Learning through failure in the pharmacy laboratory
What
This toolkit reframes failure in the lab as a structured opportunity for learning rather than a source of shame. It offers practical strategies to create psychologically safe laboratory environments, normalize error analysis, and translate setbacks into resilient, reflective practice without compromising safety or standards.
Why
Research in productive failure, impasse-driven learning, and educational psychology indicates that confronting and analyzing mistakes enhances understanding, problem-solving, and critical thinking (Oxford Learning, 2023; Psychology Today, 2023). In high-stakes disciplines such as pharmacy, errors are often perceived as threats, which can suppress intellectual risk-taking and impede learning. By cultivating a growth mindset, encouraging reflection, and explicitly supporting self-regulation, educators can help students see mistakes as opportunities to learn. Inclusive practices also ensure that students from diverse backgrounds feel safe participating and sharing insights, thereby strengthening teamwork, trust, and equitable engagement (Borge et al., 2022; Hicks et al., 2023; Clarke, 2023).
How
This guide comes with a student questionnaire and a brochure of good practices to make implementation straightforward. Begin with safety – mitigate hazards, codify clear protocols, and reduce the severity of consequences so students can experiment responsibly. Use the brochure’s prompts to build an error-friendly climate, model fallibility, enlist near-peer mentors, and form small, trusting cohorts. Shift assessment toward process with the suggested tools – reflective lab journals, plan-before-practice sessions, and recorded counseling for later analysis. The questionnaire can help you diagnose attitudes toward failure and teamwork; in the team’s findings, students valued collaboration yet hesitated to disclose mistakes, which underscores the value of teaching reflective debriefing and dignifying error talk.
Impact
When educators create norms that value error disclosure, support reflective debriefing, and reward iteration, students become more willing to engage with missteps constructively. This approach develops habits essential for safe, collaborative, and reflective laboratory practice. Aligning labs with EDIA principles, such as equitable voice, respect for diverse experiences, and clarity in expectations, ensures that learning from failure is inclusive, meaningful, and supports professional skill development.
References
Atanasiu, R. (2023, September 28). What exactly do we learn from failure? Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/to-choose-or-not-to-choose/202309/what-exactly-do-we-learn-from-failure
Borge M, Soto JA, Aldemir T, Mena JA. Building multicultural competence by fostering collaborative skills. Teaching of Psychology. 2022;49(1):85‑92. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628320977421
Hicks ET, Alvarez MdIC, Domenech Rodríguez MM. Impact of difficult dialogues on social justice attitudes during a Multicultural Psychology course. Teaching of Psychology. 2023;50(2):175‑183. https://doi.org/10.1177/00986283221104057
Clarke CH. Multicultural University Students Learn Collaborative Leadership in Hawaii Beyond the Classroom: A Qualitative Case Study. In: Egitim S, Umemiya Y, editors. Leaderful Classroom Pedagogy Through an Interdisciplinary Lens. Springer; 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6655-4_13
Oxford Learning. (2020). The role of failure in learning. Retrieved from https://oxfordlearning.com/the-role-of-failure-in-learning/
Original materials developed by:
Claire Coderch Boué, Universidad San Pablo CEU
Karmen Kapp, University of Helsinki
Tuuli Karhu, University of Helsinki
Quynh Le, Umeå University
José Ángel Martínez González, Universidad San Pablo CEU
Hege Sietvold, Nord University