The Relation Between Time Spent on Individual Study and Academic Achievement in a Problem-Based Curriculum
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Updated: Sep 28, 2026

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities
Published on: September 11, 2021
M.M. Van Den Hurk1, H.A.P. Wolfhagen, D.H.J.M. Dolmans
1University of Maastricht, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Logically a relation is expected between time spent on individual study and achievement. The purpose of this study is to examine whether a positive relation exists between the amount of time spent on individual study and academic achievement and whether this differs when using a test measuring short-term knowledge or one measuring long-term knowledge. Data were collected in a problem-based medical curriculum. The results suggest that time spent on individual study correlates poorly with scores on the test measuring short-term knowledge but also with those on the test measuring long-term knowledge. This study reaffirms the complexity of the relationship and it demonstrates the importance to search for qualitative factors about the way students learn.
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