ENCOURAGEMENT IN TEACHING PROCESS OF MEDICAL STUDENTS
Zhukovskyi O.
Higher State Educational Establishment of Ukraine "Bukovinian State Medical University ", Chernivtsi ABSTRACT
The article deals with the difficulties and problems of motivation among the students of medical universities. Possible methods promoting motivation increase and training effectiveness are suggested. Keywords: students of medical universities, motivation.
Motivation, encouragement, desire to do something is the strongest human motive power. Based on the real assumption it is motivation that is an engine of everything including progress of the mankind, and thus ensures its existence on the Earth. Being one of the important issues of philosophy and later psychology and sociology motivation of the physiological levels was described long ago and comprehensively both in animals and Homo sapiens. Although the notion called internal motivation in philosophy still remains inadequately studied. It is not completely clear why one man is satisfied with something small and does not make an effort to have more, and another one on the contrary -always experiences lack of something, lives in constant search, desire of something new, interesting and bigger. All these differences are "directed" by human motivation. Individual motivations can correlate only after satisfaction of one's physiological needs, but they can be directed into society, that is, to some extent they stop to be individual but develop into the group ones. However internal motivations are the highest and inherent both in animals and people [6,8].
The issue of motivation is one of the fundamental ones in sociology, psychology and pedagogics of the higher school. Modern society needs a man able to think independently, to issue challenges in front of himself and society on the whole and find solutions, be ready for both individual and group work, realize consequences of one's own deeds for oneself, other people and the world around. Therefore, the development of cognitive motivation is put in the forefront of a medical student. The issues of motivation development of students' cognitive abilities are considered as an integral part of their professional training, a meaningful element of an integral educational process, which elaboration will enable to draw conclusions concerning specificity, orientation and content of educational activity [1].
In our modern society special requirements are placed in front of medical students. In Ukraine doctors have always been as carriers of truth, healers in a real, ancient interpretation of the word, since the doctor treats not only the body but heals the soul. Therefore, the problem of motivation concerning obtaining knowledge by medical students is so much important. The process of improving the quality of training of future doctors under conditions of modern society is very topical and complicated, but its basis should be formed by a high motivation of students to obtain knowledge. It should be noted that foundation for this is human requirement to be recognized, high assessment of one's own merits, necessity of respect from surrounding people, and at last self-respect. Availability of these requirements makes a medical student confident, strong,
providing sensation of own value, usefulness and necessity in the world.
Development of motivation concept in the sphere of educational process based on comprehensive approaches is an important issue in the sphere of training of medical professionals. It requires from all the participants of educational process a serious scientific-theoretical training and understanding specificity in the work of a future doctor. There are different kinds of motivation including the following ones:
1. Standard motivation - to encourage a student to certain behavior by means of ideological-psychological influence: conviction, information, etc.;
2. Compulsory motivation based on the use of power and threat to deteriorate student' s needs in case he/she fails to fulfill certain requirements;
3. Stimulation - influence not only on the personality, but external circumstances by means of stimuli and marks encouraging a student to certain behavior.
In addition to the formation of special knowledge, social activity, responsible attitude to work, development of organization skills there is one more important task of development of individual qualities of the student - training the requirement in creative activity, ability to find individual approach to a patient, sympathy [2,3].
The most important parameter, traditionally determinative for students within the educational process is personal interest and motivation in learning.
Entry into independent life in the society, beginning of individual biography is not smooth and without conflicts. The process of adaptation to new circumstances is found to be associated with negative experience, connected with leaving a school community with its comprehensive assistance and support; inability to be more independent in the university surroundings; inability to organize self-control of behavior and activity; search of an optimal regimen of learning and rest, organization of everyday life and self-service. Due to the lack of life experience young people confuse ideals with illusions, romantic feelings with exotic ones, etc. Sometimes behavior of young boys and girls includes internal self-uncertainty associated with external aggressiveness, depravity or sensations of incomprehensibility and even thoughts concerning one's own inferiority. Students often experience disillusionment in professional and life choice, frequently expectations and conceptions about medical profession do not correspond to real things of its mastering.
As a rule, senior students in addition to learning solve other issues: they want to find a job in their field, settle down to married life. It contradicts to rather standardized university activity, which complicates the
development of professional self-consciousness, cognitive interests, and communicative culture. These consequences can explain certain decrease of interest to learning from year to year.
Our observations show that the first crisis of students occurs at the very beginning of education. First-year students experience difficulties in adaptation without somebody's help, they develop feelings of anxiety, lack of self-confidence, doubts in their proper choice of profession. Unfortunately, teachers do not always have sufficient professional competence enabling them to support students during this difficult period of adaptation. One of the most important factors promoting to overcome the crisis is development of students as objects of educational activity, formation of positive motivation to learning, which produce a considerable effect on further professional self-determination and emotional perception of the educational environment [7].
The second crisis occurs after the first practical training at medical establishments and at the senior years when "cognitive discord" effect is triggered. On the one hand, theoretical knowledge obtained in the process of learning professional subjects, and on the other hand - real situations of modern system, work overtime, communication problems, low salary. To overcome this discord is a crucial stimulus of a conscious professional choice, since it has a great impact on revision of already formed stereotypes, motivations to choose the profession, attitude to education and training, and self-esteem as a professionally successful and competitive person.
Motivation of students changes not only during several years of learning this or that specialty, but during much shorter period of time, for example, during cycle learning of "narrow" specialties, and neurology in particular. In this situation motivation of students is very much affected by the specificity of this profession. According to the results of our investigation, at the beginning of studies the subject Neurology only 35% of the 4th-year medical students consider it to be "possible" and only 15% "necessary" to learn for their future practical work. A third of respondents were sure it will be of no use in their future work, and about 5% were convinced in its absolute useless. Although, half a year later practically 85% of students were fully confident of the necessity of the knowledge and skills obtained. This phenomenon might be connected with the fact that during the second term students begin to learn special neurology, that is, diseases of the nervous system proper. At the beginning of the course the majority of students, as a rule, are busy with passing final module test, but as they learn real clinical situations concerning them (headache, backache, carpal tunnel syndrome), their relatives and friends (acute and chronic cerebral circulation disorders, polyneuropathy, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, cerebral-cranial injuries, Parkinson's disease, etc.), their motivation changes radically into a positive direction.
Therefore, motivation process is not a constant notion. It can and must be guided. The interest of students to the subject of Neurology directly depends on the personality of a lecturer. Therefore the teaching staff of the
Department of Nervous Diseases, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology is responsible for it. Traditionally lecturers are not only the source of knowledge, but a bearer of culture. A contemporary lecturer of a higher medical educational institution should be not only highly professional, but perform the following functions: teaching, educational, research. Most often modern university lecturers combine their pedagogical and scientific work, although it is not enough for clinical departments of the medical university. They must by highly qualified physicians as well. In modern conditions of excessive information available lecturers must be not only its bearers and transmitters, but those who are able to organize cognitive activity of students, their independent work and scientific creative research.
A lecturer is no more a "translator", and a student is no more a "sponge" to "absorb" knowledge. It is stipulated by the fact that medicine refers to the sphere of human activity with extremely high moral requirements to people. In this respect the issues of motivation at higher educational medical establishments touch upon not only students but teachers as well.
The lecturers can and are supposed to contribute greatly to the formation of motivation in learning. Everyone should keep in mind that first of all a negative attitude to learning must be changed. For this purpose the ways to realize it should be outlined:
■ Formation of stable motivation to achieve success.
■ To assist students to assert themselves in those activities they are cut for.
■ To set the problems and tasks they are able to do, since they meet their abilities and skills.
■ Those kinds of activities should be selected where a student can demonstrate initiative and obtain the recognition in the group. It will enable to change the attitude of teachers, parents and group-mates to the student for the better.
■ To make special mention of the student's success and encourage it in the educational activity, even small progress for the better.
■ To talk with students quietly, friendly and with interest.
A comprehensive character of the approach to the formation and increase of the level of cognitive motivation is considered to be the main peculiarity in the training of future medical professionals. It is this fact that determines peculiarities of the content and methods to train students for medical practical work, their motivation to independent cognitive activity [1, 4]. The tasks to form motivation to education are in front of every teacher. Success can be achieved only by common efforts of all the teaching staff.
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IMPROVEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IN MEDICAL UNIVERSITIES
Zhukovskyi O.
Higher State Educational Establishment of Ukraine "Bukovinian State Medical University ", Chernivtsi ABSTRACT
The issues of interactive learning as a tendency to promote cognitive activity of medical students are considered. Interactive learning possesses great educational and developing potential providing a maximum activity of students in the educational process.
Keywords: interactive learning, case-method.
The issues to promote cognitive activity of medical students have always been one of the most urgent ones in the theoretical and practical learning. In order to find the ways of their solution lecturers and tutors introduce new methods, develop original forms of classes etc.
Transformed life reality and the structure of economics caused the necessity to review many traditional approaches to organization of the teaching/learning process and education on the whole in particular. Recently the teaching staff of medical universities has become interested in implementation of active and interactive forms of learning based on activity and dialogue forms of cognition (internal and between groups). Apparently that now, educators consider practically operative activity and interaction between people as the main factors in the development of personality. Learning can be considered really effective and achieves good results in case students:
• are open for learning and cooperate actively with other participants of the educational process;
• can prepare practically for the situations they have to face in the nearest future life and professional work;
• remain their own self, are not afraid to express their opinion, to make mistakes in case they are not criticized and negatively evaluated.
Owing to the practically operative approach active cognitive activity of the student himself is a psychological basis of learning leading to the formation of ability to creative thinking, application of the knowledge, skills and abilities acquired in the process of educational activity. The issue to promote cognitive activity, develop independence and creativity of students has been and still remains one of the most urgent pedagogical tasks.
Interactive learning solves three tasks simultaneously:
• learning-cognitive (boundary specific);
• communication-developmental (associated with general emotional-intellectual background of cognitive process);
• socially oriented (which results are manifested beyond the limits of the educational time and space).
Let's consider the results and effects of interactive learning in detail. Interactive learning methods enable to intensify the process of understanding, mastering and creative application of knowledge in solution f practical tasks. The efficacy is provided at the expense of more active involvement of students into the process of both getting and application of knowledge (directs, at once). In case the forms and methods of interactive learning are regularly applied, the students form productive approaches to master information, they are not afraid to suggest something wrong (since a mistake does not provoke a negative evaluation), and confidential relations with a lecturer are built. Students are not afraid any more to answer, persist in their opinion, and advance their arguments.
Interactive leaning increases motivation and involvement of participants to the solution of the issues to be discussed. It gives an emotional promotion for further searching activity of the participants and promote them to specific deeds. Every student is successful in interactive learning, and everybody makes his contribution to the general result of a group work. The process of learning becomes more sensible and interesting.
Interactive methods of learning enable to implement theoretical methods of organization of activity into practical sphere, obtain new experience of activity and communication. Interactive earning provides not only increase of knowledge, skills, abilities, methods of work and communication, but reveal new possibilities for students. It is an essential term to establish and improve competence (competence is a proved ability to act) by means of involvement of participants of the ed-