title: Can Japanese students embrace learner-centered methods for teaching medical interviewing skills? Focus groups.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Students' perceptions of learner-centered methods for teaching medical interviewing skills have not been fully explored.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore Japanese students' perceptions of learner-centered methods for teaching medical interviewing skills such as role play with student-created scenarios, peer-assisted video reviews, and student-led small group debriefing.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted three focus groups with a total of 15 students who participated in the learner-centered seminars on medical interviewing skills at the Nagoya University School of Medicine. The transcripts were analyzed by two authors independently. Keywords and concepts were identified and a thematic framework was developed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, students valued the experience of writing their own scenarios for role play, but some questioned their realism. Many students commented that peer-assisted video reviews provided them with more objective perspectives on their performance. However, some students expressed concerns about competitiveness during the video reviews. While students appreciated teachers' minimum involvement in the group debriefing, some criticized that teachers did not explain the objectives of the seminar clearly. Many students had difficulties in exchanging constructive feedback.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We were able to gain new insights into positive and negative perceptions of students about learner-centered methods for teaching medical interviewing skills at one medical school in Japan.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Medicine, Nagoya University Hospital, 65 Tsurumai, Showa-ku, Nagoya, 466-8560, Japan. tsaiki@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saiki
authors.forename: Kei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mukohara
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Otani
authors.forename: Nobutaro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ban
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000379:methods*; D014743:Videotape Recording