Assistant Professor The George Washington University George Washington University Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Abstract Body : Background. Medical education is shifting to more active learning such as flipped classroom but these activities are unsuccessful when students don’t complete the associated prework. The literature is lacking information on why students don’t complete prework and what would motivate them to do so. This qualitative study aims to answer those questions through the view of Expectancy-Value Motivation Theory (EVT). Methods Thirteen pre-clinical medical students participated in a semi-structured basic interview study investigating their experience with prework. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed for themes. Results Themes identified that influence student motivation to complete prework include student routines, study environments, format and topic of prework, students’ prior knowledge and peer opinion. Students develop particular routines they find successful for their studies. They explain how time in their schedules and amount of time prework takes to complete plays a role in their study environment which must be favorable in order to complete prework. Students explain that video prework is more favorable compared to reading assignments and how opinions of their peers influence their decision to complete prework. Each of these factors influence student motivation to complete prework. Discussion The findings support EVT in that students consider factors within these themes when determining if prework is valued and if they are capable of completing it. EVT allows us to understand how these factors are related, how some are more important than others and how they influence motivation to complete prework. Using this information, instructors can tailor assignments in a way that will increase student motivation to complete prework resulting in effective active learning sessions. The literature does not address how to motivate students and implement prework. This study provides the first step in understanding the medical student experience with prework in order to inform faculty on how to increase motivation to complete those assignments.
