Study Habits in Medical Education: Examining How German Medical Students Study Using a Cross-sectional Mixed-Methods Survey.

Abstract

The shift to digital teaching and learning during the pandemic has had a lasting impact on how students study medicine. Understanding how medical students learn and which resources they use is essential for successfully implementing teaching innovations. In this cross-sectional survey at a German medical school, 340 students completed the LIST-K questionnaire to assess cognitive, metacognitive, and resource management learning strategies. Additionally, students provided information on their preferences regarding educational media and tools used during their study process. Data were analysed with a specific focus on differences between preclinical and clinical years of medical education. Students primarily used resource management strategies, such as effort and external sources of information, while cognitive strategies such as organisation and critical review were employed less frequently. There was a strong emphasis on using local exam questions and a commercial product providing past exam questions and supplemental content. When examining media and tool use in different phases of medical education, the most significant difference related to a less frequent use of textbooks and other literature in clinical compared to preclinical years. Our results highlight students' focus on assessment-oriented learning, particularly the use of past exam questions, suggesting a performance goal orientation rather than a mastery approach. However, due to its cross-sectional design, the study does not allow causal conclusions to be drawn. The heavy reliance on a commercial product not aligning with the local curriculum is concerning, and future studies should explore underlying reasons and potential interventions to address this unbalance.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-025-02324-9.