The impact of an interactive education strategy in radiography education

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Date
2003-11
Authors
Brussow, S. M.
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University of the Free State
Abstract
English: Increased access to higher education to address equity is a major objective of The National Plan for Higher Education (NPHE) in South Africa. This increased access necessitated more flexible entry requirements to admit previously disadvantaged learners. These learners are, however, inadequately prepared for higher education. Higher education institutions should take this into account in teaching and learning. The rationale for this study was to address the access-success imbalance in higher education mentioned by South Africa's Minister of Education. This research study was thus undertaken to evaluate the impact of an interactive educational strategy in radiography education.The research took the form of an exploratory, descriptive and quantitative experimental study comprising of a literature review and an experimental investigation. The literature review covered mainly two aspects: The first aspect consisted of factors associated with academic achievement, namely cognitive ability, self-regulation, self-efficacy, motivation, approaches to learning, effective study skills, and learning styles. In the second place, educational strategies were reviewed in the literature, while interactive education was seen as an opportunity to foster the factors associated with effective learning. Effective learning entails encouraging self-regulation, nurturing self-efficacy, raising motivation, promoting a deep approach to learning, teaching and assessing study skills, and accommodating differences in learning styles when teaching. Since the key to effective learning is rooted in the engagement of learners in active and collaborative learning experiences, this productive interaction between learners and facilitators - which enhances educational events and promotes learning - was therefore explored. The overall goal of the study was to make a contribution towards optimising the effectiveness of education and training in the radiography programme in the School of Health Technology at the Technikon Free State. The aim was to explore the impact of an interactive education strategy in radiography education on 30 second-year learners enrolled for the modules Radiographic Practice and Clinical Radiographic Practice II (RAD 20 at and KLD 20 at) in 2002, gauged by summative assessment and learner perception. The empirical study involved a Learning Preference Inventory (LPI) which provided details on learners' learning preferences. The outcome of the LPI directed the design of the Structured Interactive Sessions (SIS), the intervention in which an attempt was made to address the learners' learning preferences. The learners were divided into three study groups, namely a formal lecture group, a self-activities group, and a self-study group. A pre-post test model was used to quantitatively evaluate the improvement in academic performance after the SIS intervention and subsequently a questionnaire survey was carried out to assess learners' perception(s) of the effectiveness of the interactive and self-directed approach to education in radiography. The results of the three measures, i.e. the LPI, the questionnaire, and the pre-post test model used in the study, shared a prevalent important component, namely the significant role of the facilitator. The LPI results demonstrated dominance in prevalence for a teacher-structured learning environment. The aforementioned fact is confirmed by the distribution of test scores in the pre-test indicating that the groups with no facilitator guidance had lower test marks than the group who received formal lectures. The learners' perception and experiences verified a preference for facilitator-guided activities in class. The researcher realises the limitations of the study, namely that the study is restricted to performance after a single intervention in a controlled test situation, while learners from one programme were used and the contribution of only interactive education on learning, rather than combinations of factors, was quantitatively explored. It is therefore recommended that both quantitative and qualitative approaches, as well as a larger and more diverse study group, would provide a more widely applicable measurement for academic improvement after an interactive intervention. The findings of the present study suggest a possible link between interactive educational strategies and academic achievement. The findings also support the literature on academic performance in which motivation through interaction between the facilitator and the learners plays an important role.
Afrikaans: Toenemende toeganklikheid tot hoër onderwys om gelykheid aan te spreek, is een van die hoofdoelwitte van die National Plan for Higher Education (NPHE) in Suid-Afrika. Hierdie toenemende toeganklikheid het meer buigsame toelatingsvereistes genoodsaak om 'n groter getal voorheen benadeelde studente toe te laat. Genoemde leerders is egter onvoldoende voorbereid op hoër onderwys. Hoëronderwysinstellings behoort daarmee rekening te hou wanneer onderrig en leer ter sprake kom. Die rasionaal van hierdie studie was om die wanbalans met betrekking tot toelating en akademiese sukses - waarna Suid-Afrika se Minister van Hoër Onderwys ook verwys het - aan te spreek. Die navorsingstudie is dus onderneem om die impak van 'n interaktiewe onderrigstrategie in radiografie-onderrig te evalueer.Die navorsing het die vorm van 'n ondersoekende, beskrywende en kwantitatiewe eksperimentele studie bestaande uit 'n literatuuroorsig en 'n eksperimentele ondersoek aangeneem. Die literatuuroorsig het hoofsaaklik twee aspekte gedek. Die eerste aspek het uit faktore bestaan wat geassosieer word met akademiese prestasie, naamlik kognitiewe vermoë, sellfregulering, selfwaarde, motivering, benaderinge tot leer, effektiewe studievaardighede en leerstyle. In die tweede plek is onderrigstrategëeë in die literatuur in oënskou geneem, terwyl interaktiewe onderrig as 'n geleentheid beskou is om die faktore wat met effektiewe leer geassosieer word, te bevorder. Effektiewe leer behels die aanmoediging van selfregulering, die kweek van selfwaarde, verhoogde motivering, die bevordering van 'n diep benadering tot leer, onderrig en die assessering van studievaardighede, asook die akkommodering van verskille in leerstyle tydens onderrig. Aangesien die sleutel tot effektiewe leer gewortel is in die betrokkenheid van leerders by aktiewe leerondervindinge waartydens hulle moet saamwerk, is hierdie produktiewe interaksie tussen leerders en fasiliteerders wat onderriggebeure en leer bevorder - dus ondersoek. Die oorhoofse doel van die studie was om 'n bydrae te lewer tot die optimale effektiwiteit van onderrig en opleiding in die radiografieprogram in die Skool van Gesondheidstegnologie aan die Technikon Vrystaat. Die doel was om die impak van 'n interaktiewe onderrigstrategie in radiografieonderrig op 30 tweedejaarleerders te ondersoek, gemeet aan eindevaluering en leerderindruk. Genoemde leerders het in 2002 vir die modules Radiografiepraktyk en Kliniese Radiografiepraktyk II (RAD 20 at en KLO 20 at) ingeskryf. Die empiriese studie het 'n Leerdervoorkeuropname (LVO) [Learning Preference Inventory (LPI)] behels wat besonderhede oor leerders se leervoorkeure voorsien het. Die uitkoms van die LVO het die ontwerp van die Gestruktureerde Interaktiewe Sessies (GIS) [Structured Interactive Sessions (SIS)], die ingreep waartydens 'n poging aangewend is om die leerders se leervoorkeure aan te spreek, bepaal. Die leerders is in drie studiegroepe - 'n formele lesingsgroep, 'n selfaktiwiteitsgroep en 'n selfstudiegroep - verdeel. 'n Voor-natoetsmodel is gebruik om die verbetering in akademiese prestasie na die GIS-ingreep kwantitatief te evalueer. Daarna is 'n vraelysondersoek uitgevoer met die oog daarop om die leerders se indruk(ke) aangaande die effektiwiteit van die interaktiewe en selfgerigte benadering tot radiografie-onderrig te evalueer. Die resultate van die drie - naamlik die LVO, die vraelys, en die voornatoetsmodel wat tydens die studie gebruik is - het 'n oorwegend belangrike komponent gedeel, naamlik die beduidende rol van die fasiliteerder. Die LVO-resultate het die voorkeur van In oorwegend onderwyser-gestruktureerde leeromgewing gedemonstreer. Bogenoemde feit word bevestig deur die verspreiding van toetsresultate van die voortoets wat aandui dat die groepe sonder fasiliteerderleiding laer toetspunte behaal het as die groep wat formele lesings ontvang het. Die leerders se indrukke en ondervindinge staaf In voorkeur vir aktiwiteite in die klas wat deur In fasiliteerder gelei word. Die navorser besef die beperkings van die studie, naamlik dat die studie beperk is tot prestasie na In enkele ingreep tydens In gekontroleerde toetssituasie waartydens leerders van In enkele program gebruik is. Verder is die bydrae van slegs interaktiewe onderrig op leer, eerder as 'n kombinasie van faktore, kwantitatief ondersoek. Dit word daarom aanbeveel dat beide kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe benaderinge, asook 'n groter en meer uiteenlopende studiegroep, In wyer toepaslike meting van akademiese verbetering sal voorsien na In interaktiewe ingreep uitgevoer is. Die bevindinge van die huidige studie dui op In moontlike verband tussen interaktiewe onderrigstrategieë en akademiese prestasie. Die bevindinge steun verder die literatuur aangaande akademiese prestasie waarvolgens motivering deur middel van interaksie tussen die fasiliteerder en die leerders In belangrike rol speel.
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Keywords
Academic achievement, Cognitive ability, Self-regulation, Selfefficacy, Motivation, Approaches to learning, Study skills, Learning styles, Educational strategies, Radiography -- Study and teaching, Effective teaching, Academic achievement, Dissertation (M.HPE. (Health Professions Education))--University of the Free State, 2003
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