Doctoral Degrees (Office of the Dean: Health Sciences)
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Item Open Access A support framework for social learning and integration of first-year undergraduate medical students(University of the Free State, 2021-06) Tlalajoe, Nokuthula; Jama, M. P.; Van der Merwe, L. J.𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 In an effort to address the absence of a social learning and integration support system that could facilitate the transition of first-year undergraduate medical students from high school to a new education environment in the School of Clinical Medicine (SoCM) in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FoHS) of the University of the Free State (UFS), an in-depth study was conducted to construct a support framework for social learning and integration of first-year undergraduate medical students. The researcher aligned literature from two theories relating to social learning (Bandura 1969:217) and social integration (Tinto 1975:107) respectively. An aligned theory, called social learning and integration, and defined as the interaction, through institutional experiences, that can influence how individuals learn from each other through observation, imitation, modelling and persistence, was used to obtain a deeper understanding of the dynamics of transitioning into a new education environment, and means of achieving successful transition. With the application of appropriately selected techniques, namely the nominal group technique and Delphi technique as methods of investigation, the researcher investigated factors that affect the social learning and integration of medical students at the SoCM in the FoHS at the UFS, when they transition from high school into university. During the nominal group meetings, the medical students at the SoCM indicated six factors, namely underpreparedness, peer support, confidence, self-management, alienation and academic advice, that affected their transition from high school to university. After the social learning and integration factors had been identified by the medical students at the SoCM in the FoHS at the UFS, they were engaged further to suggest social learning and integration skills which could ease the social learning and integration factors that had been identified. The social learning and integration skills recommended by the medical students were subsequently presented to a panel of experts in a Delphi study. The experts in the fields of higher education and health sciences education were recruited in South Africa and xx abroad with the aim of achieving consensus on recommendations that could be used to formulate the contribution of the study, namely, the construction of a support framework for social learning and integration of first-year undergraduate medical students. In addition to achieving consensus on 12 of the recommendations suggested as useful skills for social learning and integration factors, the panel of experts also contributed comments that identified key role players who need to facilitate the recommendations, in an attempt to resolve the social learning and integration factors that had been identified. Four key roles were identified and denoted as levels of engagement, namely community: SoCM, individual, group setting and collaborative relationships. Complementary to the levels of engagement, the literature overview highlights support programmes, which were denoted as actions, namely preparation for health sciences workshop support, mentorship and student-led group support, which are likely resolve the identified social learning and integration factors. By combining the two theories on social learning (Bandura 1969:217) and social integration (Tinto 1975:107), greater depth of understanding was obtained on social learning and integration factors, skills and support programmes. As a contribution to new knowledge, this study constructed a support framework for social learning and integration of first-year undergraduate medical students. Implementing the support framework could facilitate successful transition of first-year undergraduate medical students from high school to university. ___________________________________________________________________