What learning strategies influence higher-order learning behaviours of medical students?

AIMS: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the application of learning strategies and the emergence of higher-order learning behaviours among medical students in Chinese provincial undergraduate colleges, while also examining the impact of social demographic variables on the development of higher-order learning behaviours and learning strategy preferences. METHODOLOGY: We conducted a relevant cross-sectional study using the Chinese College Student Survey (CCSS) online questionnaire to evaluate higher-order learning behaviours and learning strategies in medical undergraduate students attending provincial colleges in China. A total of 992 valid questionnaires were collected and analysed using SPSS 22.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). We performed statistical analysis using one-sample t-tests to compare the results with the national norm score for medical subjects in undergraduate colleges. We also conducted variance analysis and regression analysis. RESULTS: The study found that the average scores for higher-order learning behaviours, enquiry-based learning and receptive learning behaviour among medical undergraduate students in provincial colleges were higher than the national norm score for medical subjects, indicating a positive trend. However, the average scores for other indicators were lower than the national norm score. The utilization of learning strategies and the development of higher-order learning behaviours among students were affected by various factors such as grade and gender. The study suggests that the preference for certain learning strategies, such as enquiry-based, receptive, integrative and collaborative, can have a significant impact on the emergence of higher-order learning behaviours. CONCLUSIONS: The study has demonstrated a positive correlation between the utilization of learning strategies and the development of higher-order learning behaviours. This relationship has been observed in medical students attending provincial undergraduate colleges, where the adoption of enquiry-based, receptive, integrative and collaborative learning strategies has been found to significantly influence the emergence of higher-order learning behaviours. KEY MESSAGES: The implementation of learning strategies among medical students in provincial undergraduate colleges in China has a significant impact on high-level learning behaviours. The impact of high-level learning behaviours is reliant on comprehensive support from four distinct learning strategies: receptive learning, inquiry-based learning, comprehensive learning and collaborative learning. One of the most impactful learning strategies is receptive learning, particularly on high-order learning behaviours. On the other hand, reflective learning does not seem to have a significant effect. Changes in grades can significantly impact higher-order learning behaviours and affect the propensity for reflective and collaborative learning strategies. Females generally exhibit a greater preference for receptive learning strategies, while males tend to exhibit a greater preference for inquiry-based learning strategies.