Approaches to learning among Ghanaian students following a PBL-based medical curriculum

Introduction: Students approaches to learning influences their understanding of the concepts of a subject matter. A learning approach considers the motivation and the strategies employed by the student to learn Objective: To investigate the learning approaches (Deep vs. surface) of medical students following a PBL-based medical curriculum and their association to gender and age. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 189 pre-clinical students following a PBL-based medical curriculum at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University for Development Studies, Ghana. Students’ learning approaches were assessed using the Biggs’s Revised Two Factor Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) and compared with their demographic factors of gender and age. Linear regression models were employed to determine the predictors of deep and surface approaches to learning. Result: The students were frequently male (60.8%, n= 115); 78.3% (n=148) aged 18-23 years and 42.3% (n=80) in their second year of medical education. Respectively, mean and standard deviation for deep and surface scores were 31.23 ± 7.19 and 22.62 ± 6.48 (p=0.0011). Gender as well as year of study was neither associated to deep approach nor to surface approach scores. While deep approach scores increased with increasing age (β = 0.33, p 0.01), surface approach scores decreased (β = -0.20, p 0.05). Conclusion: Our findings may support the literature that PBL promotes deep approach to learning among students. Deep approach to learning was significantly associated to age but not to gender and year of study.