The association between medical students' motivation with learning environment, perceived academic rank, and burnout

The reasons for the decrease in learning motivation of medical students in South Iran

BACKGROUND

Numerous studies have shown that the motivation of medical students has decreased. If we know what factors decrease motivation, we can predict and reinforce learning behaviors in medical students. This study aimed to explore and explain the reasons for the decrease in the motivation of medical students at Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Iran.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A qualitative design based on the conventional content analysis approach was used. This study was conducted at Jahrom University of Medical Sciences in 2019-2021. Data were drawn from 24 semi-structured interviews with 52 medical students in the third year to seventh year. Purposeful sampling was performed. The average interview time was (53.42 ± 22.18) minutes. The 12 individual interviews and five focus group discussions (40 participants) were immediately verbatim and analyzed by the Colaizzi method by Max-Q (2014) data software.

RESULTS

The mean age was (22/30 ± 2/16). The mean grade was (13.34 ± 1.28). After conducting 24 semi-structural interviews, 180 in vivo codes, 17 primary codes, six sub-categories, and two main categories were obtained. Two main categories consist of the Cultural and Socio-Economic Capital Damaged and Unmotivated Educational System.

CONCLUSION

Paying attention to the educational culture of the university and the economic, social, and cultural conditions of the society is necessary to improve students' lack of motivation.

The mediating role of self-directed learning ability in the impact of educational environment, learning motivation, and emotional intelligence on metacognitive awareness in nursing students

PURPOSE

This study aimed to examine the mechanisms influencing metacognitive awareness among nursing students, encompassing educational environment, learning motivation, emotional intelligence, and self-directed learning ability. These findings could be a theoretical reference for formulating metacognitive awareness intervention strategies specifically designed for nursing students.

METHOD

Through stratified sampling, 600 nursing students were recruited from two universities in China. Data collection involved five self-report instruments: the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, Medical Education Environment Evaluation Scale, Learning Motivation Scale, Emotional Intelligence Scale, and Self-Directed Learning Ability Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis was utilized to test the measurement model, while structural equation modeling utilized multiple indices to assess model fit. Bootstrapping was conducted to analyze total, direct, and indirect effects.

RESULTS

All study variables differed significantly according to age and year level (p < 0.01). Metacognitive awareness positively correlated with the educational environment, learning motivation, emotional intelligence, and self-directed learning ability ( r = 0.493-0.729; all p < 0.01). The test of the measurement model shows good reliability and validity. The model depicting factors influencing metacognitive awareness demonstrated a good fit (χ2/df = 2.42, SRMR = 0.048, RMSEA = 0.049, CFI = 0.947, IFI = 0.935). Path analyses revealed that educational environment (EE), learning motivation (LM), and emotional intelligence (EI) directly impacted self-directed learning ability (SDLA) ( βEE = 0.189, βLM = 0.436; βEI = 0.215; all p < 0.05). Moreover, educational environment and self-directed learning ability directly influenced metacognitive awareness (βEE = 0.224, βSDLA = 0.520; all p < 0.05). Lastly, the educational environment, learning motivation, and emotional intelligence influenced metacognitive awareness by self-directed learning ability.

CONCLUSION

Metacognitive awareness in nursing students rises with age and year level. Females exhibit more potent self-directed learning abilities than males. Educational environment, motivation, and emotional intelligence indirectly influence metacognitive awareness via self-directed learning ability. This finding has enriched the ways and perspectives of metacognitive awareness training for nursing students.

Comparison of chronotype and learning motivation in medical university students

BACKGROUND

People differ in their preferred time for intellectual activities. Morningness-eveningness preferences describe the preferred time for performing daily activities and are determined by chronotype. Chronotype reflects circadian preference in humans and is divided into morning, intermediate, and evening types. Learning motivation is a key predictor of student success and may influence learning and study, academic performance, intention to continue medical research, and well-being. Helping students develop learning motivation may improve their educational achievement and health. There are opposing studies regarding chronotype and academic achievement. We hypothesized that chronotype affects the learning motivation of medical school students.

METHODS

We used the reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ), and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) for Russian, Polish, Japanese, and Australian students in the first and second years of medical university. A total of 540 medical students answered the questionnaires. The MSLQ contains six subscales: intrinsic goal orientation, extrinsic goal orientation, self-efficacy for learning and performance, control of learning beliefs, task value, and test anxiety.

RESULTS

The rMEQ was used to classify the students into three types, which were morning (26.7%), intermediate (60.5%), or evening chronotypes (12.7%) based on their scores. The learning motivation scores for the intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientations, task value, and self-efficacy were lower in evening chronotypes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that the evening chronotype had a lower learning motivation than the morning chronotype. Evening-oriented students may need a more flexible schedule, and a shift of the most important courses in the university to the afternoon may help them to attain higher motivation for learning medicine.

Impact of a change from A–F grading to honors/pass/fail grading on academic performance at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Korea: a cross-sectional serial mediation analysis

PURPOSE

This study aimed to explore how the grading system affected medical students’ academic performance based on their perceptions of the learning environment and intrinsic motivation in the context of changing from norm-referenced A–F grading to criterion-referenced honors/pass/fail grading.

METHODS

The study involved 238 second-year medical students from 2014 (n=127, A–F grading) and 2015 (n=111, honors/pass/fail grading) at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Korea. Scores on the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure, the Academic Motivation Scale, and the Basic Medical Science Examination were used to measure overall learning environment perceptions, intrinsic motivation, and academic performance, respectively. Serial mediation analysis was conducted to examine the pathways between the grading system and academic performance, focusing on the mediating roles of student perceptions and intrinsic motivation.

RESULTS

The honors/pass/fail grading class students reported more positive perceptions of the learning environment, higher intrinsic motivation, and better academic performance than the A–F grading class students. Mediation analysis demonstrated a serial mediation effect between the grading system and academic performance through learning environment perceptions and intrinsic motivation. Student perceptions and intrinsic motivation did not independently mediate the relationship between the grading system and performance.

CONCLUSION

Reducing the number of grades and eliminating rank-based grading might have created an affirming learning environment that fulfills basic psychological needs and reinforces the intrinsic motivation linked to academic performance. The cumulative effect of these 2 mediators suggests that a comprehensive approach should be used to understand student performance.

A multicenter cross-sectional study in China revealing the intrinsic relationship between medical students' grade and their perceptions of the learning environment

BACKGROUND

Medical school learning environment (MSLE) has a holistic impact on students' psychosomatic health, academic achievements, and personal development. Students in different grades perceive MSLE in different ways. Thus, it is essential to investigate the specific role of student's grade in the perception of MSLE.

METHODS

Using the Johns Hopkins Learning Environment Scale (JHLES) as a quantification instrument for the perception level of MSLE, 10,901 medical students in 12 universities in China were categorized into low or high JHLES group according to their questionnaires. We investigated the relationship between student's grade and JHLES category by univariate analysis employing Pearson Chi-square test and Welch's ANOVA. Then multivariable logistic regression analysis confirmed the predictive efficacy of student's grade. A nomogram concerning the prediction of low JHLES score probability in medical students was also constructed.

RESULTS

A significant difference between two JHLES categories among students in different grades was observed (p < 0.001), with the proportion of the high JHLES group dominating in grade 1, 5, and the graduate subgroups (p < 0.001). The mean JHLES score declined especially in the third and fourth graders compared to freshmen (p < 0.001), while the mean score among the fifth graders had a remarkable rebound from the third graders (p < 0.001). Most imperatively, identified by multivariable logistic regression analysis, students in grade 3 (OR = 1.470, 95% CI = 1.265-1.709, p < 0.001) and 4 (OR = 1.578, 95% CI = 1.326-1.878, p < 0.001) perceived more negatively than freshmen. The constructed nomogram provided a promising prediction model for student's low JHLES score probability, with accuracy, accordance, and discrimination (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.627).

CONCLUSION

The student's grade was a significant influencing factor in medical students' perception of MSLE. The perceptions among the third and fourth graders got worse, probably due to the worrying changes in various aspects of MSLE during that period. The relevant and appropriate interventions to improve medical students' perceptions are urgently needed.

How different is the Learning Environment of Public and Private Sector Medical Colleges in Lahore, Pakistan?

Background &Objective

Regular assessment of the Learning Environment (LE) of health professions education institutions is important for their continuous improvement and to keep the students motivated. Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) applies uniform standards of quality in all public and private sector medical colleges of the country. However, the learning environment of these colleges might be different due to differences in their geographic location, structure, utilization of resources, and modus operandi. This study was conducted to measure the learning environment in selected public and private sector medical colleges in the city of Lahore, Pakistan, using a pre validated instrument (Jhon Hopkins Learning Environment Scale).

Methods

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 3,400 medical students from six public and private sector medical colleges of Lahore, during November and December 2020. Data was collected through Google forms. Two stage cluster random sampling technique was used to draw the study sample. John Hopkins Learning Environment Scale (JHLES) was used for data collection.

Results

Overall JHLES mean score was 81.75 ±13.5. Public sector colleges had a significantly higher mean JHLES score (82.1) than private-sector colleges (81.1), with small effect size (0.083). Male students rated LE slightly higher than females (82.0 and 81.6 respectively).

Conclusion

JHLES a relatively simpler tool (28 items) than DREEM, can be used effectively in the context of Pakistani environment to measure the LE in medical colleges. Both, public and private sector colleges had high overall JHLES mean scores, with public sector colleges having a significantly higher score than private-sector colleges.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Students' Motivation in Relation to Asynchronous Anatomy Video Lectures

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate medical students' motivation in relation to asynchronous anatomy video lectures, carried out during COVID-19 remote teaching.

METHODS

Repeated cross-sectional modified Instructional Materials Motivation Survey questionnaire, validated in Brazil, was applied to 255 students attending the first semester of the undergraduate medical course at the José do Rosário Vellano University, in June 2020 and November 2020. The data were analyzed considering the 95% confidence level as significant (p < 0.05).

RESULTS

The overall score of motivation attributed by the students was moderate to high (3.7/5, 74%). The same occurred in relation to all dimensions of the instrument: Interest (3.6/5, 72%), Confidence (3.7/5, 74%), Attention (3.5/5, 70%), and Expectation (3.7/5, 74%). Cluster analysis showed that 78% (n = 168) of the students had moderate (72% of the maximum score) or high (86% of the maximum score) degrees of motivation. The influence of social isolation on the students' emotional state did not affect the overall motivation scores (p = 0.217) or the dimensions of motivation: Interest (p = 0342), Confidence (p = 0.061), Attention (p = 0.625), and Expectation (p = 0.094).

CONCLUSIONS

The students showed high motivation for the asynchronous video lectures of human anatomy. Although the majority of students are highly affected regarding their emotional state, due to the social isolation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this fact did not interfere with the motivation for video lectures, probably due to the high intrinsic motivation that students in the first year have in relation to anatomy. These findings alert to the importance of asynchronous video lectures as an adequate strategy for the teaching and learning of human anatomy.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-022-01714-7.

Behaviour Patterns between Academic Motivation, Burnout and Academic Performance in Primary School Students

BACKGROUND

The final years of primary school (early adolescence) are regarded as key for the academic and personal development of students. This study aims to analyze the relationship between academic motivation, academic burnout, and academic performance, differentiating between adaptive and non-adaptive patterns according to the results of the three constructs studied.

METHODS

The sample comprised 398 students, both male (N = 224; 56.28%) and female (N = 174; 43.71%) with ages ranging from 11 to 13 years (M = 11.49; DT = 0.52). The instruments used were the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) and the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS), as well as academic marks as a measure of performance.

RESULTS

The results revealed significant correlations between the three constructs under study, the variables that can be used to predict academic performance, and both adaptive and non-adaptive behavior patterns.

CONCLUSIONS

The importance of motivation, burnout, and academic performance in primary education is manifested, whose interrelation can give rise to adaptive behaviors based on high school motivation away from academic burnout that leads to a higher academic performance in students.

The Relationship between Personality, Motivation and Academic Performance at Medical Students from Romania

The academic and health system requirements are constantly growing due to the continuous development of this sector. Therefore, it is important to investigate the structural factors that improve performance in the medical system. The aim of our pilot study is to analyze if there are associations or correlations between personality and motivation and the results obtained for the National Residency Exam of Romanian medical graduates. We conducted a prospective pilot study on 179 medical students from George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, Romania between February 2021 and December 2021, who were evaluated by the DECAS, IM, and SPM scale. Our results showed that all the dimensions of personality according to the Big Five Model, which include openness (OR = 0.392, p = 0.01), extraversion (OR = 0.512, p = 0.03), conscientiousness (OR = 3.671, p = 0.004), agreeableness (OR = 2.791, p = 0.07), and emotional stability (OR = 4.863, p = 0.0003), are statistically associated with the result obtained. Motivation also plays an important role in academic achievements, through motivational persistence and motivational involvement which correlates with the conscientiousness dimension and the result obtained. This study confirms that both personality structure and motivation are associated or correlated with the academic results of medical students and represent a starting point for future research.

Effects of problem-based learning modules within blended learning courses in medical statistics - A randomized controlled pilot study

Problem-based learning (PBL) allows students to learn medical statistics through problem solving experience. The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of PBL modules implemented in the blended learning courses in medical statistics through knowledge outcomes and student satisfaction. The pilot study was designed as a randomized controlled trial that included 53 medical students who had completed all course activities. The students were randomized in two groups: the group with access to PBL modules within the blended learning course (hPBL group) and the group without access to PBL modules-only blended learning course (BL group). There were no significant differences between the groups concerning socio-demographic characteristics, previous academic success and modality of access to course materials. Students from hPBL group had a significantly higher problem solving score (p = 0.012; effect size 0.69) and the total medical statistics score (p = 0,046; effect size 0.57). Multivariate regression analysis with problem solving as an outcome variable showed that problem solving was associated with being in hPBL group (p = 0.010) and having higher grade point average (p = 0.037). Multivariate regression analysis with the medical statistics score as an outcome variable showed the association between a higher score on medical statistics with access to PBL modules (p = 0.045) and a higher grade point average (p = 0.021). All students in hPBL group (100.0%) considered PBL modules useful for learning medical statistics. PBL modules can be easily implemented in the existing courses within medical statistics using the Moodle platform, they have high applicability and can complement, but not replace other forms of teaching. These modules were shown to be efficient in learning, to be well accepted among students and to be a potential missing link between teaching and learning medical statistics. The authors of this study are planning to create PBL modules for advanced courses in medical statistics and to conduct this study on other universities with a more representative study sample, with the aim to overcome the limitations of the existing study and confirm its results.

Does statistics anxiety impact academic dishonesty? Academic challenges in the age of distance learning

This study discusses the mediating role of statistics anxiety and motivation in the relationship comprising academic dishonesty, personality traits, and previous academic achievements in three different learning environments (Face to Face -F2F, Planned Online Environment – POE, and Emergency Remote Teaching – ERT). Self-determination theory (SDT) provides a broad psychological framework for these phenomena. Data were collected from 649 bachelor-degree students in the Social Sciences in five Israeli academic institutions. Structural equation modelling was employed to investigate the research variables’ relationships. Findings indicate that statistics anxiety mediates the relationship between personality traits and academic dishonesty in the POE and the ERT learning environments. Findings also indicate the relationship between students’ achievements and academic dishonesty, but only in the ERT learning environment. In contrast, motivation mediates the relationship between students’ achievements and statistics anxiety only in the POE learning environment. This study unveils that learning environments determine the mediating role of statistical anxiety. In digital learning environments (POE, ERT), mediation has been found between students’ personality traits and academic dishonesty. No similar parallel mediation could be established in the physical learning environment, F2F. Thus, we conclude that online courses should be designed according to student-centred approaches.