The effects of academic adaptability on academic burnout, immersion in learning, and academic performance among Chinese medical students: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Medical students struggle with a heavy workload during their comparatively long course of study in China. The future of medical science depends largely on whether or not medical students become qualified. This study aims to explore whether medical students’ academic adaptability affects learning outcomes. This paper will not only provide scientific evidence for educators and administrators of medical schools but will also benefit students by improving their aptitude and adaptability through a thorough discussion on their educational environment. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey from September to December 2016. A total of 1977 respondents completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 79.08%. A cross-sectional survey was used in this study. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis, General Linear Model (GLM) analysis, standard multiple regression, and hierarchical multiple regression were performed for data analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (SPSS Version 19.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: Out of the 1977 students, 1586 (80.2%) had mean academic adaptability levels over 3. Findings suggested that academic adaptability (Mean = 3.32), immersion in learning (Mean = 3.20), and academic performance (Mean = 3.39), were at the middle level while academic burnout (Mean = 2.17) was at a low level. Academic adaptability of medical students showed a significant negative relation to academic burnout (Beta = − 0.705, P<0.01), there was a significant positive relation between academic adaptability and immersion in learning (Beta = 0.655, P<0.01) and academic performance (Beta = 0.407, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of academic adaptability are associated with lower levels of burnout and higher levels of immersion in learning and academic performance. It might be helpful for medical schools to consider academic adaptability and ways of enhancing such skills in order to enhance student performance and engagement while in school.