Do Learning Strategies have an Impact on Academic Performance in Nursing Undergraduates?

 

Shubhangi Pangam¹, Preeti Maria Menezes²

¹Professor, P.D. Hinduja College of Nursing Emerald Court, D- Wing, Kondivita Lane, Marol Pipeline, Andheri East, Maharashtra 400059

²Clinical Instructor, P.D. Hinduja College of Nursing Emerald Court, D- Wing, Kondivita Lane, Marol Pipeline, Andheri East, Maharashtra 400059

 

ABSTRACT:

Currently, educators worldwide are shifting from a teacher-centred paradigm to a student-centred instruction. The concept of ‘learning strategies’ consists of a wide variety of behaviours and learning activities. There are very less number of studies in the field education regarding learning strategies used by students and all the more in nursing students. Hence the present study was undertaken to identify learning strategies used by nursing graduates and compare it with their academic performance.The present study is a descriptive study with cross sectional survey design. Total 32 BSc Undergraduate Nursing students from selected college were randomly recruited in the study. Data collected at one single point to avoid any contamination with seven point rating scale. Out of 32 nursing students the commonly used learning strategy was frequent review (69%) and rarely used learning strategy by nursing students was deep learning (10%). Most of the high performers commonly use frequent review as learning strategy, (79%) and 13% low performers rarely use frequent review as their learning strategy. Low performers rarely use (13%) deep learning as their learning strategy and also most of them (69%) commonly use time management related to study as learning strategy. The present study high lights the need for frequent review for improvement of academic performance.

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Today’s world is moving in a speed which was unheard in the past. Everyone wants to excel. Individual’s success affects personal and social dimensions of life. In this regard, academic performance is one of the major factors that influence individual’s success in any educational setting. It is any body’s guess that good habits and skills will help us to promote efficiency in our tasks. In education, proper study habits and skills entail to proficiency as well as high quality of learning.¹ Academic achievement has, for the past decades, been the centre of interest in educational research. Exploring the issue of achievement has extended beyond simple issues of intelligence and prior academic achievement into how learners interact with the learning material. Currently, educators worldwide are shifting from a teacher-centred paradigm to a student-centred instruction. Research reveals that the process of learning varies from one individual to another because of the occurrence of biological and psychological disparities. Each person learns in his or her own particular way or style based on his or her backgrounds, capabilities, weaknesses, wants, characteristics, motivations and strategies towards learning.² This inevitably leads to the use of cognitive styles, learning styles and learning strategies of an individual in learning a language.³

 

The concept of ‘learning strategies’ consists of a wide variety of behaviours and learning activities. The relationship between learning and study strategies adopted by students and their academic performance is demonstrated by many studies.⁴It is also found that there were clear differences in the learning and study strategies used by high school students with high academic performance, compared to those with low academic performance. Also it is found that the variable of time management was a good predictor for the academic performance of students. However, educational researchers believe that a good mixture of learning and study strategies should be taken into consideration

 

There have been ample amount of studies regarding learning styles but there are very less number of studies in the field education regarding learning strategies used by students. In order to understand and lead students towards academic excellence the teacher not only requires the knowledge regarding the learning style but also regarding thelearning strategy used by students which plays a significant role in their academics. Hence the researcher felt the need to conduct a study to identify the learning strategies and associate it with the academic performance. The aim of the respective study is to identify learning strategies used by nursing graduates and compare it with their academic performance.

 

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

The present study is a descriptive study with cross sectional survey design. Total32 BSc Undergraduate Nursing students from selected college were randomly recruited in the study. All recruited nursing students were asked to assemble in an auditorium for administration of rating scale related to learning strategies adopted by them. Data collected at one single point to avoid any contamination. Tool comprised of two parts:

1)       Demographic information includes age, academic year and final examination score in previous year university exam of recruited nursing students.

2)       Section 2 comprises of rating scale for identifying learning strategies adopted by nursing students. Seven point rating scale with total 50 items in form of declarative statements was used for the present study. On the scale of 1to 7, 1 denotes Not at all true of me whereas 7 denotes Very true of me. Rating scale aimed at identifying three important learning strategies namely Frequent Review, Deep learning and Time Management related to study.

 

RESULTS:

Out of 32 nursing students the commonly used learning strategy was frequent review (69%) and rarely used learning strategy by nursing students was deep learning (10%).

 

Table 1:  Percentage distribution of samples according to the use of learning strategies

 

 

Figure 1: Percentage distribution of nursing students according to frequent review based on academic performance

 

Data presented in Figure 1 depicts that most of the high performers commonly use frequent review as learning strategy, (79%) and (13%) low performers rarely use frequent review as their learning strategy. Frequent review category includes the following learning strategy:

·         When I become confused about something I’m reading for class, I go back and review it.

·         When I study for the subject, I review the reading and my class notes and try to find the most important points

·         Before I study new course material thoroughly I often skim and review it.

·         When reading for the class I try to

relate the material to what I already know.

·         If I get confused taking notes in class, I make sure to review it afterwards.

 

Data presented Figure 2 depicts that most of the high performers commonly use deep learning as learning strategy, (69%) and (13%) of low performers rarely u se deep learning as their learning strategy.

 

 

Figure 2: Percentage distribution of samples according to Deep learning based on academic performance

 

Data presented in Figure 3 depicts that most of the low performers (69%) commonly use time management related to study as learning strategy, and (24%) of high performers rarely use time management related to study as their learning strategy.

 

 

Figure 3: Line diagram showing the percentage distribution of samples according to time management related to study based on academic performance.

 

Data presented in Figure 4 depicts that most of the High performers (80%) commonly use frequent review as their learning strategy whereas average performers (63%) use all 3 learning strategies equally and low performers (69%) commonly use Time management related to study as their learning strategies.

 

Figure 4: Clustered bar diagram showing the distribution of samples according to commonly used learning strategies based on academic performance

 

DISCUSSION:

Rarely used deep learning strategy in the present study is in line with a study conducted on Impact of Learning Approaches on Academic Performance of Preclinical Medical Students: Superficial Vs Deep wherein a total of 159 students were enrolled in the study.⁵ Deep learning approach predicted higher academic performance among the students (β 0.26, p=0.001). Excellent students showed higher ratings of deep learning strategies than good (p=0.025) and average students (p=0.001).Similarly another study conducted on Approach to learning and the academic performance of a group of medical students – any correlation revealed that out of the study group 65.5% (n=109) were deep learners and 32.7% (n=54) were surface learners. Seventy three percent (n=76) of deep learners and sixty percent (n=32) of surface learners had achieved a high academic performance. Also, learning approach and academic performance correlated significantly.⁶

 

The present study findings regarding use of time management by low performers is contradicted by Hamzah, Lucky and Joarder whose findings of the study indicated that there is a significant and positive relationship between time management and students’ academic performance.⁷ In the light of the findings, they discussed the importance of time management in order to improve students’ academic performance. Similarly, the findings concurs to Chandi, Ndiritu, Kidombo, Mbwesa and Keiyoro whose analysis indicated a strong relationship between time management and academic.⁸

 

CONCLUSION:

The present study high lights the need for frequent review for improvement of academic performance. Also, thirst for deep learning enables one to perform well in studies. Hence, educators need to undertake strategies to facilitate frequent review of learned content as well as adapt strategies to plant the quest for deep learning among students.

 

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Received on 14.11.2017          Modified on 28.11.2017

Accepted on 22.12.2017      ©A&V Publications All right reserved