Putting learning theories into practice: Critical appraisal of the selected articles

Abstract

Introduction: It has long been argued that educational theories or any theory has limited influence on the ‘practical’ situations. However, educational theories could potentially play a significant role in ‘practice’. In a leadership role, teachers are expected to evaluate courses, programs and design proposals. Thus teachers in every capacity are required to understand educational psychology and its applications.

Methodology: Six selected articles based on educational theories and their relation to practice in learning and clinical framework were used. The characteristics of papers were analyzed and a mind-map was constructed. Application of theories with examples from medical education were designed. Finally a reflection on the whole process was presented.

Results: Author details, publication dates, study types, key findings, application in medical education with examples from medical education and limitations of all six papers were profiled. The mind map revealed that behaviorist, cognitive, constructivist and social constructivist models were mostly used. The relationship of educational theories demonstrated among others many themes including learning climate, planning of curricula, internal motivation, self-efficacy, self-directed learning, reflective practice, instructional design, cognitive load and memory. Finally, a reflection of the whole process is presented.

Conclusion: The learning and teaching strategies, curriculum design and assessment technique should be in light of educational theories for better application in medical education.