ArticleBMC medical education2026
From motivation to meaning in medical humanities: a mixed-methods study of Chinese medical students' value internalization.
Article in BMC 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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Impact of integrating body and organ donation education into anatomy teaching on medical students' concepts of respect for life: a mixed-methods cluster randomized trial.BMC medical education · 2026Trial
- Evaluating a corpus-based intervention in medical English writing: a mixed-methods study.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Construction of a nursing internship system through institutional collaboration: current status, challenges, and optimization pathways.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
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6 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundMedical humanities are expected to strengthen humanistic values in future health professionals, including those in medicine, nursing, and public health, yet how students internalize such values across learning contexts is not fully understood. This study examined how different types of motivation relate to engagement, and how emotions and clinical experiences may support value internalization.
methodsWe conducted a mixed-methods study at a Chinese medical university. Survey data from 161 undergraduate students across clinical medicine, nursing, and public health programs were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM), and semi-structured interviews with 30 students provided qualitative insights.
resultsDevelopmental motivation predicted both course satisfaction and professional identity (β = 0.47, p < 0.001). Avoidant motivation reduced affective satisfaction (β=-0.18, p = 0.021). Clinical internship appeared to strengthen the pathway from satisfaction to professional identity (Δβ=+0.14, p = 0.012). Qualitative themes highlighted emotional engagement as a turning point for reflection. Clinical settings appeared to act as catalysts, reinforcing or sometimes challenging how classroom knowledge was translated into professional practice.
conclusionsMotivation alone does not fully explain how values are internalized. Our findings suggest that emotions and clinical context may serve as important bridges, supporting the translation of humanities learning into professional commitments. These results highlight the potential value of curricula that integrate experiential teaching with supportive clinical environments, although causal effects cannot be confirmed in this observational study.
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