Jameskutty Baby Jacob Kaithackal1
BACKGROUND
Students who enter the medical field are sometimes found to perform less satisfactorily at the professional examination. Their low achievement after securing the needs of admission through qualifying public examination seems something contrary to that is what generally expected. Hence, a study on this aspect of medical education is relevant to make a search on the factors that determine a poor performance by professional students in some instances. This project was done for fulfilling the need of an educational research for Fellowship in Medical Education (FIME) under the MCI Nodal Centre, Medical College, Kottayam, Kerala. The study had followed the prior works upon on a similar theme. The students in their tender age are sometimes found to be helpless in their burdening environment and unable to carry out their educational objectives satisfactorily.
The aim of the study is to recognise the determinants of low scoring among second professional MBBS students in a Government Medical College in Central Kerala.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Data were collected using predesigned and pretested questionnaire distributed among the whole batch regular second MBBS students. The analysis was done by software SPSS. The descriptive variables were expressed as percentages. Association between sociodemographic factors and low scoring were found out by chi-square test.
RESULTS
Results expected could not make out stress as a significant factor unlike other research studies. The male gender, absence of regular study plan and lack of attention and poor comprehension were some of the factors, which influenced the marks gained at the examination.
CONCLUSION
The proportion of male medical students who secured low marks signifies a gender predilection for low scoring. This should be viewed upon the aspect of decreased tendency to have a regular study plan. The factors I found out to be detrimental in low scoring among medical students were student related only.
