THE IMPACT OF NATURAL SCIENCE COURSES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL TRAJECTORIES OF MEDICAL STUDENTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28925/2412-0774.2025.4.7Keywords:
elective course, individual educational trajectory, Medical and Biological Physics, medical student, post-war context.Abstract
The study examines how the content of a natural science course (e.g. «Medical and Biological Physics») shapes the motivational factors that influence medical students as they consider their individual educational trajectory in the near future. During this time, a range of pressing challenges will come to the forefront. To determine the impact of the “Medical and Biological Physics” course on students’ awareness of the importance of analyzing and selecting elective courses for their future studies, a survey was conducted among students of Bukovinian State Medical University who graduated the course in the current academic year and agreed to participate in the research. The survey results indicate that the content of the course “Medical and Biological Physics” influences medical students’ ability to make informed choices regarding elective courses. The practical significance of the study consists in proposing of a method for analyzing elective courses currently listed in university catalogues in terms of students’ expectations and identifying the areas that interest learners at a given stage of their educational trajectory. The prospects for further research involve expanding the study to include other natural sciences (e.g., biology and chemistry) in order to determine their influence on the educational trajectory. This will make it possible to assess the impact of the natural sciences block on students’ professional motivation and choice. Future research should also aim to establish the relationship between the informed selection of elective courses influenced by “Medical and Biological Physics” and subsequent academic performance and professional fulfilment of graduates. Based on the identified student interests, new and relevant elective courses can be developed and piloted, oriented towards addressing the challenges of the post-war period.
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