Abstract
BackgroundThe current study aimed to evaluate the previously unexplored correlation between undergraduate medical students’ attendance during their surgical clerkship and their academic performance. It also aimed to explore any difference in the attendance rate between male and female students and whether this difference, if present, affects the academic performance.MethodsA retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study has been conducted on 331 undergraduate medical students during their surgical clerkships at the College of Medicine and Medical Sciences (CMMS) at Arabian Gulf University (AGU), Bahrain from September 2018 to June 2020.ResultsThere was a positive statistically significant correlation between students’ attendance during surgical clerkship and academic performance (r = 0.360, P < 0.01). Mean attendance rate was greater in each increasing category of academic performance: 47.95% in the weak category (less than 65%, n = 42), 57.62% in the good performance category (65% to less than 75%, n = 108), 67.82% in the very good performance category (75% to less than 85%, n = 126), 83.16% in the excellent performance category (85% and above, n = 55). The mean attendance rate of male students was 59.76% (SD = 25.73), compared to 66.92% (SD = 24.30) in the female students. T-test indicated that the difference between the mean attendance of the two groups of the students (male, female) was statistically significant (t = 2.483, p < 0.05). On the other hand, the difference between the mean academic performance for the two groups of students, male & female, (t = 0.284, p = 0.777) was not statistically significant.ConclusionsOur study showed a significant relationship between undergraduate medical students’ attendance during their surgical clerkship and their academic performance. Further studies are needed to stratify this correlation according to clinical and theoretical teaching activities. No significant difference was observed in academic performance between female and male students.
Highlights
The current study aimed to evaluate the previously unexplored correlation between undergraduate medical students’ attendance during their surgical clerkship and their academic performance
This study aimed to explore the extent of correlation between attendance and performance among undergraduate medical students during their surgical clerkship in particular
Attendance rate according to performance levels Mean attendance rate was greater in each increasing category of academic performance: 47.95% in the weak category, 57.62% in the good performance category (65% to less than 75%, n = 108), 67.82% in the very good performance category (75% to less than 85%, n = 126), and 83.16% in the excellent performance category (85% and above, n = 55) (Fig. 2)
Summary
The current study aimed to evaluate the previously unexplored correlation between undergraduate medical students’ attendance during their surgical clerkship and their academic performance. The key for an undergraduate medical student to fulfil academic achievements and rewards is to attend the learning activities and be fully committed. This positive correlation has been observed at all student levels including those with low scoring abilities [1]. Despite this global realization, absenteeism of undergraduate students from medical and health science schools continues to be a major issue negatively affecting student performance [1]. The university resources are underused, the teaching staff are not motivated, and the student-teacher relationship becomes burdensome [3]
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