Medical students’ perception of assessment and its effects on their learning in Dubai: a convergent mixed methods study
BackgroundEnhanced learning is achieved when assessments are effectively designed in alignment with the learning objectives and supported by ongoing research in the field. Although it is universally acknowledged that assessments are essential in medical education, little is known about assessment po...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1620437/full |
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| author | Eman Khalaf Farah Ennab Farah Otaki Farah Otaki Shaista Salman Guraya Fatemeh Amir-Rad Fatemeh Amir-Rad Erum Khan Ritu Lakhtakia |
| author_facet | Eman Khalaf Farah Ennab Farah Otaki Farah Otaki Shaista Salman Guraya Fatemeh Amir-Rad Fatemeh Amir-Rad Erum Khan Ritu Lakhtakia |
| author_sort | Eman Khalaf |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundEnhanced learning is achieved when assessments are effectively designed in alignment with the learning objectives and supported by ongoing research in the field. Although it is universally acknowledged that assessments are essential in medical education, little is known about assessment policy and characteristics, and its influence on learning and teaching in medical schools in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception of medical students of the assessment method implemented in a medical school in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.MethodsA convergent mixed methods study design was employed. Quantitative and qualitative data were independently collected and analyzed. The quantitative component comprised a cross-sectional observational survey design where a tailormade survey with a five-point Likert-type scale was administered to 87 undergraduate medical students. The corresponding quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 27.0). As for the qualitative data, it was collected through a series of focus group sessions aimed at exploring students’ perception of assessment and its impact on their learning. The corresponding analysis was inductive, following the six-step approach introduced by Braun and Clarke. Following that, merging of the information brought about from the two sources generated meta-inferences, which raised the validity of the study’s findings.ResultsThe percentage of the total average of agreement of the current assessment method efficacy, according to a tailormade survey protocol of 28 components, measured using a five-point Likert-type scale, was 62.24%. This percentage was calculated by dividing the overall mean (i.e., 87.13) by 140 since it is the maximum possible value (i.e., five of the Likert-type scale multiplied by 28 components) and multiplying it by 100. The inductive thematic analysis of the data, collected via focus group sessions, yielded a novel conceptual framework: “Medical Students” Take on Assessment Method’, with two overarching themes: Development Process and Consequences. Within the Development Process theme, two categories emerged: Assessment plan and Student support. As for the Consequences theme, it included three other categories: Output, Outcomes, and Impact. Lastly, the following four meta-inferences emerged from integrating the quantitative with the qualitative analysis findings: Processual perspective, Learners’ reaction, Inclusiveness, and Ripple effects.ConclusionThis study reinforced the importance of effectively assessing medical students’ competences while maximizing the learning value of the encapsulating assessment method. It showed that it is not about making choices around discrete aspects of assessment, but rather to consider an assessment method holistically as dynamic processes with several moving parts. Ideally, assessment methods should be designed, implemented, and maintained in ways that would maximize their learning value, taking into account the corresponding context and learners’ perception. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4fff1f6a1ed34eaf87c488bb5566ce02 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2296-858X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| spelling | doaj-art-4fff1f6a1ed34eaf87c488bb5566ce022025-08-20T03:23:16ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Medicine2296-858X2025-08-011210.3389/fmed.2025.16204371620437Medical students’ perception of assessment and its effects on their learning in Dubai: a convergent mixed methods studyEman Khalaf0Farah Ennab1Farah Otaki2Farah Otaki3Shaista Salman Guraya4Fatemeh Amir-Rad5Fatemeh Amir-Rad6Erum Khan7Ritu Lakhtakia8Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital, Emirates Health Services, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesInstitute of Learning (IoL), Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai Health, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesStrategy and Institutional Excellence (SIE), Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai Health, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Health Services Research, Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences (FHML), Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, NetherlandsInstitute of Learning (IoL), Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai Health, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesHamdan Bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine (HBMCDM), Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai Health, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesSchool of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United KingdomCollege of Medicine, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab EmiratesCollege of Medicine (CoM), Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai Health, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesBackgroundEnhanced learning is achieved when assessments are effectively designed in alignment with the learning objectives and supported by ongoing research in the field. Although it is universally acknowledged that assessments are essential in medical education, little is known about assessment policy and characteristics, and its influence on learning and teaching in medical schools in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception of medical students of the assessment method implemented in a medical school in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.MethodsA convergent mixed methods study design was employed. Quantitative and qualitative data were independently collected and analyzed. The quantitative component comprised a cross-sectional observational survey design where a tailormade survey with a five-point Likert-type scale was administered to 87 undergraduate medical students. The corresponding quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 27.0). As for the qualitative data, it was collected through a series of focus group sessions aimed at exploring students’ perception of assessment and its impact on their learning. The corresponding analysis was inductive, following the six-step approach introduced by Braun and Clarke. Following that, merging of the information brought about from the two sources generated meta-inferences, which raised the validity of the study’s findings.ResultsThe percentage of the total average of agreement of the current assessment method efficacy, according to a tailormade survey protocol of 28 components, measured using a five-point Likert-type scale, was 62.24%. This percentage was calculated by dividing the overall mean (i.e., 87.13) by 140 since it is the maximum possible value (i.e., five of the Likert-type scale multiplied by 28 components) and multiplying it by 100. The inductive thematic analysis of the data, collected via focus group sessions, yielded a novel conceptual framework: “Medical Students” Take on Assessment Method’, with two overarching themes: Development Process and Consequences. Within the Development Process theme, two categories emerged: Assessment plan and Student support. As for the Consequences theme, it included three other categories: Output, Outcomes, and Impact. Lastly, the following four meta-inferences emerged from integrating the quantitative with the qualitative analysis findings: Processual perspective, Learners’ reaction, Inclusiveness, and Ripple effects.ConclusionThis study reinforced the importance of effectively assessing medical students’ competences while maximizing the learning value of the encapsulating assessment method. It showed that it is not about making choices around discrete aspects of assessment, but rather to consider an assessment method holistically as dynamic processes with several moving parts. Ideally, assessment methods should be designed, implemented, and maintained in ways that would maximize their learning value, taking into account the corresponding context and learners’ perception.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1620437/fullassessmentSelf-regulated learningmixed methodshealth professions’ educationDubaiUnited Arab Emirates Sustainable Development Goals |
| spellingShingle | Eman Khalaf Farah Ennab Farah Otaki Farah Otaki Shaista Salman Guraya Fatemeh Amir-Rad Fatemeh Amir-Rad Erum Khan Ritu Lakhtakia Medical students’ perception of assessment and its effects on their learning in Dubai: a convergent mixed methods study Frontiers in Medicine assessment Self-regulated learning mixed methods health professions’ education Dubai United Arab Emirates Sustainable Development Goals |
| title | Medical students’ perception of assessment and its effects on their learning in Dubai: a convergent mixed methods study |
| title_full | Medical students’ perception of assessment and its effects on their learning in Dubai: a convergent mixed methods study |
| title_fullStr | Medical students’ perception of assessment and its effects on their learning in Dubai: a convergent mixed methods study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Medical students’ perception of assessment and its effects on their learning in Dubai: a convergent mixed methods study |
| title_short | Medical students’ perception of assessment and its effects on their learning in Dubai: a convergent mixed methods study |
| title_sort | medical students perception of assessment and its effects on their learning in dubai a convergent mixed methods study |
| topic | assessment Self-regulated learning mixed methods health professions’ education Dubai United Arab Emirates Sustainable Development Goals |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1620437/full |
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