Education & Specialist Research

Medical Education research is a growing and exciting area that is of interest both to clinicians and social scientists. Many of our research projects are applied; they are conducted as part of, or closely allied to, the teaching within Medicine. Sometimes, the evaluation of a particular curricular component grows into a project in its own right.

Research into Assessment Methods

Explore different examples of Southampton projects that have already been reported.

Research into Teaching Methods

Explore different examples of practice-based education research conducted by Medical Education members.

Workplace learning

The 'Beyond Competence' collaborative project between Southampton and Leeds aimed to facilitate smooth transitions for students moving from university-based teaching to workplace learning.

Medical school culture and the student experience

This project explored the expectations and preparations of ten prospective medical students prior to medical school entry and charts their transition during the early years of their undergraduate degree.

Demise of the Firm

This project explored the key mechanism and organisational unit for apprenticeship style learning, 'The firm.'

Sociology

The research of Dr Kathleen Kendall, which is broadly focused upon contemporary and historical patient and provider experiences of treatment for mental health issues.

In addition, staff in Medical Education also provide supervision to students who wish to undertake education research projects.

Our research is broadly disseminated; internally through Away Days and Programme Leaders' meetings, where it seeks to support and shape curriculum design and delivery activities. Externally, members of staff and students regularly present at medical education conferences such as ASME, AMEE and AoME.

Education research in Medicine is closely allied to education research elsewhere in the University, for example through the Higher Education Research Group and with the University Strategic Research Group on Work Futures. We also work in partnership with the Education Research Group at the Wessex Deanery.

Ultimately, we are keen to conduct comparative education research, not only in terms of medical education, but also involving other healthcare professions and other subject areas. For example, we collaborated with a team from the University of Leeds on a HEFCE-funded project.

Links to external websites

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