Abstract:
Objective: To find out the factors attributed to success and failure by medical students and how have they
developed those attributes.
Study Design: Mixed method sequential research.
Place and Duration of Study: Bahria University Medical and Dental College Karachi, from Mar 2016 to Sep 2016.
Material and Methods: In the first phase, quantitative research question addressed the different attributing
factors for success and failure among medical students belonging from second to final year bachelor of medicine
and bachelor of surgery (MBBS) course through survey questionnaire. A total of three hundred and thirty three
students participated in survey. In the second phase, focus group discussions (FGD) and interviews were carried
out from fifteen high and fifteen low achievers of different participant classes to probe in depth significant factors
by exploring reasons for such attributions.
Results: The quantitative analysis of results revealed that significantly large percentage of students passing the
professional examination in annual examinations attributed their success to hard work, interest in the medical
subjects, faith in their abilities, lectures and tutorials, module examinations and studying in small groups. The
students passing in supplementary on the contrary were less hardworking and regular in their classes and faced
financial issues.
The major themes of attribution to success emerging from focus group discussion (FGD) of high achievers were
effective learning strategies, support from parents and family, confidence and communication skills and hard
work. The key themes of attribution to failure developed from interviews with low achievers were difficulty in
adjustment, irregularity in classes and revision, deficient learning strategies and partisan role of teachers.
Conclusion: High achieving medical students attributed their success primarily to internal, controllable and
unstable factors like hard work and specific effort following effective learning strategies as well as external factor
like support from parents and family. On the other hand low achieving medical students attributed their failures
to internal controllable factors like difficulty in adjustment, deficient learning strategies, carelessness, lack of hard
work and irregularity from classes.
