The Use of Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) to Investigate Differences Between Low vs High Academically Performing Medical Students.

OBJECTIVES: This study examines differences in the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) 10-subscale scores between low and high academically performing medical students relative to internal and external examinations. METHODS: The LASSI instrument was administered to 180 medical students from three classes (2016, 2017, and 2018). To measure the strength of association between LASSI 10-subscale scores and performance on overall biomedical sciences and the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1, Pearson product-moment correlation analyses were performed. One-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc analyses were performed to identify statistically significant differences on LASSI scores between students grouped by quartiles according to their performance on USMLE Step 1 examination (external performance measure) and by their average letter grade in the overall biomedical sciences (internal performance measure). RESULTS: Significant associations were observed between Anxiety, Motivation, and Test Strategies and students' performance on both overall biomedical sciences and USMLE Step 1 examinations. Anxiety, Motivation, and Test Strategies were different between "A" and "C" students in the overall biomedical sciences. Anxiety, Information Processing, Motivation, Selecting Main Idea, and Test Strategies were significantly different between the upper and lower quartiles in USMLE Step 1 student performance. CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety, Motivation and Test Strategies are the main LASSI subscales that were significantly different between high-performing and low-performing students for internal and external examinations. Interestingly, the same LASSI subscales Anxiety, Motivation, and Test Strategies were correlated with students' performance in internal and external examinations.

Utilizing Medical Students as Internal Assets to Enhance Gross Anatomy Laboratory Learning.

Identification of cadaveric structures during anatomy summative practical examinations is a challenge for first-year medical students. To assist in cultivating this skill, we offered 12 formative laboratory activities (anatomy boot camps [ABCs]) that approximated the summative practical examination format using reciprocal and near-peer teaching. Students assisted in crafting the formative practical examination, then engaged in a self-review by scoring their individual answer sheets. Students performing below designated thresholds (≤60%) were offered laboratory review sessions led by medical student upperclassmen. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare the performance of participants who attended the ABC sessions leading up to each summative examination. Correlation analysis was utilized to examine the relationship between student participation in ABCs summative examinations. Voluntary surveys were administered to assess the perceived value of the experience. Mann-Whitney U tests indicated students who attended the ABC review preceding three of the four summative practical and two of the four written examinations scored consistently higher on these examinations than students who chose not to attend. Correlation analysis revealed that as the overall frequency of ABC attendance increased, students' performance on the summative practical and written examinations increased significantly (P < 0.001). These findings suggest that the provision of supplemental learning experiences, such as the ABCs, contributes to improved student learning outcomes. This sentiment was echoed in student surveys. This activity, which combines multiple peer teaching approaches, appears to be an effective strategy for guiding and enhancing student success in the anatomy practical examinations. Clin. Anat. 33:286-292, 2020. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.