The Use of Different Study Skills by Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students of Kerman Dental School

Abstract

Background: Different study skills have been developed and introduced, although most learners are apparently unaware of them. Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the frequency of using different study skills among undergraduate and postgraduate students. Method: The study population consisted of 201 undergraduate and 45 postgraduate students of Kerman Dental School in 2016-2017, who were selected using the random stratified sampling method. A questionnaire composed of four questions used to collect data. The questionnaire was a modified version of the one used by Karpiacke et al. The frequency of using different study skills (i.e., re-studying, re-writing, using flashcards, studying in groups, memorizing, teaching content, creating headings, self-testing, highlighting, finding connections, and finding real examples) was asked in the first question. Students’ preparation for exams and students’ satisfaction with their study skills were asked in the next questions. Data was analyzed using the chi-square test in SPSS23. Results: Of the 246 participants, 72 (35.8%) undergraduate students and 20 (44.4%) postgraduate students were male. The frequency of using different study skills was the same between the male and female undergraduate students, except for re-writing (P=0.024), studying in groups (P=0.018), and creating headings (P=0.018) which were higher in the female undergraduate students. However, there was no significant difference between male and female postgraduate students in terms of the frequency of using different study skills. The most and least commonly used strategies by the undergraduate and postgraduate students were re-studying and using flashcards, respectively. Only 30.3% of the undergraduate and 24.4% of the postgraduate students used the self-testing strategy.

Keywords

• study skills
• study strategies
• students
• dental school