Effect of learning approaches on the academic profile of fourth year undergraduate students of a Private Medical College.

Abstract

Objective: To identify the learning approaches and assess the effect of learning approaches on the academic profile of fourth year MBBS students of a private medical college of Lahore. Study Design: Descriptive study. Setting: Fatima Memorial College of Medicine, Lahore, Pakistan. Period: July to September 2019. Material & Methods: 97 fourth year medical students. R-SPQ-2F validated questionnaire was used to identify the learning approaches. Academic profile in the form of percentages of university third professional examination were taken in two categories (<65% and >65 %) while academic background of intermediate and A levels examination was inquired after fulfilling all ethical considerations. Results: A total of 97 fourth year MBBS students participated having a mean age 22±0.889 with female predominance. Majority 89 (91.8%) had done intermediate compared to 8 (8.2%) A levels. Preferred learning approach was surface 52 (53.6%) compared to 45 (46.4%) deep. Strategic approach was dominant, surface strategy 32 (33%), deep strategy 26 (26.8%), surface motive 20 (20.6%) and deep motive 19(19.6%) respectively. Significant relationship (p 0.037) between learning approaches and academic profile was observed. Learning approaches were significantly related (p 0.002) with academic profile especially in students securing more than 65% having a deep strategy approach. Conclusion: Majority students were surface and strategic learners. Students with better academic performance were deep learners.