UBC Theses and Dissertations

UBC Theses Logo

UBC Theses and Dissertations

Beginning action research : enhancing autonomous learning in a medical radiography program McLaughlin, Rita

Abstract

As a clinical instructor in a medical radiography program, I began to wonder why some students reported feeling overwhelmed in the initial days of the practicum portion of the program. Having tried repeatedly to remedy the problem, I decided to take a closer look. I hoped in the process to gain some insights into what overwhelmed some students and not others and to understand the effects of being overwhelmed in the initial days of the practicum. This thesis outlines the action research approach used to study the practicum. The principal participants in the practicum (the students, the radiology technologists, and myself, the clinical instructor) contributed to the generation of the data that formed our research, over the four-week practicum. The students and technologists participated in interviews, which were transcribed from audiotapes and distributed to the group for reading. When we read the typed material, we thought about our own similar experiences (or different experiences, if this was so). The problems that arose from the readings became our problems, and the students and I met to voice or express them as best we could. There were four meetings; from each meeting we chose an action plan. Each of us tried to implement the plan the following week. As we implemented the plan we also evaluated the outcomes we experienced. I had a notion that the student, who was set on obtaining his or her learning objectives, would be an autonomous learner and would be less likely to be overwhelmed. So my intention during the practicum was to look for ways of enhancing autonomous learning. What I found was that the very process of action research enhanced autonomous learning in the students.

Item Media

Item Citations and Data

Rights

For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.