Promoting the Learning Mindset Among Undergraduate Medical Students: A Qualitative Pilot Study on an Active Self-Learning Module Aimed at Openness During the Feedback Process

TL;DR

This study explores how a self-learning module helps medical students develop a learning mindset to better receive feedback during clinical training.

Contribution

The study introduces and evaluates an active self-learning module based on the H.O.S.T. model to foster openness in feedback interactions.

Findings

The module encouraged students to reflect on their learning mindset and engage more in feedback discussions.

Students emphasized the importance of a two-way relationship with supervisors for effective feedback.

Participants viewed the module as a promising step but called for larger studies to confirm its impact.

Abstract

After decades of feedback courses for supervisors, students now have access to courses on the interactional feedback process. However, this interactional feedback process requires students to be receptive to discussions in order to assimilate and apply the information shared. To achieve this, an active self-learning module (ASLM) offered students a reflective exercise and strategies based on the H.O.S.T. (humility, openness, shared explicitness and tenacity) behavioural model.

The purpose of this pilot study was to explore how the ASLM shaped students’ understanding of the learning mindset within a sample of six students from the Francophone stream of the University of Ottawa MD Program. These students engaged in simulated clinicals and clinical rotations during which they receive feedback. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore students’ perceptions of the module and the self-reflection it sparked. The data were analyzed using a rigorous thematic analysis.

The thematic analysis identified two main themes and six sub-themes. Students perceived the module's reflective approach as promoting their engagement in student-supervisor interactions and the personal growth mindset necessary for emotional regulation. The importance of a two-way relationship with the supervisor was highlighted, raising the possibility of training intended for both supervisors and students.

The ASLM introduced to a small sample of learners allowed them to reflect on their learning mindset and to discover strategies that could help them receive and engage in feedback more effectively. Although participants viewed this reflective exercise as a promising initial step in influencing attitudes and behaviors related to feedback, further exploration with a larger population is needed.

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