Correlation between the Learning Approaches and Perceived Stress of First Year Medical Students

Abstract

Introduction: Like all students, medical students too choose to use either a deep or a surface approach while learning, focussing on understanding or memorizing respectively. Stress is common in medical students and is commonly attributed to academic factors. The aim of our study therefore was to determine the relationship between learning approaches of first year medical students and their perceived stress levels using the Revised Two Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) respectively. Materials and methods: The Revised Two Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were administered to 87 first year undergraduate medical students after their Internal Assessment examination in Physiology to determine their learning approaches and perceived stress levels respectively. Statistical analysis was done by calculating the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient to find the relationship between the Deep and Surface Learning Approach scores with the PSS scores. Results: The majority of our first year medical students (60.9%) used a deep learning approach. There was a significant positive correlation between the surface learning approach scores and the Perceived Stress Scale scores (r = 0.335, p = 0.002, n = 87). Conclusion: Our study revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between the surface learning approach scores and the Perceived Stress Scale scores in our first year medical students. Further studies can be done to study this relationship in more detail using instruments to diagnose actual stress and students with a surface approach could be guided to reflect on their ways of studying and encouraged to move in favour of a deep approach.