Page 16 - Medical students’ self-regulated learning in clinical contexts

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Self-Regulated Learning in the context of medical educa on
Previous studies from other elds have shown that both person and context in u- ence SRL. Many personal a ributes that a ect SRL have been studied in other elds of research. These include a student’s skill in goal se ng and the various regulatory mechanisms and regulatory appraisals,26 mo va onal believes and a tudes26,31,32 af- fec ve reac ons to a given task,33,34 personality,35 educa onal level,36 history and ex- periences,29 strengths,29 challenges,29 and interests.29 The e ect of a classroom con- text on SRL has also been the focus of many studies.28,37–42 The context of preclinical medical educa on shows many similari es with other forms of “classroom” educa- on. However, a major part of medical educa on happens within a clinical context. Clinical contexts are shaped by speci c pa erns in: the care for pa ents, physical se ngs, supervision from senior sta members, the curriculum in which learners are enrolled, and peers involved.43 Learning in a clinical context largely takes place by par cipa ng in ac vi es regarding pa ent care.
The complexity of clinical contexts and their primary focus on pa ent care are likely to have a profound e ect on SRL. In a clinical context, learners are expected to inte- grate their previously acquired knowledge and skills to become par cipa ng mem- bers in a clinical team and they are expected to self-regulate their learning. Learners have to do this by managing their me di erently, by de ning their role in a new context, by deciding what to do with the learning opportuni es they recognize, and by deciding how to cope with a perceived lack of learning opportuni es.44 To aid learners in doing so, it is very important to understand how a clinical context in u- ences learners’ self-regulated learning. However, up to date very li le research has been conducted to understand SRL in clinical contexts.44–47
Summary of main argument and research ques ons
SRL is associated with posi ve professional and educa onal outcomes.39,42,45,48–53 Moreover, the competencies associated with SRL are similar to those important in lifelong learning. 29 SRL is in uenced by both person and context.29 Therefore, it is also important to study what interac on personal and contextual a ributes have that in turn may in uence SRL.29 Consequently, to understand SRL, both the e ect of the individual and the context need to be studied.28 However, very li le is known about how SRL is situated in a clinical context and how person and context interact to in uence learners’ SRL.