Volume 15, Issue 3 (1-2026)
Clin Exc 2026, 15(3): 77-88 |
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Asady K, Gholizadeh L, Shahvari Z. Transformation in Learning: Midwifery Students’ Lived Experiences of Reflection during Clinical Internship. Clin Exc 2026; 15 (3) :77-88
URL: http://ce.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-956-en.html
URL: http://ce.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-956-en.html
Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Gac.C., Islamic Azad University, Gachsaran, Iran
Abstract: (61 Views)
Background and purpose: There is limited qualitative evidence regarding midwifery students' lived experiences of reflection and its impact on learning. This study aimed to elucidate the role of reflection in clinical internship from the perspective of midwifery students and explore its role in midwifery students' learning in clinical internship.
Materials and Methods: This qualitative research used a conventional content analysis approach and was conducted in 2025 at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Gachsaran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran. Participants included 21 seventh- and eighth-semester undergraduate midwifery students who were selected through purposive sampling. Daily reflective practice based on Gibbs’ six-stage reflective cycle was implemented throughout the clinical internship. Data were collected through students’ reflective written narratives and, after transcription, analyzed using MAXQDA software.
Results: Data analysis led to the emergence of one main category, “Transformation in Learning,” and six subcategories: Deep and Sustainable Learning, Safe Learning in a Low-Stress Environment, Learning Through Active Recall of Experience, Analytical and Critical Learning, Collective and Indirect Learning, and Expansion of Perceived Clinical Experiences. The findings indicated that reflection contributed to deeper learning, reduced clinical anxiety, enhanced critical thinking, increased professional self-confidence, and compensated for limited clinical learning opportunities in midwifery education.
Conclusion: Conducting reflective sessions during midwifery clinical internships leads to a transformation in students’ learning. The findings of this study showed that reflection in midwifery internships, beyond a homework or supplementary educational activity, acts as a mechanism for creating a transformation in learning and can transform students' clinical experiences into deep, meaningful, and sustainable learning. Reflection deepens student learning by enhancing collective and indirect learning. Reflection enhances learning by creating a sense of doubling perceived clinical experiences in the conditions of limited learning opportunities. Structured integration of reflection into midwifery clinical education programs can play an effective role in improving the quality of student teaching and learning. It is suggested that more research be conducted in the future on reflections in internships.
Materials and Methods: This qualitative research used a conventional content analysis approach and was conducted in 2025 at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Gachsaran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran. Participants included 21 seventh- and eighth-semester undergraduate midwifery students who were selected through purposive sampling. Daily reflective practice based on Gibbs’ six-stage reflective cycle was implemented throughout the clinical internship. Data were collected through students’ reflective written narratives and, after transcription, analyzed using MAXQDA software.
Results: Data analysis led to the emergence of one main category, “Transformation in Learning,” and six subcategories: Deep and Sustainable Learning, Safe Learning in a Low-Stress Environment, Learning Through Active Recall of Experience, Analytical and Critical Learning, Collective and Indirect Learning, and Expansion of Perceived Clinical Experiences. The findings indicated that reflection contributed to deeper learning, reduced clinical anxiety, enhanced critical thinking, increased professional self-confidence, and compensated for limited clinical learning opportunities in midwifery education.
Conclusion: Conducting reflective sessions during midwifery clinical internships leads to a transformation in students’ learning. The findings of this study showed that reflection in midwifery internships, beyond a homework or supplementary educational activity, acts as a mechanism for creating a transformation in learning and can transform students' clinical experiences into deep, meaningful, and sustainable learning. Reflection deepens student learning by enhancing collective and indirect learning. Reflection enhances learning by creating a sense of doubling perceived clinical experiences in the conditions of limited learning opportunities. Structured integration of reflection into midwifery clinical education programs can play an effective role in improving the quality of student teaching and learning. It is suggested that more research be conducted in the future on reflections in internships.
Type of Study: Research(Original) |
Subject:
آموزش پزشكی
Received: 2025/09/11 | Accepted: 2025/12/20 | Published: 2025/12/20
Received: 2025/09/11 | Accepted: 2025/12/20 | Published: 2025/12/20
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