Ethical and Moral Issues in Undergraduate Medical Education: An Exploratory Study

Background: Ethical and moral values form the basis of the environment in any academic institution. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the ethical and moral issues faced by medical students during their undergraduate medical education in Pakistan. Methods: This qualitative exploratory study was conducted at ABWA Medical College, Faisalabad. It included thirteen semi-structured, one-to-one interviews of volunteering undergraduate medical students of Punjab, Pakistan, from September 2021 to February 2022. The interview invitation was sent electronically to social media groups. Member checking of transcribed interviews was done, and data were analyzed thematically using Atlas-ti software by two independent researchers. Results: Thematic data analysis led to the formation of 28 codes, 13 subthemes, and 3 main themes. Based on the social constructive approach, three main themes were categorized into ethical issues in (1) academic, (2) social, and (3) clinical contexts. Conclusions: The results showed that undergraduate medical students face a myriad of ethical and moral disruptions during their undergraduate study period at medical college. Much awareness about identifying and dealing with such issues is recommended to bring more quality to the program.

The Impact of Mentoring on Teachers’ Understanding of Learning and Teaching Mathematics

There is a widespread belief among both teachers and students that mathematics, like any other factual subject, needs to be learnt. Traditionally the major emphasis in the mathematics classroom has been to teach students the processes of an algorithm and to drill them in these processes. This study investigates the influence of mentoring on teachers' understanding of what mathematics is, how it is learnt and how teachers' actions can make learning more meaningful for students. The sample for the study were two teachers from the primary and secondary sections of a school. Data sources were notes of lesson observations, reflective journals, verbatim transcripts of conferences and semi-structured interviews. The data was analyzed as two separate case studies. The study found that mentoring did influence teachers' practices and beliefs and showed that the two are interrelated. It found that mentoring can encourage teachers to reflect on their own practice and in a supportive and non-threatening environment changes will be attempted. The teachers evaluated the new learning in the light of student outcomes. The study found that teacher development is an on-going, individual and highly personal process and teachers have varying learning styles. Willingness and ability to change must take into account the culture and organizational structure of the school. Cultures which encourage collaboration and empower teachers to make decisions provide an environment where teachers are more reflective about their actions and are more willing to share new learning with others. Hierarchical organizations hinder change for teachers feel compelled to follow directives and live up to the expectations of those in authority. The study also found that, whatever the subject matter, the moral dimensions of teaching cannot be ignored.