The impact of informed self-assessment on the development of medical students’ learning goals

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigates the contributions of self-assessment (SA) and external feedback on the development of learning goals (LG) and the influence on LG recall and implementation in medical students.

Methods: Following a standardized patient (SP) assessment, 168 pre-clinical medical students completed a SA, received SP feedback and created a LG. LG were categorized by source. Two weeks later, students recalled LG and described implementation. Chi-squared analyses were used to test the associations.

Results: SA influenced LG for 82.8% of students whereas SP feedback influenced LG for 45.9%. Students rarely generated LG based on SA when they received discordant feedback (5.4%), but sometimes incorporated feedback discordant from their SA into LG (14.9%). Students who created LG based on SP feedback were more likely to recall LG than those who created LG based on SA, 89.7 versus 67.6%, p < 0.05 and implement their LG, 72.4 versus 48.9%, χ²(1) = 5.3, p = 0.017. Students who reported receiving effective feedback were more likely to implement their LG than those reporting adequate feedback, 60.9 versus 37.9%, χ²(1) = 8.0, p = 0.01.

Conclusions: SA is an essential part of goal setting and subsequent action. Perception of feedback plays a crucial role in LG implementation.

Acknowledgements

The authors with to thank Mel Jones and Paula Ross for their assistance with this project.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Glossary

Informed self-assessment: An assessment of one’s performance that incorporates external feedback 111(Sargeant et al. 2010).

Master adaptive learner: A conceptual model that describes a phased process rooted in self-regulated learning: planning, learning, assessing, adjusting (Cutrer 2017).

Notes on contributors

Margaret Wolff, MD, is Faculty Director of the SP Program at University of Michigan.

Laurie Whitman, MSE, is Manager at University of Michigan.

Jennifer Stojan, MD, MHPE, is Course Director of Clinical Skills at University of Michigan.

Stacie Buckler, BSN, MTS, is the Program Coordinator at University of Michigan.

Sally Santen, MD, PhD, is the Assistant Dean for Educational Research at University of Michigan.

James Cranford, PhD, brings expertise in personality psychology.

Larry Gruppen, PhD, brings self-directed learning expertise.