Real Time Electronic Formative Assessment in Medical Education and Its Impact on Motivational Beliefs and Self-regulation Strategies

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of real-time electronic formative assessmentbased medical education on learners’ motivational beliefs and selfregulation strategies. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 323 students studying at the Medical School of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, during the first semester of the academic year of 2017-2018 using a posttest control group design. The investigation of motivational beliefs and self-regulation strategies was accomplished using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. The research hypotheses were studied by means of independent t-test and multivariate analysis of variance. Results: According to the results, there was a significant difference between the control and intervention groups in terms of motivational strategy subscales, namely self-efficacy, intrinsic value, test anxiety, and self-regulation (P 0.05). In this regard, the intervention group showed higher mean scores in motivational beliefs and self-regulation strategies, compared to the control group. However, no significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding the mean cognitive strategies (P 0.05). Conclusion: As the findings indicated, the use of real-time electronic formative assessment in the educational environment can enhance students’ motivational beliefs and self-regulation strategies in medical education.