Does self reflection and insight correlate with academic performance in medical students?

Sandra E Carr,Paula H Johnson

doi:10.1186/1472-6920-13-113

Abstract

BackgroundMedical students in academic difficulty are often described as lacking insight. The Self Reflection and Insight Scale (SRIS) is a tool for measuring insight which has been validated in medical students. We investigated whether self reflection and insight scores correlate with academic performance in Year 4 medical students from a six year undergraduate medical degree, and whether self reflection and insight changes after one year of clinical training.MethodsSelf reflection and insight scores were measured in 162 students at the start of Year 4 at the University of Western Australia. Performance in end of year written and clinical exams was monitored and correlated with SRIS. Seventy of the students were surveyed again at the start of Year 5 to see if scores changed or were stable after one year of full time clinical training.ResultsWe found no correlation between self reflection or insight and academic performance in written and clinical exams. There was a significant increase in recognition of the need for self reflection in Year 5 compared with Year 4.ConclusionsWhile no correlation was found between this measure of self reflection and insight with academic performance, there was an increase in students’ recognition of the need for reflection after one year of clinical studies. This study is a valuable first step towards a potentially exciting research domain and warrants further longitudinal evaluation with larger cohorts of students using additional measures of achievement.

Highlights

Medical students in academic difficulty are often described as lacking insight
A lack of insight is of particular concern in medical students and is often cited anecdotally by their supervisors as the reason for failure to improve after remediation [3]
Medical students train in a world in which the professional performance of doctors is coming under increasing scrutiny by medical boards, the media and patients [5]

Summary

Introduction

Medical students in academic difficulty are often described as lacking insight. The Self Reflection and Insight Scale (SRIS) is a tool for measuring insight which has been validated in medical students. In order for self directed learning and self regulation to be effective the student (or doctor) needs to have a degree of awareness of their own knowledge and performance, often referred to as Insight [1]. Medical students train in a world in which the professional performance of doctors is coming under increasing scrutiny by medical boards, the media and patients [5]. This has led to a major shift in how medical schools teach and monitor standards of professional behaviour in their students. Some medical boards have published guidelines for students detailing the professional behaviours expected of them [9]

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Conclusion