Students' Perspective on Active Learning in Nutrition Education

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the perception of nutrition undergraduates about the use of active methodologies as teaching-learning tools for the Nutrition Education course.

Methods: Quali-quantitative cross-sectional research with application of a structured questionnaire and subsequent use of focus groups.

Participants: Fifty-three sixth and eighth semester nutrition students, taking or having taken the course of Nutrition Education, with mean age (SD) of 23.6 (±5.02) years; 84% were females, and 54% were sixth semester students. Ten students (8 females) participated in the qualitative phase of the research.

Phenomenon of interest: The use of active learning (AL) in the Nutrition Education course in a university with a traditional teaching method.

Analysis: Descriptive statistics was performed using absolute and relative frequencies, whereas qualitative analysis was based on categorical content analysis.

Results: Participants reported not knowing the meaning of AL, but they believed that these methodologies were useful for their learning process and different from what they had experienced in the traditional method.

Conclusions and implications: In the above-mentioned course, AL improved students' skills, which should be developed throughout their degree program, and familiarized them with methods that can be replicated in their professional life, be it in an academic career or in other fields.

Keywords: food and nutrition education; higher education; methodology.