Study behaviors of health science education students seeking academic support

Abstract

Penni Smith Foster, Natalie White Gaughf

Objective: The literature on study behaviors of health science education students is limited. The purpose of the current study was to examine the Study Behavior Inventory (SBI) as an instrument to measure the study behaviors of this student population. Methods: Participants were 137 (N=137) first-year heath science education students seeking academic support services while enrolled at an academic health science center. Participants completed the SBI and grade point averages (GPA) were obtained. Results: Results indicated that assessing the quantity of study behaviors does not reliably measure effective learning among these students. Regression analysis indicated that the utilization of specific information resources predicted academic success. Utilization of practice questions and electronic flashcards were found to be significant positive predictors of GPA, while the use of electronic textbooks was a significant but negative predictor of GPA. Conclusions: Consistent with prior research, results indicated that the specific study behaviors associated with academic success were sources for self-testing. Future research will continue to examine specific study behaviors that are associated with positive academic outcomes in health science education.