ArticleMedical education2026
Power distance within online and face-to-face medical education in Sri Lanka and the UK.
Article in Medical education, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Near-Peer Anatomy-Anchored Teaching.The clinical teacher · 2026Article
- Power distance within student-teacher relationships: Let us talk about the rich pictures.Medical education · 2026Article
- Power distance within online and face-to-face medical education in Sri Lanka and the UK.Medical education · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe student-teacher relationship can impact learning - power distance is an integral component of this relationship. This study drew on Hofstede's Model of National Culture to compare UK and Sri Lankan students' and teachers' experiences of power in online and face-to-face learning environments.
methodsA qualitative, exploratory approach was employed. Fourteen interviews and two focus groups were undertaken with undergraduate medical students and teachers in the two settings, during which participants drew their perceptions of power in both learning environments (online and face-to-face). These rich pictures were analysed using aesthetic analysis alongside participants' interview responses, to explore patterns and construct themes for reporting.
resultsThough differences between cultures and learning environments were expected, teachers and students in both countries shared understandings of power distance in the teacher-student relationship and expected the teacher to hold power in both online and face-to-face environments. Teachers expressed a desire to lessen hierarchical relationships and attempted to minimise power differentials when online or face-to-face. Strategies for reducing power distance included addressing students by name, using informal and respectful communication, establishing common ground and showing their 'humane' side. DISCUSSION: To achieve greater partnership with students, it is recommended that educators recognise students' strengths and leverage possibilities within their chosen learning environment to modulate the degree of power distance, promote participation and optimise learning.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.