Which lecturers’ characteristics facilitate the learning process? A qualitative study on students’ perceptions in the rehabilitation sciences

Battista, Simone; Furri, Laura; Pellegrini, Valeria; Giardulli, Benedetto; Coppola, Ilaria; Testa, Marco; Dell’Isola, Andrea

Abstract

Background

In education, lecturers play a crucial role in facilitating students’ learning process. However, only a few studies explored which lecturers’ characteristics can facilitate this process in higher education for rehabilitation healthcare professionals. Starting from students’ perspectives, our qualitative study investigated the lecturers’ characteristics that facilitate students’ learning process in the rehabilitation sciences.
Methods

A qualitative interview study. We enrolled students attending the 2nd year of the Master of Science (MSc) degree in ‘Rehabilitation Sciences of Healthcare Professions’. Different themes were generated following a ‘Reflexive Thematic Analysis’.
Results

Thirteen students completed the interviews. From their analysis, we generated five themes. Specifically, a lecturer that facilitates students’ learning process should be: 1) ‘A Performer who Interacts with the Classroom’, 2) A Flexible Planner who Adopts Innovative Teaching Skills’, 3) ‘A Motivator who Embraces Transformational Leadership’, 4) ‘A Facilitator Who Encourages a Constructive Learning Context’ and 5) ‘A Coach who Devises Strategies to Reach Shared Learning Goals’.
Conclusions

The results of this study underscore the importance for lecturers in rehabilitation to cultivate a diverse set of skills drawn from the arts and performance, education, team building and leadership to facilitate students’ learning process. By developing these skills, lecturers can design lessons that are worth attending not only for their relevant content but also for their value in human experience.

Citation

Battista, S., Furri, L., Pellegrini, V., Giardulli, B., Coppola, I., Testa, M., & Dell’Isola, A. (2023). Which lecturers’ characteristics facilitate the learning process? A qualitative study on students’ perceptions in the rehabilitation sciences. BMC Medical Education, Article 431. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04308-y

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 29, 2023
• Publication Date: Jun 12, 2023
• Deposit Date: Sep 3, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 18, 2024
• Journal: BMC Medical Education
• Electronic ISSN: 1472-6920
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Article Number: 431
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04308-y