Abstract
Objectives: To assess different learning approaches of 3rd year medical students of the College of Medicine, King Saud University (KSU) and to identify potential factors that may play a role in their performance
Design: Cross-sectional study
Setting: College of Medicine at KSU, Saudi Arabia
Subjects: Two hundred and fifty-six year-3 students
Main Outcome Measures: Learning methods, study materials used, prior preparation to the course and pattern of attendance at lectures and clinical sessions, exploring the relationship of these measures with medicine course mid-term written exam scores.
Results: Out of 256 students, 143 males and 88 females were responders. Their learning methods were: understanding 93(40.3%), memorizing 24(10.4%), and both 114 (49.4%) students. The study material used by them for preparation of examination was text books 25 (10.8%), handouts 99 (42.9%), and pocket books 107 (46.3%) students. The number of usual study hours correlated significantly with exam scores (r = 0.81, p < 0 0001) Students who attended all clinical sessions scored higher marks in written examination The multiple regression analysis identified the number of study hours, GPA, handouts as study materials, prior preparation to course, and number of clinical sessions absent as independent predictors for students' performance in the medicine examination.
Conclusions: This study has shown that, students' performance could be predicted based on their ways of learning and study materials used for preparing for their examinations. Validation of predictors in another sample is required so as to educate students with appropriate study strategies for better performances in their examinations.