Abstract
Background: Considering components of the hidden curriculum in medicine in the higher education system is a useful adjunct to the formal curriculum since the learning and function of medical students are strongly affected by these components. The current study compares the hidden medical curriculum of Tabriz state and non-state Universities of Medical Sciences from the students’ perspectives. Methods: In the current descriptive-comparative study, the statistical population included the total students of Tabriz state and non-state Universities of Medical Sciences. The statistical sample of the given study consisted of 400 students from senior and higher academic levels at the Tabriz state and non-state Universities of Medical Sciences based on Morgan’s table. Two hundred students from each university were selected using stratified random sampling. The data collection tool was a researcher-created valid questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the given questionnaire in respect to its components were 0.94 and 0.76, respectively. In the analysis of data, an independent inferential T_test was utilized. Results: The results of the analysis found that from the students’ perspectives, the mean scores of the hidden curriculum in medicine in the Tabriz state university of medical sciences ranked the following components higher than the Tabriz non-state university of Medical Sciences: (1) Education, including curriculum and goal-setting, clinical education and content, (2) Socialphysical environment, (3) Regulations and rules, including reward and punishment system, organizational structure, respect for rights and value system and (4) Relations, including moral behavior, approach, participation, and responsibility. However, in the fifth component of contexts and perspectives, including personal-environment/family context and professional financial perspectives, there was no significant difference between the hidden curriculum of Tabriz state and non-state Universities of Medical Sciences. Conclusion: The components of the hidden curriculum in medicine affect the learning richness and function of students and should be taken into consideration by universities of medical sciences, particularly non-state universities.
Highlights
The curriculum is the basis and heart of the education system[1] There are three categories of curriculum in any educational system[2]: formal or explicit, unproductive or null, and hidden or implicit
T-test results (t = 11.32) found a significance level of P < 0.05, indicating that from the students’ perspectives at the Tabriz State and non-state (Azad ) Universities of Medical Sciences, there is a significant difference in the educational aspect of the hidden medical curriculum
The findings show a significant difference between the mean of the hidden medical curriculum of medical sciences in the aspect of “environment,” which consists of physical, social, and mental environment of the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, where the mean is higher than Tabriz Azad University of Medical Sciences
Summary
The curriculum is the basis and heart of the education system[1] There are three categories of curriculum in any educational system[2]: formal or explicit, unproductive or null, and hidden or implicit. The current study compares the hidden medical curriculum of Tabriz state and non-state Universities of Medical Sciences from the students’ perspectives. The statistical sample of the given study consisted of 400 students from senior and higher academic levels at the Tabriz state and non-state Universities of Medical Sciences based on Morgan’s table. Results: The results of the analysis found that from the students’ perspectives, the mean scores of the hidden curriculum in medicine in the Tabriz state university of medical sciences ranked the following components higher than the Tabriz non-state university of Medical Sciences: (1) Education, including curriculum and goal-setting, clinical education and content, (2) Socialphysical environment, (3) Regulations and rules, including reward and punishment system, organizational structure, respect for rights and value system and (4) Relations, including moral behavior, approach, participation, and responsibility. In the fifth component of contexts and perspectives, including personal-environment/family context and professionalfinancial perspectives, there was no significant difference between the hidden curriculum of Tabriz state and non-state Universities of Medical Sciences Conclusion: The components of the hidden curriculum in medicine affect the learning richness and function of students and should be taken into consideration by universities of medical sciences, non-state universities
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