Dealing with academic difficulty in medical school: a pilot study

Malau-Aduli, Bunmi S., Ray, Robin A., O'Connor, Teresa, van der Kruk, Yolanda, Alele, Faith O., and Bellingan, Michelle (2020) Dealing with academic difficulty in medical school: a pilot study. Education Science, 10 (3). 83.

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Abstract

Some students struggle through medical school and do not have the confidence to seek help. This pilot study sought to explore the challenges and needs of medical students experiencing academic difficulty. Semi-structured interviews and online surveys were used to collect data from an academic advisor and thirteen medical students who had experienced academic difficulty. Unexpected academic failure and the loss of self-efficacy contributed to students hiding their academic difficulty and avoiding available support systems. Despite the sampling limitations, the findings of this pilot study have value in giving direction to future research. Programs that will change the current attitudes to academic difficulty, normalising access to support and encouraging early intervention, are needed to build the capacity for excellence among these students.

Item ID: 67227
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 2227-7102
Keywords: Academic difficulty, Academic support, Medical students, Rural
Copyright Information: © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Funders: James Cook University (JCU)
Projects and Grants: JCU Faculty of Health Sciences Research Grants
Date Deposited: 04 May 2021 02:19
FoR Codes: 39 EDUCATION > 3903 Education systems > 390303 Higher education @ 100%
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