THE PREFERENCE OF LEARNING METHODS AND THE UTILITY AND USEFULNESS OF LEARNING METHODS AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS IN SOUTH INDIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Introduction: Lectures are traditional sources of learning and are effective with face-to-face interactions but lack efficacy because of distractions and the lack of attentiveness of students to lecture. This study aimed to assess the preference for learning methods among medical students and the utility and usefulness of learning methods among medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 566 medical students in a tertiary care teaching hospital all over Tamilnadu, South India using web-based platforms for 4 months (December 2021 to March 2022). Participants were selected by using a convenience sampling method. A pre-tested and semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data on sociodemographic details (gender, age, level of degree, time spent on learning) and preference of learning methods for their university examination and competitive exam. The data was analyzed by using an independent t-test, Chi-square test, and Binary logistic regression, and the data was represented as Mean, Standard Deviation (SD), Frequency, and Percentage. Results: The mean (SD) age of the participants was 22.78 (2.62) years. Among the 566 responses, the offline mode 438 (73%) of education was preferred among medical students over the online mode of education 128 (23%). More than half of the participants preferred textbooks 406 (71.7%) followed by 327 (57.8%) written notes in offline mode and nearly half of them preferred the Google/internet search 346 (61.1%) followed by YouTube 315 (55.7%) in online mode. Age [AOR:0.88 95%CI (0.80-0.96)]is the only predictor of the preference for online learning and which is statistically significant (p-0.038) Conclusion: Traditional offline learning methods are well accepted than online learning methods among medical students in Tamil N?du. By emphasizing the importance of e-learning and incorporating it effectively into the curriculum, institutions can cater to the diverse learning needs of medical students in Tamil Nadu.