An investigation into the characteristics of the anatomy and embryology module (MEF 153) that affect first-year medical students' academic performance at the University of the Free State: a students' perspective

[摘要] English: The first two years of higher education is critical in creating a foundation for future academic success as this is the time with the highest gain in knowledge, namely the development of critical thinking and cognitive development (Reason, Terenzini & Domingo 2006:150). Experiences during this stage will influence future academic performance. In South Africa, as many as 33% of enrolled students do not proceed beyond the first year of study (CHE 2013:44). Factors that influence academic performance of first-year students include individual, organisational, environmental and academic programme factors. These factors are often interconnected (James 2007:2; Krumrei-Mancuso, Newton, Kim & Wilcocs 2013:248-253; Reason et al. 2006:149,167; Yates 2012:46-49). The extent to which a specific factor will influence an individual student is affected by the individual's perspective and experience of such a factor. The strengths and weaknesses of a curriculum - as perceived by students - will affect academic performance, among other factors (Henzi, Davis, Jasinevicius & Hendricson 2007:642-645). Against this background, the problem that was addressed was the poor academic performance of students in module MEF153 (Structure and development of the body) in the first year of the Programme for Professional Medicine (MBChB), in the School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State. The question that had arisen was: 'Which factors, within the curriculum of the first-year undergraduate medical programme module MEF153, influence the academic performance of students in this module? An investigation was done by the researcher to identify factors contributing to the poor academic performance of students in the module MEF153. Therefore the aim of the study that was pursued was to investigate students' perspectives regarding the importance of the various factors affecting their academic performance in their first year of study in the module MEF153. Research was conducted with the goal of making recommendations for changes to the curriculum of module MEF153. This was deemed necessary to improve the academic performance of first-year medical students in the module, without the lowering of academic standards. To answer the research question and in order to achieve the aim, the objectives pursued included conceptualising and contextualizing factors affecting students' academic performance through conducting a literature survey. The presence and relevance of these factors within module MEF153 were determined through the analysis of module MEF153. Emphasis was placed on the curriculum, module structure and layout, educational strategies and methods, study content, assessment methods and finally, the time available for this module. A questionnaire was composed from these factors. The students' perception of the importance of factors affecting academic performance in module MEF153 was then evaluated by means of the questionnaire and statistical analysis of data. The research approach used was a descriptive survey with quantitative and qualitative methodologies. All students registered for the module MEF153, and present on the day of data collection were included. The prevalence and perceived importance of factors affecting academic performance was determined by means of voluntary participation in an anonymous and confidential self-administered questionnaire completed by numerous research participants. The questionnaire contained questions with reference to demographic- and personal information, curriculum and programme characteristics and educational information such as teaching and learning methods used in this module. Quantitative data on the perceived importance and effect of factors on academic performance were recorded with the aid of questions and a Likert scale. Qualitative data were gathered through open-ended questions in the questionnaire. The results of the quantitative data were reported as frequencies and percentages or medians for each factor evaluated and discussed. The major findings from this study were that all factors, except 'personal interracial relations, investigated for their possible effect on academic performance, are perceived to have an effect of median = 5 or more on academic performance on a scale from 0 to 10 where 10 = most important. Except for nine factors, the majority of participants reported a positive effect on academic performance for factors investigated. The factors that reported a majority negative effect on academic performance included financial cost of studies; workload of the undergraduate medical programme; workload of module MEF153; load of independent study in module MEF153; difficulty of content in module MEF153; difficulty of language in resources used in module MEF153; number of assessment opportunities in module MEF153; volume of content assessed per assessment opportunity; and stress associated with assessment in module MEF153. The qualitative data presented and discussed here were classified in themes and categories for each question. It provided further insight and understanding of the quantitative results. These results show that the undergraduate medical programme and module MEF153 manage most factors in such a way that it contributes positively to academic performance for the majority of participants in this study. It also identifies areas that negatively influence the academic performance of the majority of participants. Furthermore, it emphasises the diverse effect of each factor on academic performance among participants. This knowledge can be used to address problematic areas of the curriculum to improve academic performance. It can also be used to improve academic development and support activities to address shortcoming in skills among students.

[发布机构] University of the Free State