Chibhabha, F

2 Publications in AERD

Author Publications

Zimbabwean PreClinical Medical Students Use of Deep and Strategic Study Approaches to Learn Anatomy at Two New Medical Schools

By Zilundu, PLM

Anatomy is a challenging preclinical subject owing to the vast amount of information that students need to master. The adoption of relevant study approaches is key to the development of a long-lasting understanding of anatomical subject matter. Phenomenographic educational research describes the medical students as using a variable mix of deep, strategic, and surface approaches to study. Continually assessing students' learning preferences and approaches is crucial for achieving the desired learning outcomes. The approaches to studying anatomy in two groups of first-year Zimbabwean medical students from two newly established medical schools were collected using the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) instrument and than analyzed. At least 90% of the students believed that anatomy involved reproducing knowledge or personal understanding and development. Overall, the majority of the students adopted deep and strategic approaches, while a distant minority used the surface approach. There was no significant correlation between either the students' sex or age and their preference for a specific approach to studying. The mean anatomy grades for students using a strategic approach were significantly higher than those using deep or surface approaches. The number of strategic learners was double that of deep learners among the high achievers subgroup. The strategic approach positively correlated with performance in examinations. Generally, the students shared a common understanding of the concept of anatomy learning. Studies such as this can assist with the identification of students at risk of failure and empower lecturers to recommend the adoption of more beneficial strategic and deep learner traits.

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Pre-Clinical Medical Students' Use of Motivational and Cognitive Study Strategies During Anatomy Learning: A Three-Year Cross-Sectional Survey

By Zilundu, PLM

Medical students' motivation and study strategies are crucial in determining academic performance. This study aimed to assess the motivation and learning strategies of medical students as well as their association with performance in anatomy examinations. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, two focus group discussions, and students' current anatomy cumulative grade point average (cGPA) were used. Generally, the medical students strongly felt that anatomy is fundamental to the practice of medicine and surgery. This result was consistent with high task value scores of 5.99 +/- 1.25. They were also driven by extrinsic goal orientation (5.59 +/- 1.42) and intrinsic goal orientation (5.08 +/- 1.26). Most medical students typically relied on elaboration (5.35 +/- 1.25) ahead of other cognitive strategies namely rehearsal (5.30 +/- 1.11), organization (5.15 +/- 1.34), and lowest-rated critical thinking (4.77 +/- 1.19). The students also relied on resource management strategies, effort regulation (5.15 +/- 1.20) and time and study environment regulation (5.03 +/- 1.03) more than the moderately scored peer learning (4.95 +/- 1.50) and help-seeking (4.95 +/- 1.09). In the focus group discussions, students reported that they often narrate or explain to each other what they would have read and understood from anatomy lectures, tutorials, and textbooks. They also bemoaned the lack of institutional support for stress burdens. The motivation and learning strategies subscales were not correlated with anatomy cGPA. Males were driven by extrinsic goals and experienced significantly higher levels of test anxiety than females (P < 0.05). Knowing the motivation and learning strategies students employ early in the medical curriculum can be leveraged to promote self-directed learning and academic achievement.

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