A comparative study examining the perspectives of both students and clinical teachers during practical teaching sessions in otorhinolaryngology

Medical education aims to prepare future physicians for high-quality patient care. This prospective study examines the perceptions of medical students and clinical teachers with regard to teaching in otorhinolaryngology (ENT) clinical rotations. The objective is to identify discrepancies between the perceptions of students and clinical teachers and their potential impact on overall satisfaction with the learning and teaching process. During a two-week ENT rotation, medical students were obliged to attend seven different seminars. At the end of each seminar, both the students and their teachers were asked to evaluate the seminar using a standardized questionnaire. A total of 1139 questionnaires (n = 1089 students and n = 50 teachers) were collected. Data analysis included a descriptive evaluation and a comparison between the two groups using the Mann-Whitney U test and Cliff’s delta. The evaluation revealed a positive perception of teaching as measured by high overall scores, with students averaging 13.2 (± 1.7) and teachers 13.4 (± 1.1) out of a maximum grade of 15. Our analysis revealed no statistically significant disparities in the majority of the question items relating to perceptions between students and clinical teachers. Statistically, highly significant differences with relevant effect sizes were only applicable for the question items: Preparation, Participation by Schedule and Understandable Explanations. Our analysis suggests that there is a high level of agreement between students and teachers in terms of perception and satisfaction. The discrepancies in the areas of Preparation, Participation by Schedule, and Understandable Explanations relate to the nature of student-teacher interactions. This indicates that even when overall perceptions are positive, the interactions between students and clinical teachers may still be viewed differently, highlighting an opportunity for improvement. Our study shows that medical students and clinical teachers largely share similar perceptions of teaching and learning in practical ENT seminars. Differences were limited to Preparation, Participation by Schedule, and Understandable Explanations. Addressing these discrepancies through improved communication may help optimize the learning environment.