ABSTRACT
This research project aimed to analyze the strategy of usingtutorial groupsas part of a medical degree curriculum mostly traditional in style instead of problem-guided, according to views expressed orally by medical students at a Brazilianhigher education institution. To better understand the subject, we chose to developqualitative research. The theoretical and methodological references used are authors who discuss the teaching-learning and language area processes, as well as discourse analysis. Instruments employed includeconversation circle techniques, field diaries and observations. Language repertoires were identified from the students’ comments, with a focus on the controversies of the speech, which formed seven sets of directions. Based on the students’ opinions, our conclusion is that the use of atutoring strategy inspired by Problem-Based Learning in more traditional curricula may serve as an alternative for instigating curricular change processes in order to build more meaningful learning, provided there is coherent planning with the course’s teaching goals, resulting in the development of autonomy, critical thinking, respect and learning from differences, which are important skills to be developed by future doctors.
Tutorial Group; Medical Education; Meaningful Learning; Problem-Based Learning; Curriculum