Evaluation of the Application of Constructivist Curriculum in Higher Education: A Case Study in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Constructivism is an approach that has profound effects on learning and teaching approaches, and thus, alters education, teaching, learner, teachers’ roles, and learning environment. The medical sciences are not exempt from this effect. On the other hand, curriculum is the most important element for the realization of the goals and general mission of the educational system. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim to evaluate the application of constructivist curriculum at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran. This was a descriptive survey. The study population consisted of postgraduate students from 4 schools of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Through stratified random sampling method, 200 participants were selected. The research instrument was a questionnaire, the validity and reliability of which were approved. In the descriptive statistics section, mean and standard deviation were used, and in the inferential statistics section, a independent t-test, t-test, and ANOVA were used. A significant difference was observed between the mean test curriculum elements and theoretical mean of the scale used. This meant that curriculum elements based on the constructivism approach were lower than average in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Numerous studies have been conducted on this approach in medical education, but this topic has not gained much attention in Iran. According to the findings, it is suggested that teachers abandon the traditional approach to teaching and utilize newer approaches such as constructivism.