ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: One of the factors known to influence performance in the learning process is student motivation. In turn, students' motivation can be regulated by a large number of variables relating to the individual (such as sex, age and socioeconomic status) or to aspects of the academic life. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of curriculum changes involving reduction in content overload and increased early exposure to clinical settings, on motivation towards learning among Year 1 medical students. Secondarily, the aim was to ascertain whether this influence on motivation remained stable until the undergraduate program ended (Year 6). DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective study on two student cohorts at a Brazilian state-owned university. METHODS: Two consecutive student cohorts were assessed: one with a traditional curriculum (n = 87) and the other with a reformed curriculum (n = 63), at the same medical school. Participants in both cohorts gave responses on four scales in Years 1 and 6: the Academic Motivation Scale, containing subscales for autonomous and controlled motivation, and lack of motivation towards learning; Beck's Anxiety and Depression Inventories; Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; and the Social Adjustment Scale. In Year 6, 68% of the initial sample (66 students with the traditional curriculum and 36 with the reformed curriculum) was reassessed. RESULTS: No differences between Year 1 cohorts were found regarding demographic and social background, social adjustment, depression or anxiety. Students with the reformed curriculum scored significantly higher regarding autonomous and controlled motivation than those with the traditional curriculum. Comparison between Year 6 and Year 1 showed increases in controlled motivation only for the traditional curriculum cohort. CONCLUSION: Curriculum changes were associated with increased motivation towards learning in Year 1, which persisted until Year 6.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Young Adult , Schools, Medical , Students, Medical/psychology , Curriculum , Education, Medical, Undergraduate , Motivation , Socioeconomic Factors , Brazil , Prospective Studies , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of the Portuguese adaptation of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and to compare the obtained structure to the original North American version. The methods of analysis used for cross-validation of the factorial structure were the Principal Axis Factoring (PAF) and the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). PAF reproduced the original structure of NEO-FFI and CFA revealed a satisfactory fit of single-factor models for the five dimensions. The reliability analysis showed high values of internal consistency which are congruent with previous international adaptations of the NEO-FFI. Multidimensional analysis showed significant main effects of gender and academic qualifications on personality using age as covariant. The findings suggest that the Portuguese version of the NEO-FFI is a reliable instrument to measure the five dimensions of personality. (AU)
O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar as propriedades psicométricas (validade e fidelidade) da adaptação portuguesa do NEO-FFI e comparar a estrutura obtida com a versão original americana. Como métodos para a validação cruzada da estrutura fatorial foram usados a Análise Fatorial de Eixos Principais (PAF) e uma Análise Fatorial Confirmatória (CFA). A PAF reproduziu a estrutura original do NEO-FFI e a CFA revelou modelos uni-factoriais de ajustamento satisfatório para cada uma das cinco dimensões. A análise de fidelidade revelou elevados valores de consistência interna, congruentes com as adaptações prévias internacionais do NEO-FFI. A análise multidimensional revelou efeitos principais significativos do género e das qualificações académicas na personalidade, usando a idade como co-variante. Os resultados sugerem que a versão portuguesa do NEO-FFI é um instrumento fiável para medir as cinco dimensões da personalidade. (AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adolescent , Adult , Middle Aged , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Personality , Psychometrics , Surveys and Questionnaires , Reproducibility of Results , PortugalABSTRACT
O trabalho em pequenos grupos está presente em muitas agendas para a reforma da educação e tem vindo a transformar-se numa espécie de mito. De facto, é generalizada a crença na eficácia e na infalibilidade de organizar os alunos em grupos para atingir objetivos específicos ou para desenvolver certos tipos de atividades. Essa crença carece de sustentação empírica tendo mesmo sido batizada como o romance das equipes. É necessário e urgente entender o que caracteriza um grupo eficaz e quais as circunstâncias necessárias para garantir tal eficácia, de forma a evitar erros comuns em muitas reformas académicas. Por exemplo, é inadequado adotar de raíz o trabalho em pequenos grupos numa disciplina,usando os materiais, a organização das atividades letivas e a avaliação desenhada para um modelo tradicional da disciplina. A adoção de trabalho em pequenos grupos deve respeitar um conjunto de princípios essenciais e garantir as condições apropriadas para o transformação dos grupos em equipas eficazes. Este artigo apresenta uma revisão crítica e avaliação do uso de pequenos grupos na educação, identifica os fatores-chave no trabalho em grupo pequenos e discute o papel da aprendizagem em pequenos grupos no ensino superior. Para o efeito, percorre alguma da evidência decorrente de pesquisa sobre a eficácia do trabalho em pequenos grupos.
Working in small groups is present in many agendas for education reform and has become a kind of myth. Indeed, there is a generalized belief in the efficacy and infallibility of organizing students into groups to achieve specific goals or to develop certain types of activities. Such belief lacks empirical support and has even been dubbed as the romance of teams. It is necessary and urgent to understand what characterizes an effective group and what the necessary conditions to ensure such effectiveness to avoid common mistakes in many academic reforms. For example, it is inappropriate to base a whole course on small group work, if the materials, the organization of activities and assessment program have been drawn fora traditional model of the discipline. The adoption of small group work requires that a set of core principles are met and also appropriate conditions for the development of groups into effective teams. This article presents a critical review and evaluation of the use of small groups in education, identifies the key factors in small group work and discusses the role of learning in small groups in higher education. To this end, the article builds on some of the evidence arising from research on the effectiveness of small group work.