Understanding the Impact of Multicultural Education Using Experiential Learning Techniques to Foster Cultural Competency of Medical School Students: A Qualitative Case Study at a Medical School

Identifier

2496

Author

Jonathan Parker Jones

Date

2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Higher and Adult Education

Concentration

Higher Education

Committee Chair

Jeff Wilson

Committee Member

Colton Cockrum

Committee Member

Mitsunori Misawa

Committee Member

Lamont Simmons

Abstract

Cultural competencies of current medical school students were examined by studying part of the multicultural curriculum at a southeastern United States health science center. This study was a qualitative case study that focused on the impact of a multicultural education training exercise, BaFa' BaFa,' on first-year medical students. This exercise took place during orientation of the student's first year. The theoretical framework for this study was part of Kolb's model of experiential learning, specifically the active experimentation aspect. There were two research questions that guided this study: (1) How does BaFa' BaFa' impact cultural competency on current medical students at a southeastern health science center? (2) How does the experiential learning aspect of BaFa' BaFa' impact current medical students? It was found that there were varying opinions regarding the overall impact of the training, as well as when the training should be administered during medical school, if at all. However, it was also found that the participants experienced an uncomfortable feeling while performing the training, had little time to utilize anything that they might have learned from the training, and that the experiential learning aspect of the training had an impact on their learning. Although the BaFa' BaFa' training itself had little impact on the cultural competencies of the medical students studied, the experiential learning aspect of the training had a substantial impact on the students.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

Recommended Citation

Jones, Jonathan Parker, "Understanding the Impact of Multicultural Education Using Experiential Learning Techniques to Foster Cultural Competency of Medical School Students: A Qualitative Case Study at a Medical School" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1269.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/etd/1269