Learning Strategies among Medical Students in a selected University in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Introduction: The discipline of medicine is continually changing and evolving, and with it, medical education. It is difficult to develop the attitudes, knowledge, and abilities needed to become a competent physician within a short amount of time. The purpose of this study is to identify and compare the practice of surface, strategic, and deep learning strategies by third-year medical students and students who have passed the final MBBS examination.Methods: The Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) – a 52-item questionnaire was given to 138 medical undergraduates at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. The ethics review committee of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura granted ethical clearance for this study (Ref. no. 45/17).Results: The strategic approach was shown to be the most common strategy [78.3%(108/138)] practiced by medical students [Students who completed their final MBBS exams [80.6% (25/31)] and third-year medical students (77.6% (83/107)]. The deep approach was used by 21 (15.2%) individuals and the surface apathetic approach by 9 (6.5%) participants, respectively. Percentage 82.6 (76/92) of females and 69.6% (32/46) of males reported adhering to a strategic approach. A statistically significant difference was not observed in the learning strategies used between the two study populations.Conclusions: The strategic approach was commonly practiced by the study population. The results indicate that deep learning strategies were not utilized among medical undergraduates in their curriculum. Future medical curriculum revisions need to take these findings seriously and develop an instructional design to promote a deep learning approach.