Effect of Teaching Academic Skills on Academic Achievement in Medical Emergency Students

Abstract

Aims: An important aspect of the student’s learning in academic performance is self-regulating. Students without required academic achievement skills need educational approaches to obtain the required insight in self-regulate learning. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of teaching academic skills on academic achievement in the advanced diploma medical emergency students of Ilam University of Medical Sciences. Materials & Methods: The intervening pretest-posttest study without any control group was a section of a greater action-research study to conduct and implement an educational process. The intervention included two 3-hour educational workshops for ten academic skills at one month interval for 23 advanced diploma medical emergency students of Ilam University of Medical Sciences during their second educational semester in 2014. The study tool was a 10-phrase self-made questionnaire, its validity and reliability was confirmed. Data was analyzed in SPSS 21 software using Paired-T test. Findings: There was an increase in the mean total score of academic skills after the intervention (p=0.009). From ten skills, the differences between the mean scores before and after the intervention were significant only in academic planning skills (p=0.025), the utilization of the memory strengthening methods (p=0.045), and correct study techniques (p=0.031). Academic intervention affected the students’ academic achievement (GPA) (p=0.001). Conclusion: Conducting academic skills educational workshops affects the utilization of the skills by the students and their academic achievements.&nbsp