Abstract
ObjectivesTo determine learning strategies, study habits, and online social networking use of undergraduates at an Irish medical school, and their relationship with academic performance. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Year 2 and final year undergraduate-entry and graduate-entry students at an Irish medical school. Data about participants’ demographics and educational background, study habits (including time management), and use of online media was collected using a self-report questionnaire. Participants’ learning strategies were measured using the 18-item Approaches to Learning and Studying Inventory (ALSI). Year score percentage was the measure of academic achievement. The association between demographic/educational factors, learning strategies, study habits, and academic achievement was statistically analysed using regression analysis. ResultsForty-two percent of students were included in this analysis (n=376). A last-minute “cramming” time management study strategy was associated with increased use of online social networks. Learning strategies differed between undergraduate- and graduate-entrants, with the latter less likely to adopt a ‘surface approach’ and more likely adopt a ‘study monitoring’ approach. Year score percentage was positively correlated with the ‘effort management/organised studying’ learning style. Poorer academic performance was associated with a poor time management approach to studying (“cramming”) and increased use of the ‘surface learning’ strategy. ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that effort management and organised studying should be promoted, and surface learning discouraged, as part of any effort to optimise academic performance in medical school. Excessive use of social networking contributes to poor study habits, which are associated with reduced academic achievement.
Highlights
There are numerous determinants of academic success in medical school, including prior academic achievement, personality traits, and individual differences in cognitive strategies employed during learning.[1,2] A 25-year retrospective study conducted in a UK medical school concluded that high grades in second-level chemistry and biology examinations were predictors of later academic success in medical school.[3]
No significant difference in mean year score percentage was observed between the three study locations (F (2, 342) = 0.85, p = 0.43). 47.1% of the sample identified themselves as using a “cramming” (“huge amounts in the weeks leading up to exams”) time management strategy, with 49.7% reporting a “consistent” (“consistently throughout the academic year”) strategy
The latter time management strategy was associated with higher mean year score percentage (‘consistent’ vs. ‘cramming’, 72% vs. 63.3%, t (349) = 1.98, p < 0.05)
Summary
There are numerous determinants of academic success in medical school, including prior academic achievement, personality traits, and individual differences in cognitive strategies employed during learning.[1,2] A 25-year retrospective study conducted in a UK medical school concluded that high grades in second-level chemistry and biology examinations were predictors of later academic success in medical school.[3]. In relation to cognitive factors, it has been suggested that the predictive power of learning strategies is under-researched in the context of medical education,[1] with some researchers concluding that students’ preferred learning strategy accounts for 49% of the variance in examination results amongst pre-clinical medical students.[7]
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