Elaborating on the pedagogical knowledge management process in clinical education: A grounded theory study

Abstract Background: Pedagogical knowledge management (PKM) is contributory to professional development and the promotion of clinical education quality. An efficient PKM requires understanding the associated process and dimensions in clinical education. Therefore, this study aimed to explain the theoretical process of PKM.Methods: This qualitative study used a grounded theory approach. The participants comprised 27 clinical teachers, who were affiliated with Birjand University of Medical Sciences and had the required experience or knowledge about medical education. They were selected via a purposive, theoretical sampling method and went through semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analyzed based on Corbin and Strauss’s analytical approach (2008) through constant comparison of the data until the classes were saturated, and the grounded theory emerged. Ultimately, the rigor and trustworthiness of the research were assessed based on Lincoln and Guba’s criteria.Results: From the data analysis, 3615 primary codes and 7 core categories emerged. The results indicated that a psychosocial process governs the PKM of the faculty, which is affected by personal egos, inadequate and inappropriate learning of pedagogical knowledge, empirical practice, imbalance between multiple teacher tasks in clinical education due to the dominance of treatment over education, inappropriate knowledge organization and storage, and lack of optimal time management. Obvious consequences include the inability to create and apply pedagogical knowledge and clinical training based on trial and error.Conclusions: The results of this article can be used for policy-making in clinical education to promote the PKM platforms, which ultimately leads to quality clinical education and community health promotion.