Abstract
Background: The introduction of ultrasound (US) courses into medical undergraduate courses is usually met with a particularly high level of student motivation. The reasons for this are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that contribute to undergraduate medical students’ motivation to learn US skills. Understanding what motivates students to learn US will inform the efforts of faculty to foster students’ motivation to learn.
Methods: We carried out in-depth semi-structured one-to-one interviews with medical students participating in an optional US course at two Swiss universities. The interview guide consisted of 10 main questions. The content was informed by experts in the field of medical education and US, as well as by a literature review of motivation theories for learning, in particular by self-determination theory (SDT). SDT was used to guide the development of the interview guide and to reflect on the resulting themes in the discussion section. The interview guide was piloted with two medical students. The interviews lasted an average of 45min and were audio recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.
Results: Fourteen undergraduate medical students in their preclinical (year 3) and clinical studies (years 4 and 5) elaborated on a wide range of reasons for their high motivation to learn US. They were motivated for US training because of the positive nimbus of the US modality, emphasising the advantages of visualisation. Students acknowledged the potential professional benefits of learning US and described it as a fun, exciting group activity.
Conclusions: The four themes we found in our analysis can all be related to the three universal needs described in SDT. The strong focus on the visual aspect and the positive nimbus of the modality goes beyond that and reflects the visuo-centric Zeitgeist, which claims the superiority of visual information over other data. Educators should be aware that motivation to learn is affected by the Zeitgeist and ensuing preconceptions, such as the perception of the positive nimbus surrounding a topic. Other key elements that can be implemented to motivate students are just-in-time feedback, enabling group experiences and creating awareness of the clinical relevance of learning content.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 458 |
| Journal | BMC Medical Education |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 26 Apr 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 26 Apr 2024 |
Acknowledgements
We thank Benjamin Bulling for his literature review of motivation theories and for the transcription of interviews. We thank Katharina Lüscher for the interview transcription.
Keywords
- Medical education
- Motivation
- Qualitative research
- Ultrasound
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Education
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Pless, A., Hari, R. (2024). Why are medical students so motivated to learn ultrasound skills? A qualitative study. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), Article 458. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05420-3
Why are medical students so motivated to learn ultrasound skills? A qualitative study. / Pless, Anina; Hari, Roman; Harris, Michael.
In: BMC Medical Education, Vol. 24, No. 1, 458, 31.12.2024.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Pless, A, Hari, R 2024, 'Why are medical students so motivated to learn ultrasound skills? A qualitative study', BMC Medical Education, vol. 24, no. 1, 458. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05420-3
Pless A, Hari R, Harris M. Why are medical students so motivated to learn ultrasound skills? A qualitative study. BMC Medical Education. 2024 Dec 31;24(1):458. Epub 2024 Apr 26. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05420-3
Pless, Anina ; Hari, Roman ; Harris, Michael. / Why are medical students so motivated to learn ultrasound skills? A qualitative study. In: BMC Medical Education. 2024 ; Vol. 24, No. 1.
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title = "Why are medical students so motivated to learn ultrasound skills?: A qualitative study",
abstract = "Background: The introduction of ultrasound (US) courses into medical undergraduate courses is usually met with a particularly high level of student motivation. The reasons for this are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that contribute to undergraduate medical students{\textquoteright} motivation to learn US skills. Understanding what motivates students to learn US will inform the efforts of faculty to foster students{\textquoteright} motivation to learn.Methods: We carried out in-depth semi-structured one-to-one interviews with medical students participating in an optional US course at two Swiss universities. The interview guide consisted of 10 main questions. The content was informed by experts in the field of medical education and US, as well as by a literature review of motivation theories for learning, in particular by self-determination theory (SDT). SDT was used to guide the development of the interview guide and to reflect on the resulting themes in the discussion section. The interview guide was piloted with two medical students. The interviews lasted an average of 45min and were audio recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.Results: Fourteen undergraduate medical students in their preclinical (year 3) and clinical studies (years 4 and 5) elaborated on a wide range of reasons for their high motivation to learn US. They were motivated for US training because of the positive nimbus of the US modality, emphasising the advantages of visualisation. Students acknowledged the potential professional benefits of learning US and described it as a fun, exciting group activity.Conclusions: The four themes we found in our analysis can all be related to the three universal needs described in SDT. The strong focus on the visual aspect and the positive nimbus of the modality goes beyond that and reflects the visuo-centric Zeitgeist, which claims the superiority of visual information over other data. Educators should be aware that motivation to learn is affected by the Zeitgeist and ensuing preconceptions, such as the perception of the positive nimbus surrounding a topic. Other key elements that can be implemented to motivate students are just-in-time feedback, enabling group experiences and creating awareness of the clinical relevance of learning content.",
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N2 - Background: The introduction of ultrasound (US) courses into medical undergraduate courses is usually met with a particularly high level of student motivation. The reasons for this are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that contribute to undergraduate medical students’ motivation to learn US skills. Understanding what motivates students to learn US will inform the efforts of faculty to foster students’ motivation to learn.Methods: We carried out in-depth semi-structured one-to-one interviews with medical students participating in an optional US course at two Swiss universities. The interview guide consisted of 10 main questions. The content was informed by experts in the field of medical education and US, as well as by a literature review of motivation theories for learning, in particular by self-determination theory (SDT). SDT was used to guide the development of the interview guide and to reflect on the resulting themes in the discussion section. The interview guide was piloted with two medical students. The interviews lasted an average of 45min and were audio recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.Results: Fourteen undergraduate medical students in their preclinical (year 3) and clinical studies (years 4 and 5) elaborated on a wide range of reasons for their high motivation to learn US. They were motivated for US training because of the positive nimbus of the US modality, emphasising the advantages of visualisation. Students acknowledged the potential professional benefits of learning US and described it as a fun, exciting group activity.Conclusions: The four themes we found in our analysis can all be related to the three universal needs described in SDT. The strong focus on the visual aspect and the positive nimbus of the modality goes beyond that and reflects the visuo-centric Zeitgeist, which claims the superiority of visual information over other data. Educators should be aware that motivation to learn is affected by the Zeitgeist and ensuing preconceptions, such as the perception of the positive nimbus surrounding a topic. Other key elements that can be implemented to motivate students are just-in-time feedback, enabling group experiences and creating awareness of the clinical relevance of learning content.
AB - Background: The introduction of ultrasound (US) courses into medical undergraduate courses is usually met with a particularly high level of student motivation. The reasons for this are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that contribute to undergraduate medical students’ motivation to learn US skills. Understanding what motivates students to learn US will inform the efforts of faculty to foster students’ motivation to learn.Methods: We carried out in-depth semi-structured one-to-one interviews with medical students participating in an optional US course at two Swiss universities. The interview guide consisted of 10 main questions. The content was informed by experts in the field of medical education and US, as well as by a literature review of motivation theories for learning, in particular by self-determination theory (SDT). SDT was used to guide the development of the interview guide and to reflect on the resulting themes in the discussion section. The interview guide was piloted with two medical students. The interviews lasted an average of 45min and were audio recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.Results: Fourteen undergraduate medical students in their preclinical (year 3) and clinical studies (years 4 and 5) elaborated on a wide range of reasons for their high motivation to learn US. They were motivated for US training because of the positive nimbus of the US modality, emphasising the advantages of visualisation. Students acknowledged the potential professional benefits of learning US and described it as a fun, exciting group activity.Conclusions: The four themes we found in our analysis can all be related to the three universal needs described in SDT. The strong focus on the visual aspect and the positive nimbus of the modality goes beyond that and reflects the visuo-centric Zeitgeist, which claims the superiority of visual information over other data. Educators should be aware that motivation to learn is affected by the Zeitgeist and ensuing preconceptions, such as the perception of the positive nimbus surrounding a topic. Other key elements that can be implemented to motivate students are just-in-time feedback, enabling group experiences and creating awareness of the clinical relevance of learning content.
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