Publication:

Faculty perceptions on barriers affecting small group teaching in undergraduate medical education

Background Small group teaching (SGT) is a central instructional strategy within competency-based medical education (CBME) by NMC, formally implemented in undergraduate medical education in India in 2019. SGT promotes active learning, critical thinking, collaboration, and self-directed learning. However, despite curricular emphasis, effective implementation remains inconsistent across institutions due to behavioral, curricular, and contextual challenges. Hence, the present study was conducted to assess faculty perceptions on barriers affecting small group teaching in undergraduate medical education.

Methods A cross-sectional mixed-methods study was conducted among 100 teaching faculty members and postgraduate tutors involved in undergraduate teaching at a tertiary care medical college, Bengaluru. A validated self-administered questionnaire assessed perceived barriers across four domains: student-related, faculty-related, curriculum-related, and infrastructure-related. Responses were recorded on a five-point Likert scale. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and expressed as frequencies, percentages, and mean Likert scores. Qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results Student-related barriers were perceived as the most significant challenge (76%). Infrastructure-related barriers showed moderate agreement (57%), followed by curriculum-related barriers (56.1%). Faculty-related barriers were the least perceived (50.9%). Student unpreparedness (79.8%) was the most frequently reported barrier. Perceptions were largely consistent across designation, years of teaching experience, and CBME training status. Thematic analysis demonstrated that student-related concerns constituted 46% of qualitative responses.

Conclusions Faculty perceive student preparedness and motivation as the primary barriers affecting SGT. Addressing these modifiable factors through structured orientation, curricular alignment, and institutional support is essential to strengthening CBME implementation.