A Descriptive Review of Education Theories and Frameworks in Health Professions Education Research

Educational theory and theoretical frameworks can and should underpin health professions education research (HPER). The aim of this qualitative review is to identify and describe the educational theories and theoretical frameworks utilized in published HPER.

A process of stepwise stratified cluster random sampling was used to select original education research publications for inclusion in the review. Seventy-five journals were identified as publishing HPER and were organized into three categories: General Medical Education, Medical Education in Specific Domains, and Other Health Professions. Fifteen journals, five from each category, were randomly selected, and original research publications from a 2-year period between January-December 2019 and January-December 2022 were compiled. Ninety articles met inclusion criteria. Qualitative content analysis guided data extraction, allowing reviewers to categorize and determine the frequency of use of educational theories and frameworks.

Out of the 90 publications, 55 (61.1%) had at least one named theory or framework, 25 (27.8%) had at least two, and 7 (7.8%) publications had three. There were nine major theoretical areas represented in the sampled studies: Assessment, Cognitive Learning Processes, Constructivism, Critical Theories, Curriculum Development, Identity Formation/Career Development, Motivation, Self-Regulation, and Social Theories of Learning.

Approximately 60% of health professions education research studies explicitly use an educational theory or framework, and most of those studies provided a corresponding citation. Yet, the analysis indicates variability in how theory is applied. Future studies should investigate how appropriately HPER utilizes educational theories and frameworks to inform research design, analysis, and interpretation.