Faculties’ Perspective toward Students’ Participation in Teaching: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Introduction: Teaching is defined as a targeted action during the educational process which is designed, implemented and evaluated by the instructor. One of the most effective tricks that can lead to effective learning is the participation of students in teaching. This was a phenomenological study which aimed to explore the faculties’ perspectives about students’ participation in teaching. It was conducted in Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This was a qualitative study. Theinclusion criterion for the participants was having at least 5 years of teaching experience. Eight participants enrolled in the study based on the criterion of data saturation. Data gathering was performed using a semi-structured interview. Themes and subcategories were extracted after content analysis. Results: Three main themes including “skill”, “Rules and Regulations”, and “circumstances” were extracted from content analysis.  The theme of “Skill” consisted of two subcategories; “student’s skill” and “Instructor’s skill”. “Evaluation rules” and “education regulations” were the next categories. The theme of “Circumstances” was divided to “spiritual” and “physical”. Conclusion: Although, some elements of participatory teaching may not be modified, the others should be improved. In addition, it is necessary to amend the two main needs of participatory teaching; “communication” and “group discussion” both among students and instructors.

Keywords

• Instructor
• Participation
• Qualitative Study
• Students
• Teaching