| Literature DB >> 25812556 |
Abstract
PURPOSE: This study aims at increasing our understanding of first-year medical students' learning behaviors, major satisfaction, and study skills. We investigate different features of freshmen's behavior in relation to learning and explore the extent to which freshmen were satisfied with their major and perceived their study skills.Entities:
Keywords: Learning; Medical students; Personal satisfaction; Test taking skill
Year: 2011 PMID: 25812556 PMCID: PMC8814501 DOI: 10.3946/kjme.2011.23.2.83
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Korean J Med Educ ISSN: 2005-727X
Frequencies and Percentage of Learner Characteristics
| Learner characteristics | No. (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | Female | 54 (50.9) |
| Male | 52 (49.1) | |
| Housing type | Home | 18 (17.0) |
| Lodging | 66 (62.3) | |
| Dormitory | 22 (20.8) | |
| Admission process | Regular | 55 (52.4) |
| Rolling | 50 (47.6) | |
| Target college | Yes | 54 (50.9) |
| No | 52 (49.1) | |
| First semester GPA | A0 or A+ | 29 (29.3) |
| B0 or B+ | 52 (52.5) | |
| C0 or C+ | 18 (18.2) | |
Difference Analysis of Difficulties of Studying, Enthusiasm for Studying, and Effect of Study Group by Gender
| Learning behaviors | M | SD | No. | Female | Male | t | p-value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
| ||||||||
| M | SD | M | SD | ||||||
| Difficulties of studying | 3.70 | 0.66 | 106 | 3.76 | 0.58 | 3.63 | 0.74 | 0.97 | 0.34 |
| Enthusiasm for studying | 3.26 | 0.77 | 106 | 3.28 | 0.83 | 3.25 | 0.71 | 0.18 | 0.85 |
| Effect of study group | 3.73 | 0.90 | 44 | 4.00 | 0.59 | 3.40 | 1.10 | 2.20 | 0.03 |
Five-point Likert-type scale.
M: Mean, SD: Standard deviation.
Distribution of Factors of Difficulties in Studying
| Factors | M | SD | Strongly disagree | Mostly disagree | Moderately agree | Mostly agree | Strongly agree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discrepancies between aptitude and major | 2.27 | 1.01 | 25 (23.6) | 42 (39.6) | 27 (25.5) | 9 (8.5) | 3 (2.8) |
| Lack of prior learning | 3.42 | 0.99 | 3 (2.9) | 15 (14.3) | 36 (34.3) | 37 (35.2) | 14 (13.3) |
| Difficulties of task performance | 2.94 | 0.84 | 4 (3.8) | 25 (23.6) | 53 (50.0) | 21 (19.8) | 3 (2.8) |
| Lack of time to extracurricular activities | 2.75 | 1.12 | 14 (13.2) | 32 (30.2) | 36 (34.0) | 15 (14.2) | 9 (8.5) |
| Lack of information on how to study | 3.32 | 0.88 | 2 (1.9) | 16 (15.2) | 40 (38.1) | 40 (38.1) | 7 (6.7) |
| Economic difficulties | 2.82 | 1.00 | 8 (7.6) | 33 (31.4) | 40 (38.1) | 18 (17.1) | 6 (5.7) |
| Difficulties of human relationships | 2.62 | 0.99 | 11 (10.5) | 41 (39.0) | 35 (33.3) | 13 (12.4) | 5 (4.8) |
M: Mean, SD: Standard deviation.
Multiple Regression of Difficulties in Studying (n=104)
| Predictors | Unstandardized coefficients | Standardized coefficients | t | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
| ||||
| B | SE | Beta | |||
| Constant | 2.941 | 0.252 | 11.654 | 0.000 | |
| Lack of prior learning | 0.205 | 0.063 | 0.306 | 3.275 | 0.001 |
| Discrepancies between aptitude and major | -0.164 | 0.059 | -0.251 | -2.766 | 0.007 |
| Difficulties of human relationships | 0.164 | 0.062 | 0.246 | 2.662 | 0.009 |
|
| |||||
| R=0.462, R2 (adj. R2)=0.213 (0.190), F=9.032 (p<0.01) | |||||
SE: Standard error.
Cross-Tabulations of Attendance at Classes by Housing Type and Target College
| Learner | characteristics | Attend | Absent | Total | X2 (p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing type | Home | 14 (77.8) | 4 (22.2) | 18 | 20.80 (p=0.00) |
| Lodging | 21 (31.8) | 45 (68.2) | 66 | ||
| Dorm | 17 (77.3) | 5 (22.7) | 22 | ||
| Target college | Yes | 33 (61.1) | 21 (38.9) | 54 | 6.40 (p=0.01) |
| No | 19 (36.5) | 33 (63.5) | 52 | ||
| Total | 52 (49.1) | 54 (50.9) | 106 |
Distribution of Major Satisfaction (n=105)
| Major satisfaction | M | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Overall satisfaction of the department | 3.44 | 0.83 |
| Course contents | 3.20 | 0.83 |
| Teaching methods | 3.04 | 0.81 |
| Evaluating fairly | 3.30 | 0.83 |
| Learning environment | 2.95 | 1.04 |
| Total | 3.18 | 0.68 |
Five-point Likert-type scale.
M: Mean, SD: Standard deviation.
Difference Analysis of Major Satisfaction by Admission Process, First Semester GPA, and Housing Type
| Major satisfaction | Admission process | t | First semester GPA | F | Housing type | F | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| |||||||||
| Regular (n=55) | Rolling (n=49) | C0/C+ (n=17) | B0/B+ (n=52) | A0/A+ (n=29) | Home (n=18) | Lodging (n=65) | Dorm (n=22) | ||||
| Overall satisfaction of the department | 3.60 | 3.24 | 2.21 | 2.76 | 3.52 | 3.62 | 7.50 | 3.44 | 3.51 | 3.23 | 0.94 |
| (0.71) | (0.93) | (1.03) | (0.75) | (0.62) | (1.04) | (0.75) | (0.87) | ||||
| Course contents | 3.33 | 3.06 | 1.65 | 2.82 | 3.13 | 3.52 | 4.13 | 3.44 | 3.26 | 2.82 | 3.49 |
| (0.75) | (0.90) | (0.95) | (0.89) | (0.57) | (0.98) | (0.78) | (0.73) | ||||
| Teaching methods | 3.13 | 2.94 | 1.19 | 2.76 | 3.04 | 3.24 | 1.93 | 3.44 | 3.03 | 2.73 | 4.15 |
| (0.77) | (0.85) | (1.03) | (0.77) | (0.69) | (0.78) | (0.81) | (0.70) | ||||
| Evaluating fairly | 3.31 | 3.27 | 0.27 | 2.71 | 3.38 | 3.59 | 7.25 | 3.72 | 3.28 | 3.00 | 4.00 |
| (0.81) | (0.86) | (1.11) | (0.75) | (0.57) | (0.83) | (0.82) | (0.76) | ||||
| Learning environment | 2.89 | 3.00 | -0.53 | 2.71 | 3.04 | 3.03 | 0.73 | 3.61 | 2.80 | 2.86 | 4.69 |
| (1.03) | (1.06) | (0.85) | (1.10) | (0.98) | (0.98) | (1.02) | (0.99) | ||||
Data are presented as mean (standard deviation).
p<0.05,
p<0.01.
Fig. 1.Distribution of 11 Study Skills (n=105)
Five-point Likert-type scale.
Difference Analysis of Study Skills by Gender and First Semester GPA
| Study skills | Gender | First semester GPA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
| ||||||
| Female (n=53) | Male (n=52) | t (p) | C0/C+ (n=17) | B0/B+ (n=52) | A0/A+ (n=29) | F (p) | |
| Note taking | 3.13 | 2.69 | 2.60 | 2.76 | 2.73 | 3.38 | 5.52 |
| (0.74) | (0.98) | (p=0.01) | (0.90) | (0.89) | (0.82) | (p=0.01) | |
| Test taking | 3.06 | 2.92 | 0.94 | 2.71 | 2.98 | 3.28 | 3.75 |
| (0.72) | (0.74) | (p=0.35) | (0.59) | (0.75) | (0.65) | (p=0.03) | |
| Computer use | 3.00 | 3.42 | -2.65 | 3.35 | 3.19 | 3.14 | 0.34 |
| (0.71) | (0.92) | (p=0.01) | (0.79) | (0.86) | (0.92) | (p=0.71) | |
Data are presented as mean (standard deviation).
Correlation Analysis of Learning Behaviors, Major Satisfaction, and Study Skills
| Item | Difficulties of studying | Enthusiasm for studying | Effect of study group | Department overall | Course contents | Teaching methods | Evaluating fairly | Learning environment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time management | -0.16 | 0.33 | 0.41 | 0.02 | 0.11 | 0.20 | 0.08 | 0.10 |
| Reading | -0.13 | 0.12 | 0.20 | 0.09 | -0.03 | 0.09 | 0.03 | 0.06 |
| Writing | -0.10 | 0.21 | -0.01 | 0.04 | 0.08 | 0.04 | 0.13 | 0.06 |
| Test taking | -0.28 | 0.18 | 0.09 | 0.17 | 0.20 | 0.31 | 0.31 | 0.29 |
| Data searching | -0.20 | 0.27 | 0.35 | -0.01 | -0.04 | 0.24 | -0.01 | 0.20 |
| Writing an essay | -0.05 | 0.40 | 0.27 | -0.03 | 0.05 | 0.16 | -0.12 | -0.04 |
| Presentation | -0.05 | 0.33 | -0.12 | 0.07 | 0.01 | 0.14 | -0.00 | 0.03 |
| Note taking | 0.00 | 0.17 | 0.39 | 0.03 | 0.17 | 0.11 | 0.10 | -0.00 |
| Stress management | -0.13 | 0.15 | -0.08 | 0.31 | 0.12 | 0.08 | 0.29 | 0.16 |
| Teamwork | 0.07 | 0.13 | 0.02 | 0.10 | -0.05 | 0.01 | 0.08 | 0.09 |
| Computer use | -0.01 | 0.06 | -0.04 | 0.02 | -0.09 | 0.00 | -0.02 | 0.09 |
p<0.05,
p<0.01.