Ascertaining and promoting effective study skills and learning habits of first-year pharmacy students

Many pharmacy students struggle academically in their initial professional year. This research ascertained first-year pharmacy (P1) students' study skills and learning habits both before and after employing interventions about effective study strategies.

In 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, P1 students completed a study skills inventory at baseline in August and at endpoint in April. Interventions included instruction about the science of learning and effective study techniques as well as the use of a cognitive wrapper regarding their first assessment.

Students' perceived habits that improved were those of organizing their ideas, studying at their peak time, and really wanting to learn the content. Perceived habits that declined included time spent doing their assigned readings, seeing the need to always attend class, and reviewing course material each day. Regarding the cognitive wrapper, 90% of students thought they were prepared for their assessment, yet 21% received a lower grade than expected and 10% did not work on practice problems at least 2 days before the quiz.

This endeavor elucidated several important areas about the study skills and learning habits of P1 students. Some students' perceptions of their study skills and learning habits strengthened and others decreased during their first year. The cognitive wrapper provided a targeted way for students to reflect on their preparation and performance as well as consider their future study plans. Faculty can use this information to help students employ effective learning practices to promote students' metacognition throughout the first year of their program.