Student Learning Approaches in A Ghanaian Medical School

Abstract

Despite admitting the best of qualified applicants, the approaches of these students to learning in Ghanaian medical schools has not been sufficiently examined. We sought to examine medical students’ approach to learning, the factors influencing their choice of learning approach, and their motivations to continue in a particular approach. An interpretive qualitative study was undertaken using a purposive sample of 10 medical students in their clinical years of training at the School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (SMS-KNUST). Separate semi-structured interviews were conducted for the participants followed by thematic analysis of the data. Students were found to pursue understanding and recall capability when learning. Participants also portrayed considerable preoccupation with examination demands and performance, which we termed the “assessment complex”. Some underlined the almost indispensable role of memorisation in their study of medicine. It is our observation that when faced with the decision on an approach to learning, students of SMS-KNUST would settle for “what works best” for them under the given circumstances. Student obsession with test results sometimes influenced the adoption of surface learning.