Abstract
BackgroundMany studies have explored approaches to learning in medical school, mostly in the classroom setting. In the clinical setting, students face different conditions that may affect their learning. Understanding students’ approaches to learning is important to improve learning in the clinical setting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) as an instrument for measuring clinical learning in medical education and also to show whether learning approaches vary between rotations.MethodsAll students involved in this survey were undergraduates in their clinical phase. The SPQ was adapted to the clinical setting and was distributed in the last week of the clerkship rotation. A longitudinal study was also conducted to explore changes in learning approaches.ResultsTwo hundred and nine students participated in this study (response rate 82.0%). The SPQ findings supported a two-factor solution involving deep and surface approaches. These two factors accounted for 45.1% and 22.5%, respectively, of the variance. The relationships between the two scales and their subscales showed the internal consistency and factorial validity of the SPQ to be comparable with previous studies. The clinical students in this study had higher scores for deep learning. The small longitudinal study showed small changes of approaches to learning with different rotation placement but not statistically significant.ConclusionsThe SPQ was found to be a valid instrument for measuring approaches to learning among clinical students. More students used a deep approach than a surface approach. Changes of approach not clearly occurred with different clinical rotations.
Highlights
Many studies have explored approaches to learning in medical school, mostly in the classroom setting
The purpose of the present study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) for use in clinical learning in medical education and to determine whether learning approaches vary between rotations
One-half (107) were housed in dormitories or home stays, about one-third (76) lived with parents and a small proportion lived with other relatives (17) or alone (9)
Summary
Many studies have explored approaches to learning in medical school, mostly in the classroom setting. Students who adopt a deep approach are predominantly motivated by an interest in learning for its own sake and an interest in the subject material They attempt to understand the underlying structure and meaning, examine evidence critically, use it cautiously and actively relate new information to previous knowledge. Students who adopt a surface approach are predominantly motivated either by a desire to complete the course or by a fear of failure Their intention is to fulfill the course requirements by memorizing and reproducing specific facts or pieces of disconnected information for examinations. Students who adopt a strategic/achieving approach are predominantly motivated by the achievement of high grades and a sense of competition Their main intention is to be successful, and they are prepared to use any means necessary, depending on what they feel would produce the most successful results
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