1 2 3 4 5 The curriculum of the schools should be subject-centered or content-centered (e.g., basic science subjects such as chemistry, anatomy, pathology, and clinical science subjects). 1 2 3 4 5 The teacher should be an authority figure/expert in the classroom. 1 2 3 4 5 The purpose of education is to prepare students for life. 1 2 3 4 5 Students should be permitted to determine their own curriculum. 1 2 3 4 5 Material is taught effectively when it is broken down into small parts. 1 2 3 4 5 Students learn best when there is dialogue between them and a group facilitator who is on equal status with them. 1 2 3 4 5 The curriculum of a school should be determined by content that is essential for all students to know. 1 2 3 4 5 The aim of education should be to cultivate the rational thinking abilities of students. 1 2 3 4 5 The curriculum should focus on problem-solving skills. Students should learn how to define, analyze, and solve problems. 1 2 3 4 5 Students who do not want to study should be allowed to spend their time the way they desire. 1 2 3 4 5 People are shaped by their environment. 1 2 3 4 5 Differences between students arise from their particular cultural and social situation and can be minimized as they recognize their common needs and problems. 1 2 3 4 5 The purpose of education is to teach students a core of knowledge that should be known by all educated persons. 1 2 3 4 5 Moral truths should be taught in school. 1 2 3 4 5 The curriculum of the school should be determined jointly by students, faculty, and other involved participants. 1 2 3 4 5 Reality is determined by each individual's perceptions. There is no objective and universal reality. 1 2 3 4 5 Programmed learning is an effective method of teaching content. 1 2 3 4 5 The health professions curriculum should focus on critical thinking about important social and political issues. 1 2 3 4 5 The student must read and master key content/material. 1 2 3 4 5 There exists a core of knowledge that everyone (all educated people) should know. 1 2 3 4 5 The curriculum of the school should be built around the personal experiences and needs of the students. 1 2 3 4 5 School should offer students a wide variety of curriculum options; students should have a wide range of choice. 1 2 3 4 5 Students learn best through reinforcement, such as points for participation in class, rewards for following rules. 1 2 3 4 5 Students should consider key social and cultural situations in the community in their health professions program. 1 2 3 4 5 The teacher is a master of various subjects. 1 2 3 4 5 The curriculum of the schools should focus on the great thinkers of the past. 1 2 3 4 5 Students should be actively engaged in experimentation and discovery. 1 2 3 4 5 Effective learning is unstructured and informal. 1 2 3 4 5 Reality is the physical world. 1 2 3 4 5 Health professions faculty members should begin educational planning by focusing first on social and political issues that will affect patients and society. 1 2 3 4 5 The curriculum should be separated into individual subject areas rather than organized as integrated disciplines. Students should study basic science separate from and before clinical practice. 1 2 3 4 5 Art should focus on the study of the masterpieces of the world's great artists. (Each health profession student should study the history of that specific profession's culture and history.) 1 2 3 4 5 The role of the teacher is to guide students in their mastery of problem-solving processes. 1 2 3 4 5 The purpose of school is to help students find the meaning of their existence. 1 2 3 4 5 People learn from their reactions to prior (external?) stimuli. 1 2 3 4 5 Health professions faculty members are most successful when they assist their students to develop awareness of social and political issues. 1 2 3 4 5 A key role of education is to preserve democracy. 1 2 3 4 5 An effective education is not aimed at the immediate needs of the students or society. 1 2 3 4 5 Art should focus on individual expression and creativity. (Students should be encouraged to express individuality and creativity.) 1 2 3 4 5 Individuals are basically alone, since they never truly communicate with anyone else. 1 2 3 4 5 The curriculum of the schools should focus on real world scientific observations and empirical laws of behavior. 1 2 3 4 5 Health professions faculty members should encourage students to examine their values and beliefs and to raise critical questions, especially about societal values. 1 2 3 4 5 Academic rigor is an essential component of education. 1 2 3 4 5 All students, regardless of ability, should study the same curriculum. 1 2 3 4 5 An effective classroom is democratic; students should have input into decision-making. 1 2 3 4 5 Each person has free will to develop as s/he sees fit. 1 2 3 4 5 The role of the teacher is to motivate students by using external reinforcement such as points for correct answers and turning in homework on time. 1 2 3 4 5 Students' beliefs and feelings must be brought to their awareness and become involved in their learning. 1 2 3 4 5 Effective schools/faculty members assign a substantial amount of homework. 1 2 3 4 5 Education should focus on the discussion of timeless questions such as what is beauty? or what is truth? 1 2 3 4 5 Students should be active participants in the learning process. 1 2 3 4 5 There are no external standards of beauty. Beauty is what individuals decide it to be. 1 2 3 4 5 There is no innate sense of guilt or right or wrong. 1 2 3 4 5 Health professions curriculum needs to focus on the critical examination of controversial issues. 1 2 3 4 5 It is the role of the teacher to communicate knowledge to the student; for example, by lecturing on subject matter. 1 2 3 4 5 Teacher-guided discovery or facilitation is a key method of teaching students. 1 2 3 4 5 The major way students learn is from each other. 1 2 3 4 5 It is more important for a student to develop a positive self-concept than to learn specific subject matter. 1 2 3 4 5 Frequent objective testing is the best way to determine what students know. 1 2 3 4 5 The primary role of a faculty member is to increase student awareness of social issues and to help student learn how to have an impact on health care in the community.
Exercise 1.3A: A Personal Philosophy Inventory
