Centre for Medical Education Research and Scholarship, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Herston QLD 4006 Australia.
BMC Med Educ. 2011 Oct 21;11:87. doi: 10.1186/1472-6920-11-87.
It has long been acknowledged that medical students frequently focus their learning on that which will enable them to pass examinations, and that they use a range of study approaches and resources in preparing for their examinations. A recent qualitative study identified that in addition to the formal curriculum, students are using a range of resources and study strategies which could be attributed to the informal curriculum. What is not clearly established is the extent to which these informal learning resources and strategies are utilized by medical students. The aim of this study was to establish the extent to which students in a graduate-entry medical program use various learning approaches to assist their learning and preparation for examinations, apart from those resources offered as part of the formal curriculum.
A validated survey instrument was administered to 522 medical students. Factor analysis and internal consistence, descriptive analysis and comparisons with demographic variables were completed. The factor analysis identified eight scales with acceptable levels of internal consistency with an alpha coefficient between 0.72 and 0.96.
Nearly 80% of the students reported that they were overwhelmed by the amount of work that was perceived necessary to complete the formal curriculum, with 74.3% believing that the informal learning approaches helped them pass the examinations. 61.3% believed that they prepared them to be good doctors. A variety of informal learning activities utilized by students included using past student notes (85.8%) and PBL tutor guides (62.7%), and being part of self-organised study groups (62.6%), and peer-led tutorials (60.2%). Almost all students accessed the formal school resources for at least 10% of their study time. Students in the first year of the program were more likely to rely on the formal curriculum resources compared to those of Year 2 (p = 0.008).
Curriculum planners should examine the level of use of informal learning activities in their schools, and investigate whether this is to enhance student progress, a result of perceived weakness in the delivery and effectiveness of formal resources, or to overcome anxiety about the volume of work expected by medical programs.
长期以来，人们一直认为医学生在学习时经常关注那些能够帮助他们通过考试的内容，并且他们在准备考试时会使用多种学习方法和资源。最近的一项定性研究发现，除了正式课程外，学生还在使用一系列可以归因于非正式课程的资源和学习策略。目前尚不清楚医学生在多大程度上利用这些非正式学习资源和策略。这项研究的目的是确定在一个研究生入学医学课程中，学生除了利用正式课程提供的资源外，还在多大程度上利用各种学习方法来帮助他们学习和准备考试。
向 522 名医学生发放了一份经过验证的调查问卷。进行了因素分析和内部一致性、描述性分析以及与人口统计学变量的比较。因素分析确定了 8 个具有可接受内部一致性的量表，alpha 系数在 0.72 到 0.96 之间。
近 80%的学生表示，他们被认为完成正式课程所需的工作量所淹没，74.3%的学生认为非正式学习方法帮助他们通过了考试。61.3%的学生认为他们为成为一名好医生做好了准备。学生们利用的各种非正式学习活动包括使用过去学生的笔记（85.8%）和 PBL 导师指南（62.7%），以及参加自我组织的学习小组（62.6%）和同伴主导的辅导课（60.2%）。几乎所有的学生都会至少 10%的学习时间来使用正式的学校资源。与第二年的学生相比，该课程第一年的学生更有可能依赖正式课程资源（p = 0.008）。
课程规划者应该检查他们学校中非正式学习活动的使用水平，并调查这是为了促进学生的进步，还是因为对正式资源的传递和有效性的感知不足，或者是为了克服医学生课程所期望的工作量带来的焦虑。
