Old Habits Die Hard: Regression in Learning and Study Strategies Inventory Scores in PharmD Students

Prior studies have demonstrated that "learning to learn" (L2L) courses can lead to significant improvements in students' Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) scores immediately following the course. This study aimed to analyze whether improvements in LASSI scores are sustained 1 year following an L2L elective course.

First-year pharmacy students in the classes of 2024 and 2025 completed the LASSI at the start of the fall semester and again immediately following an L2L course. One year later, during the second professional year, students completed the LASSI a third time. Repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance was used to analyze within-participant differences in LASSI scores across each of the 10 LASSI scales. Univariate analysis of variance with Bonferroni correction was used for pairwise comparison.

A total of 119 students completed all 3 LASSI assessments. LASSI scores improved in all 10 scales following completion of the L2L course. However, 1 year after the completion of the course, there was a statistically significant regression in all 10 scale scores (Wilks' Λ [20,98] = 8.7). Among the 10 scales, scores for the Attitude and Concentration scales were statistically significantly lower during the second professional year relative to baseline at the start of the first professional year. Selecting Main Ideas was the only scale with a higher score during the second professional year relative to baseline.

Despite marked improvements in LASSI scores following the implementation of a "learning to learn" course for first-year pharmacy students, the improvements were not sustained after 1 year.