The College of Education
Announces the Final Examination of
Jonathan Parker Jones
for the degree of
Doctor of Education
October 2, 2015 at 1:00 pm
301 Browning Hall, University of Memphis
Memphis, TN
Biographical Sketch
Bachelor of Sciences, Physical Education, Mississippi State University
Master of Sciences, Physical Education, Mississippi State University
Advisory Committee
Jeff Wilson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Leadership, Committee chair
Mitsunori Misawa, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Leadership
Lamont Simmons, Ed.D, Assistant Professor, Social Work
Colton Cockrum, Ed.D., Director QEP, Academic Coach Support Services, Undergraduate Programs
Major Field of Study
Higher and Adult Education
Period of Preparation: 2011-2015
Comprehensive Examination Passed: November, 2013
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION USING EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING TECHNIQUES TO FOSTER CULTURAL COMPETENCY OF MEDICAL SCHOOL STUDENTS: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY AT A MEDICAL SCHOOL
Abstract
Cultural competencies of current medical school students were examined by studying part of the multicultural curriculum at a southeastern United States health science center. This study was a qualitative case study that focused on the impact of a multicultural education training exercise, BaFa’ BaFa,’ on first-year medical students. This exercise took place during orientation of the student’s first year. The theoretical framework for this study was part of Kolb’s model of experiential learning, specifically the active experimentation aspect. There were two research questions that guided this study: (1) How does BaFa’ BaFa’ impact cultural competency on current medical students at a southeastern health science center?: (2): How does the experiential learning aspect of BaFa’ BaFa’ impact current medical students? It was found that there were varying opinions regarding the overall impact of the training, as well as when the training should be administered during medical school, if at all. However, it was also found that the participants experienced an uncomfortable feeling while performing the training, had little time to utilize anything that they might have learned from the training, and that the experiential learning aspect of the training had an impact on their learning. Although the BaFa’ BaFa’ training itself had little impact on the cultural competencies of the medical students studied, the experiential learning aspect of the training had a substantial impact on the students.
Keywords: multicultural education, diversity, cultural simulation training, experiential learning, cultural competency, medical education