Attitude of medical students for graphical recording technique as a critical thinking and creativity expression tool in medical teaching

Abstract

Background : Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, has been approached by WHO SEARO to lead a mission of health mind teaching in verifying an innovative ways to train people to be promptly responsive to a situation of rapid socio-cultural changes. “Graphical recording technique” is a tool used in brainstorming session in business sector that might be of value to new generations of students.

Objective : To demonstrate the application of graphical recording technique in the curriculum of preventive medicine for 2nd year medical students.

Study design : Action research.

Setting : Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University

Materials and Methods : We instructed 290 second year medical students in a program of preventive medicine. Graphical recording technique, “Why and Then” principle, and PESTEL framework were introduced to the students in order to facilitate their thinking process to explain why the disease or the problem occurred, and what will be the impact. We divided medical students into groups of 10, and assigned them to think about the problem of “obesity” and express their framework of critical thinking by graphical recording technique. Online anonymous evaluation was implemented after class.

Results : Ten out of 29 groups expressed the relationship of obesity problem in their medical student life, whereas 7/29 graphics dealt with the relationship of obesity and economic factors. Five out of 29 pictures were involved in the linkage between obesity and occupation, whilst the remaining expressed the roles of other socio-behavioral factors in the obesity and its impact. One hundred and fifty out of 290 medical students participated in the online evaluation. More than 75% of the students expressed that the teaching approach was highly useful in terms of enhancing group working skill, critical thinking skill on the linkage between social determinants and health problem, responsibility, creativity, and graphical explanation and expression skills.

Conclusions : Graphical recording technique is useful and well-accepted. It is an interesting approach for fostering students’ holistic viewpoint.