Student learning behaviours and clerkship outcomes

PhD ceremony: Ms. M.T. van Lohuizen, 14.45 uur, Doopsgezinde kerk, Oude Boteringestraat 33, Groningen

Dissertation: Student learning behaviours and clerkship outcomes

Promotor(s): prof. J.B.M. Kuks, prof. J. Cohen-Schotanus, prof. J.C.C. Borleffs

Faculty: Medical Sciences

Students’ clinical clerkship rotations are an essential part of undergraduate medical training. The aim of this thesis was to study how students learn in this phase of their medical training, and whether their learning behaviour is related to performance and wellbeing.A new questionnaire was developed to study these relationships.

It was concluded that active clerkship learning should be stimulated. On the one hand because more reflection and more self-regulation (both aspects of active learning) are related to lower distress. On the other hand because clerks in the interview study reported that being active led to more and more varied learning experiences at the workplace. Earlier research has shown that performance at the workplace is related to both the amount of distress experienced and the amount and diversity of the learning experiences. In the questionnaire, active learning is reflected in a high score on both interactive and on independent learning. The new questionnaire therefore seems useful in future studies regarding clerkship learning.