Dr Shock MD PhD

Causes for low performance of 21 medical students from high socio-economic background and high scores on their entrance examination:
1. stress resulting from language problems (8/21)
2. adjustment problems to life away from home (6/21)
3. lack of self-confidence (12/21)
4. fear of failure (8/21)
5. worry about the future (10/21)
6. difficulty in managing study time (17/21)
7. lack of concentration (10/21)
8. inability to retain what was studied (10/21)
9. examination anxiety (8/21)
10. inability to write examinations (5/21)


Dr Shock doesn't think these causes only apply to med students. So parents if your kid is not performing well during his study these are probable causes to look at.

16 of these 21 students took part in a regular individual counseling regarding their personal problems. The counseling focused on the problematic issue revealed by a questionnaire.

The sample of students was derived from 115 students who sat a first internal assessment examination in pathology. The selected 22 scored less than 30%, 1 student did not fill in the questionnaire.

At follow-up after 6 months the 16 students improved significantly in the post-programme performance, the 6 students not participating did not improve their results significantly.
The majority of the students participating in the program felt that the sessions had helped to improve their performance.

Conclusion
Poor performers can benefit from individually tailored remedial programs which include counselling and training in study skills, along with good mentor support.


Article discussed:
Facilitating learning in low performers.
PMID: 17883379
Authors: Mysorekar VV, Joshi MA
Journal: Med Educ: , 2007

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