic databases. First, 64 articles in the area of faculty member evaluation were studied. Out of these articles, 42 ones were selected which met the inclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria encompassed articles related to teacher evaluation, faculty members, and students’ viewpoints toward teaching approaches of faculties, teachers’ characteristics, classroom management, teachers’ communication skills and their relationship with students. Using the keywords of evaluation, student, faculty member, and university, we searched in journals such as Iranian Journal of Medical Education, Journal of Research and Planning in Higher Education, Knowledge and Research in Education, and other specialized journals in medical education area. Using scientific search engines such as Iran Medex, Magiran, SID, PubMed, Google Scholar, ISC, Medline, and Scopus the articles published or indexed between 1991 and 2010 were retrieved. Other papers which evaluated teachers and faculty members from other aspects or via other viewpoints were excluded. Results: The results were presented in three parts as “proponent to faculty evaluation by students”, “opponent”, and “teaching conditions affecting teacher evaluation by students”. The results showed that evaluation of teaching process must consider six aspects of content, students’ learning, classroom behavior, curriculum and materials, knowledge of faculty member, student characteristics (including material, students with high or low background, and postgraduate students), self-evaluation by the faculty member, evaluation by colleagues, educational administrators, and educational consultants and it must be compatible to organizational goals. Conclusion: The viewpoints of most faculty members of national universities and other countries states that they basically consider evaluation by their students as a valuable and reliable source of information for feedback to teachers in order to improve the quality of education. But, they believe that interventional factors should be identified and considered in this method. They also believed that teacher evaluation by students should be a part of comprehensive evaluation system of faculty members. But if the evaluation results are going to be utilized in commendation and promotion of faculty members, it would be better to employ other evaluation methods comprehensively.

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Introduction:Decisional procrastination is one of the negative factors which might hinder students’ progress and it is an ineffective defense strategy used by students to avoid failure, maintain self-esteem and personal values. It is essential in the learning process to provide the learning condition for achieving the best results. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive failure and alexithymia and decisional procrastination among university students. Methods: In this descriptive-correlational study, 400 students of Arak University of Medical Sciences were selected by convenient sampling based on Krejcie and Morgan’s formula in 2013-2014 academic years. The data was collected through Rieffe et al. `s Alexithymia Scale, Broadbent’s cognitive failure scale and Mann's decisional procrastination scale. Data were analyzed using correlation coefficient and linear regression tests. Results:In this study 300 questionnaires were analyzed (75 percent response rate). Findings showed a significant positive relation between cognitive failure and alexithymia and decisional procrastination (P>0. 001). The results of multivariate regression analysis showed that cognitive failure and alexithymia predicted respectively 35 percent and 26 percent of the variance of decisional procrastination among students. Conclusion: The results of current research showed the importance of cognitive failure and alexithymia in decisional procrastination of students. These results suggest that the cognitive failure and alexithymia share an important role in exacerbating and incidence of decisional procrastination among students. Given the importance of decision making process for students, it seems necessary for authorities, planners and stakeholders of educational system to pay attention to the objectives and adopt strategies in order to change the orientation of objectives and reduce or improve decisional procrastinations.

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Introduction: Students’ cognitive, behavioral and emotional engagement with the academic environment and field of study will guarantee their vitality and success in promoting educational goals. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to investigate the role of procrastination and motivational self-regulation in predicting students’ academic engagement. Methods: This correlational study was performed on 311 students of faculty of medical sciences in Islamic Azad University of Arak in 2014-2015 academic years. The subjects were selected through Random and responded to procrastination, motivational self-regulation, and academic involvement questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis). Results: Pearson correlation showed that there was a negative and significant relationship between procrastination and academic engagement (p<0.01). It also indicated a positive and significant relationship between motivational self-regulation and academic engagement (P<0.001). The results of the regression analysis showed that procrastination and motivational self-regulation could predict 22.3 percent of academic engagement variance. Conclusion: Procrastination and motivational self-regulation can predict academic engagement of students. Since these two variables are correlated with Students’ enthusiasm to continue their studies, they must be taken into account and underscored for students’ academic achievement.

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Introduction: Nursing is one of the disciplines which may cause a lot of tension for students. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of student stressors in predicting procrastination and academic burnout among nursing students. Methods: This research was a descriptive correlational study. Statistical population consisted of all nursing students of Arak University of Medical Sciences in 2013-14 academic years the sample included 270 participants who were selected through available sampling. The data was collected through procrastination and academic burnout and student stressors questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis. Results: Pearson correlation coefficient showed that there was a significant positive relationship between student stressors and procrastination and academic burnout. Regression analysis also indicated that stressors associated with academic conditions, educational environment, graduation and dormitory environment predicted 11.8% of students’ academic burnout variations and 18.6% of procrastination variations. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed the role of student stressors in procrastination and academic burnout among nursing students which may suggest that student stressors play an important role in the incidence and escalation of procrastination and academic burnout in nursing students.

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Introduction: Implementation of clinical supervision of student training could bring about high standards in patient care. The purpose of this study was to determine the status of clinical supervision in midwifery education from the perspective of midwifery clinical teachers and students in Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 90 midwifery students in different field internship training units and 25 midwifery clinical teachers who were selected through census method. Data collection tool was the 15-item, 5-point Likert scale CCTEI standardized questionnaire. The data were analyzed using independent t-test, chi-square and ANOVA.

Results: A total of 80 student questionnaires and 20 clinical teacher questionnaires were analyzed. The status of clinical supervision in midwifery education was evaluated as average with the mean score 52.5 out of 75. There was a significant difference between the views of clinical teachers and students about the status of clinical supervision such that the clinical teachers evaluated it at a high level with the mean score 60.3 (SD=5.07) while the students evaluated it at an average level with the mean score 46.2 (SD=9.94). The statuses of clinical supervision were significantly different in different clinical arrangements.

Conclusion: This difference between the views of clinical teachers and students about the status of clinical education could be due to students’ needs such that the students needed more training in diagnostic skills which is not fully provided by clinical teachers. Since clinical supervision is a teacher-student interaction, further research is recommended to account for these different views.