Introduction
The syllabus in the medical curriculum is extremely vast, and in order to attain the intended learning competencies, students have to take intensive efforts to continue or expedite the learning process.[1 Learning in itself is a complex process, as a number of factors play their part to ensure that a medical student can understand and apply the concepts or even perform the skills/procedures.[1 2 , 3 high achievers and low achievers .[4 low achievers ) or who need additional opportunities to excel (high achievers ).[5
Factors Affecting the Learning Process
In general, factors affecting the learning process have been broadly categorized into intrinsic (viz. learning style) and extrinsic (such as learning environment and support from teachers).[2 , 3 , 6 learning objectives at the start of the session to promote focused learning , and providing a wide range of learning experiences to the students to suit all types of learners.[7 , 8 learning .[9 , 10
Moreover, appreciation by teachers that act as a motivation to replicate the performance in the future, mentoring from teachers, and provision of constructive feedback from teachers also play a crucial role in augmenting learning among students.[11 , 12 learning resources (such as a learning management system and access to online resources/journals), and presence of an enabling learning environment are also significant.[13 learning .[10 , 14 learning .[15
Further, the presence of a role model in the family (viz. either parent as a doctor or siblings) or among seniors or within their own batch can also prove to be a strong motivating factor. In fact, the approach toward learning (like the use of mnemonics or referring to notes from the seniors or class notes) can also prove to be a major supporting factor to enhance learning .[15 learning ) or an encouraging (such as getting bullied in school, and thus a student deciding to focus all energy on just reading) factor to continue learning , and is expected to vary from one student to another. Moreover, the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic has also proven to be an important attribute in influencing the learning process. Within a short time, e-learning has become a significant mode of learning and this has affected both students and teachers. This becomes even more important considering that students have been forced to stay indoors during the lockdown period.[16
Similarities and Differences in the Learning Process between High Achievers and Low Achievers
It has been observed that support from family members and friends is crucial to continue/augment the learning process regardless of the fact that the student is a high or a low achiever.[17 learning and thus their contribution in motivating, mentoring, facilitating, giving feedback, encouraging reflection, or being the role model can never be undermined.[17 , 18 , 19 , 20 learning process. Finally, self-belief is one of the most critical determinants to continue or augment learning .[10 high achievers have when compared with low achievers and all of these are described in Table 1 . It becomes extremely crucial that teachers should be aware of these differences to ensure that learning can be facilitated among both types of students.[5
Table 1: Differences in the learning process between high achievers and low achievers
Role of the Teachers to Support Students Learning
In general, teachers occupy the most crucial role in shaping the learning process and also the future of medical students as well as the quality of the health-care delivery system. Thus, if we want to augment learning , we have to involve all teachers in the process.[21 , 22 learning style of the students and depending on that provide a wide range of stimuli (learning experiences) to benefit them. In the capacity of mentor, teachers can plan shared learning goals along with their mentees and then just facilitate the learning process.[22 , 23 learning process, and advise (if suppose there are any barriers at a personal or academic level). Moreover, teachers should not miss any opportunity (viz. classroom, practical, clinical sessions, community settings, and postassessments) to give constructive feedback to the students and help them to understand their strengths and identify the areas where they need more attention.[21 , 23
Teachers can also encourage students to reflect upon the learning process, as it will significantly aid in the process of converting working memory to long-term memory. Teachers should employ those teaching–learning methods that promote active engagement of students, instead of a passive passage of information.[5 , 23 , 24 learning , as it will play a crucial role in making them lifelong learners. In addition, they can provide a list of standard learning resource materials that students can refer to (if required).[22 learning methods, as the current generation of students is more fascinated with technology than conventional methods. More importantly, maintaining a healthy teacher-student relationship and providing a safe learning environment for the students can play a defining role in augmenting the learning process.[21 , 22 , 23 , 24
Conclusion
A number of factors are responsible to impact the learning acquisition process among medical students. It is important that a teacher should be aware of these wide gamut of factors so that they can play a defining role in neutralizing some of these factors and encourage students to continue to learn.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
References
1. Gouveia N, Ayres JR. Global health in the medical curriculum Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2021;76:e3073.
2. Ojeh N, Sobers-Grannum N, Gaur U, Udupa A, Majumder MA.
Learning style preferences: A study of pre-clinical medical students in Barbados J Adv Med Educ Prof. 2017;5:185–94
3. Fahim A, Rehman S, Fayyaz F, Javed M, Alam MA, Rana S, et al Identification of preferred
learning style of medical and dental students using VARK questionnaire Biomed Res Int. 2021;2021:4355158.
4. Hernández-Torrano D, Ali S, Chan CK. First year medical students'
learning style preferences and their correlation with performance in different subjects within the medical course BMC Med Educ. 2017;17:131.
5. Bhalli MA, Khan IA, Sattar A.
Learning style of medical students and its correlation with preferred teaching methodologies and academic achievement J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2015;27:837–42
6. Prashanti E, Ramnarayan K. Ten maxims for creating a safe
learning environment Adv Physiol Educ. 2020;44:550–3
7. Jalloh C, Collins B, Lafleur D, Reimer J, Morrow A. Mapping session
learning objectives to exam questions: How to do it and how to apply the results Med Teach. 2020;42:66–72
8. Chatterjee D, Corral J. How to write well-defined
learning objectives J Educ Perioper Med. 2017;19:E610.
9. Edgar S, Carr SE, Connaughton J, Celenza A. Student motivation to learn: Is self-belief the key to transition and first year performance in an undergraduate health professions program? BMC Med Educ. 2019;19:111.
10. Moghadari-Koosha M, Moghadasi-Amiri M, Cheraghi F, Mozafari H, Imani B, Zandieh M. Self-efficacy, self-regulated
learning , and motivation as factors influencing academic achievement among paramedical students: A correlation study J Allied Health. 2020;49:e145–52
11. Guo W, Zhou W. Relationships between teacher feedback and student motivation: A comparison between male and female students Front Psychol. 2021;12:679575.
12. Larose S, Tarabulsy G, Cyrenne D. Perceived autonomy and relatedness as moderating the impact of teacher-student mentoring relationships on student academic adjustment J Prim Prev. 2005;26:111–28
13. Back DA, Behringer F, Haberstroh N, Ehlers JP, Sostmann K, Peters H.
Learning management system and e-
learning tools: An experience of medical students' usage and expectations Int J Med Educ. 2016;7:267–73
14. Yang C, Zhu Y, Jiang H, Qu B. Influencing factors of self-directed
learning abilities of medical students of mainland China: A cross-sectional study BMJ Open. 2021;11:e051590.
15. Round JE, Walker S. What do parents think about their children being involved in
medical education ? Med Educ. 2007;41:920.
16. Popa S. Reflections on COVID-19 and the future of education and
learning Prospects (Paris). 2020;49:1–6
17. Regmi K, Jones L. A systematic review of the factors – Enablers and barriers – Affectinge-
learning in health sciences education BMC Med Educ. 2020;20:91.
18. Lambert CT, Guillette LM. The impact of environmental and social factors on
learning abilities: A meta-analysis Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2021;96:2871–89
19. Leung A, Fine P, Blizard R, Tonni I, Louca C. Teacher feedback and student
learning : A quantitative study Eur J Dent Educ. 2021;25:600–6
20. Guo W. Grade-level differences in teacher feedback and students' self-regulated
learning Front Psychol. 2020;11:783.
21. Ma Q. The role of teacher autonomy support on students' academic engagement and resilience Front Psychol. 2021;12:778581.
22. Hajovsky DB, Chesnut SR, Jensen KM. The role of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs in the development of teacher-student relationships J Sch Psychol. 2020;82:141–58
23. Gan S. The role of teacher-student relatedness and teachers' engagement on students' engagement in EFL classrooms Front Psychol. 2021;12:745435.
24. Webb NM. The teacher's role in promoting collaborative dialogue in the classroom Br J Educ Psychol. 2009;79:1–28
