The application of STEM education in the teaching of Comprehensive Nursing Practice integrated with the concept of social work / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To explore the effect of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education in the teaching of Comprehensive Nursing Practice course, which is integrated with the concept of social work. Methods:The course of Comprehensive Nursing Practice integrated with the concept of social work was constructed, and two classes of Batch 2019 nursing undergraduates in our university were selected as the research objects, including 46 students in the control group which took traditional teaching, and the other 43 students in the research group which took STEM teaching. Both groups were taught for 2 months (28 class hours). The teaching process, teaching summary and teaching satisfaction of the two groups were evaluated. SPSS 25.0 was used for t-test, Chi-square test and rank-sum test. Results:The scores of STEM literacy, practical ability, inquiry consciousness, learning condition, participation and enthusiasm in the research group were higher than those in the control group ( P < 0.05). After teaching, the scores of problem-solving ability, work display and theoretical knowledge of the research group were higher than those of the control group ( P<0.05). The students in the research group were more satisfied with teaching than those in the control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:The construction of Comprehensive Nursing Practice course with the concept of social work and the application of STEM education can improve students' learning ability, learning effect and their satisfaction with the course teaching.

Medical School Entrance Examination Reform and Affirmative Action as Counter Measures to Improve the Lower Incidence of Female Doctors in Japan

Objective: In many Japanese medical schools, pass rates of males were higher than those of females although in Japan there are already fewer female candidates for medical schools in comparison with Western countries. Thus, we investigated some factors that cause an inordinately large effect on lower female success rates or higher female enrolment ratios for medical schools, from public medical schools by multiple regression analysis. Methods: A multiple regression analysis was conducted on the two dependent variables, female success ratio and female enrolment ratio. Explanatory variables included the weightage of the second exam; the value given to maths and science subjects; the quotas for the second intake; the ranking of the medical school; the year of establishment of the medical school; and the population of the city where the medical school is located. Results: Increased weightage accorded to maths and science subjects caused significantly severe difficulties in the candidature of female candidates. Furthermore, medical schools with significantly higher female enrolment ratios were relatively new. Conclusion: These results represent the backwardness of Japan in gender equality. To mitigate this situation, the entrance examination process of medical schools must first be reformed.