ERIC Number: EJ1330832
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Mar
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1382-4996
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Learning Experiences of Dyslexic Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study
Shaw, Sebastian C. K.; Hennessy, Laura R.; Anderson, John L.
Advances in Health Sciences Education, v27 n1 p107-124 Mar 2022
Dyslexia is a Specific Learning Difficulty that impacts on reading and writing abilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical schools have been forced to undertake distance learning and assessment. The wider literature suggested that e-learning might pose additional challenges for dyslexic students. Here we explore their overall experiences of learning/studying during this time in a phenomenological study. Five medical students were interviewed in depth and the audio-recordings were transcribed verbatim. Transcripts then underwent an interpretive phenomenological analysis. Our results highlighted a largely positive experience, with an improved culture of togetherness, freedom and sense of control. They also revealed issues with a lack of clinical exposure, potential negative impacts on ranking positions for those with dyslexia, and possible cheating in exams. There are some surprising results--in particular the positive responses to how remote learning was delivered. These seemed to put our participants more on a par with their non-dyslexic colleagues--except in some examinations. It is our hope that medical educators may resist a return to 'the way things have always been done' when the pandemic has resolved, and by doing so, continue to foster this new, positive culture and paradigm shift.
Descriptors: Medical Students, Medical Education, COVID-19, Pandemics, Cheating, Dyslexia, Distance Education, Computer Assisted Testing, Phenomenology, Learning Processes, Audio Equipment, Student Records, Comparative Analysis, Students with Disabilities, Cooperative Learning, Student Attitudes, Educational Change, Difficulty Level
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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Author Affiliations: N/A