Attribution to Success and Failure Among Medical Students. Experience at Bahria University Medical and Dental College Karachi

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.