Teaching strategies in the first year of the medical career and students’ academic achievement level

Abstract

Introduction: The teacher contributes to the students’ academic success or failure in their freshman stage. The teaching strategies used in the classroom are undoubtedly determinant in the formation of the outcome profile.

Objective: To connect the students’ opinion over the teaching strategies used by the teacher in the classroom with their academic achievement.

Method: Longitudinal, comparative and paired study. Study population 95 Anatomy, Cell Biology, Development Biology and Biochemistry teachers working in the 2006-2007 school year. In order to assess the students’ academic achievement, we compared their average score at admission with that of their graduation. To analyze the students’ opinion, we used a validated 30-item survey.

Results: This research work put forward four types of teaching development according to the average teaching strategies and the students’ academic achievement.

Conclusions: The results show the need to train educators in teaching strategies in order improve the teaching of future physicians, what they need to know and what they must do.