Cognitive Constructivism in the Development of Medical Education

Abstract

This study introduces cognitive constructivism in reference to its emergence in the development of medical education. The main concepts of cognitive constructivism as they relate to knowledge construction and the learner’s process were described, and cognitive constructivism as a learning theory was examined in its capacity to help interpret the phenomenon of medical education. Piaget’s theory of cognitive constructivism and Ausubel’s meaningful learning theory were applied in an attempt to explore the role of students and educators, curriculum, and teaching and learning in medical education from a cognitive constructivist perspective. When faced with new information, learners compare it with the existing schema to understand, and in order to resolve conflicts caused by inconsistencies in the information, learners incorporate assimilation and accommodation to help maintain equilibration. Therefore, instructors must meaningfully connect new content to the learner’s existing schema and make endless efforts to satisfy learners’ intellectual curiosity. The basic premises of medical education content is a suitable subject of meaningful learning. A learner who already possesses well-structured knowledge is likely to experience meaningful learning and a richer intellectual experience. Therefore, it is necessary to organize the curriculum strategically and elaborately so that learners can have an improved and effective learning experience.