Unveiling the link between self-regulated learning and academic success: a longitudinal study on Chinese medical students.

Abstract

Self-regulated learning (SRL) has been the focus of medical education, with the belief that mastering effective SRL strategies can significantly contribute to the academic achievements of medical students, thereby establishing a robust foundation for their future clinical practice. Despite the importance of SRL, empirical evidence linking SRL to academic performance has been mixed. This study aims to quantify the association between SRL and the academic performance of medical students. A one-year longitudinal study was conducted consisting of two waves separated by one year, wherein students from China Medical University who were enrolled in the clinical medicine program in 2018 were randomly selected and followed. Participants provided socioeconomic information in the first wave and completed the Self-regulated Learning Perception Scale (SRLPS) in both waves. Participants' academic performance was assessed using Grade-point Average (GPA) scores for the following year. Fixed-effects models were utilized to address potential endogeneity issues when investigating the association between SRL and academic performance based on the longitudinal data collected. The final sampled data consisted of 395 medical students who completed two rounds of questionnaires. The overall score of SRL was positively correlated with academic performance insignificantly (β = 0.007, SE = 0.004). However, the domain, Learning motivation and action, was significantly positively correlated with academic performance (β = 0.052, SE = 0.020), while the other domain, Lack of self-directedness, was significantly negatively correlated with academic performance (β=-0.037, SE = 0.009). Enhancements in certain self-regulated learning behaviors, like cultivating intrinsic motivation for learning, positively correlated with the academic performance of Chinese medical students. However, the negative correlation with self-directedness in learning highlights the multifaceted nature of SRL and the complexity of its relationship with students' educational outcomes.