A Content Analysis of the Highly-Cited Articles in Medical Education: Commitment to Addressing Change and Reliance On Theory
Abstract Background: The medical education community is reflecting increasingly on the role and nature of research in the field. Useful sources of data to include in these reflections are a description of the topics in which we are investing our energies, an analysis of the extent to which there is a sense of progress on these topics, and an examination of the mechanisms by which any progress has been achieved. The purpose of the present study was to provide an insight into the highly cited themes of research into medical education.Methods: This study is a content analysis of highly cited articles in medical education. An in-depth content analysis was conducted, identifying meaning units, which were compacted and coded with labels.Results: During a variety of topics, methods and strategies, 764 codes, 24 descriptive themes, and 7 categories were extracted from the content analysis as the most prominent. Categories for future medical education research were: Modern technology updating in medical education; Learner performance improving; Sociological aspects of medical education; Clinical reasoning; Research methodology concerns of medical education; Instructional design educational models; and Professional aspects of medical education.Conclusions: Medical education is in need of moving to a more theory and discovery driven approach and would profit from broadening its scope and reformation that might bring answers to new concerns. An emphasis on creating more systemic knowledge and theoretical models will nurture the generalizable scientific knowledge and will increase the medical education chance to drive the development of research on learning and instruction.