Holden, Caroline; (2015) A case study investigation into success and failure in Foundation Year Medical School in a Middle Eastern transnational context. Doctoral thesis , UCL Institute of Education.

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Abstract

This study utilises Tinto’s (1993) theoretical framework, known as the Model of Longitudinal Departure, to investigate success and failure in Foundation Year medical school in a Middle Eastern transnational location, through considering student background, cultural influence and academic transition. This case study is framed within a social constructivist epistemology utilising mixed methods, including quantitative pre-entry and academic attainment data, and qualitative student and staff interview data. Lack of contextual research combined with high failure rates, which negatively impact on students, institutions, sponsors and governments in this transnational first-year medical school experience, have led to the need to better understand the first-year medical school experience in this Bahraini context. The research questions investigate the student and staff perspectives of academic success and failure, together with the role of previous learning and the resulting implications for programme design. The research constructs a notion termed the ‘state of realisation’, this is the point at which students recognise and implement learning strategies associated with third level learning success. Additional findings include that English language competency measured by the IELTS and previous educational experience and achievement are pre-indicators of academic success. Within this transnational context culture is found to contextualize, frame and influence the students. Academic integration is found to be multi-faceted and complex, whereas social integration appears to be less challenging, seemingly facilitated by a strong culture of belonging. The research refines Tinto’s 1993 model into an appropriate framework for this transnational setting named the Model of Academic Success and Failure in a Transnational Context. It is within this framework that the constructed notion of the ‘state of realisation’ is situated. Findings on gender and academic success are unexpected, showing that males performed better than females in Foundation Year medical school in this transnational context. Further research is recommended to investigate this aspect in-depth.

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