Does self reflection and insight correlate with academic performance in medical students?
Sandra E Carr1, Paula H Johnson
1School of Medicine and Pharmacology Fremantle Hospital Unit, Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Science, University of Western Australia, PO Box 480, Fremantle WA 6959, Australia. paula.johnson@uwa.edu.au.
BMC Medical Education
|August 27, 2013
Summary
Self reflection and insight scores did not correlate with academic performance in medical students. However, students recognized the need for self reflection more after a year of clinical training.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Psychology
Background:
- Medical students facing academic challenges often lack insight.
- The Self Reflection and Insight Scale (SRIS) is validated for assessing insight in medical students.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between self reflection and insight scores with academic performance in Year 4 medical students.
- To examine changes in self reflection and insight after one year of clinical training.
Main Methods:
- SRIS scores were measured in 162 Year 4 medical students at the University of Western Australia.
- Academic performance in written and clinical exams was correlated with SRIS scores.
- 70 students were reassessed in Year 5 after one year of clinical training.
Main Results:
- No significant correlation was found between self reflection or insight scores and academic performance in written or clinical exams.
- A significant increase in the recognition of the need for self reflection was observed in Year 5 compared to Year 4.
Conclusions:
- Self reflection and insight, as measured by SRIS, do not appear to correlate with academic performance in medical students.
- Clinical training appears to enhance students' awareness of the importance of self reflection.
- Further longitudinal research with larger cohorts and diverse achievement measures is warranted.
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