SOCIALIZATION OUTCOMES AND LIFE SKILL ACQUISITION THROUGH COLLABORATIVE LEARNING BY TEACHING IN MEDICAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENTS

Abstract

Medical education, traditionally, does not focus on the promotion of essential life skills and socialization in the profession, with more emphasis on clinical knowledge. Collaborative Learning by Teaching (LbT) has been
discovered to fill this divide by making students play a more significant role in facilitating peer learning. Purpose: The research problem of the proposed study is to assess the effect of LbT on socialization and life skills acquisition
among medical students in terms of communication, leadership, and teamwork. Procedure: The sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was used. Quantitatively, 150 second-year medical students were used in
a pre-test and post-test study of a validated 5-point Likert scale Life Skills Assessment Questionnaire (LSAQ). Semi-structured interviews were carried out qualitatively on 20 participants to investigate peer dynamic perceptions
and professional identity. Results: A statistically significant improvement was also found in all domains of life skills (p < 0.05), and the largest increases were found in communication(= 3.2, = 4.5) and leadership ( = 2.8,
= 4.1). Thematic analysis, which was conducted in a qualitative way, was used to draw three major outcomes based on which reduced hierarchical anxiety, faster professional identity formation, and better collaborative
interdependence have been identified. Discussion: The combination of data indicates that the social responsibility that is explored by teaching peers creates a more profound cognitive approach and emotional intelligence.
Conclusion: Collaborative LbT is a powerful intervention towards developing the non-clinical competencies involved in the contemporary healthcare setting. They advise that medical programs should incorporate formal peerteaching modules in order to make students more ready to engage in clinical practice in a team.