Journal of Education Technology in Health Sciences 2024;11(1):16–20

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Journal of Education Technology in Health Sciences

Journal homepage: https://www.jeths.org/

Original Research Article

Assessment of learning levels of students using ‘Dennis Congo study skill
inventory’ & evaluation of protocol for slow, average & advanced learners in
medical education
Rosy Lekharu 1 *, Amritmanthan Pradhan2 , Shaila Shah3 , Kiran Arora4
1 Dept. of Biochemistry, GCS Medical College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
2 Gannan Medical College, Ganzhou, China
3 Dept. of Medicine, GCS Medical College Hospital & Research Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
4 GCS Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Article history: Background: Students starting their medical education congregate from diverse educational environments
Received 26-04-2024 and varied learning experiences. Hence, they would have developed individual preferences in learning
Accepted 04-05-2024 styles for obtaining and refining information. Some students need accelerated approach so that they can
Available online 13-05-2024 learn things in the syllabus at their own speed. While some lack focus and understand topics at a slower
pace compared to their peers. The process of assessment of the learning levels of students and conduction
of activities for them can open up a new window for the teachers in adopting different teaching learning
Keywords: methods and result in more dynamic classroom interaction. This also paves way for adoption of appropriate
Study skills
strategies to address the concerns of all learners. The study was done with the aim to explore the study skills
Learning levels of students
and determine any correlation between study skills of the students and their academic performance.
Academic performance Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational, questionnaire - based descriptive study
involving undergraduate students enrolled in medical college. A predesigned, pretested structured and
validated questionnaire, the Denis Congo Study Skills Inventory was administered on the sample. Study
Skills Efficacy Scores were determined using the same. Learners were categorized as slow, average and
advanced based on their scores in the first internal examination. These scores were aligned with the study
skills used by the learner and the data was analysed using Microsoft Excel 2010 & IBM SPSS Statistics
28.0.1.1 Windows software to find out any correlation.
Results: It was found that all the six skills included in the Dennis Congo study skill inventory may need to
be developed in slow learners with equal emphasis so as to facilitate them in becoming average learners.
All the six skills also require improvement in average learners to become advanced learners, however our
study shows that more emphasis needs to be laid on the development of skills of note-taking, memory
enhancement, test preparation and concentration. Out of these, note-taking and test preparation are skills
which might be easier to work on as compared to memory and concentration, as a part of these skills are
inherent to the individual. Teachers can play a significant role in helping the students in acquiring the skills.
Conclusions: Factors affecting student academic performances is a multidimensional issue which has to
be identified at individual level. Deficient study skills appear to be a statistically significant cause for poor
academic performance. With the objective to change the learner’s behaviour, it can be conveyed to learners
what exactly is to be accomplished by providing a direction in the planning of a learning activity.
This study assesses student learning levels in medical education using the ’Dennis Congo Study Skill
Inventory’. It further evaluates a tailored protocol designed for slow, average, and advanced learners, aiming
to enhance learning outcomes across diverse proficiency levels."

This is an Open Access (OA) journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
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For reprints contact: [email protected]

https://doi.org/10.18231/j.jeths.2024.004
2454-4396/© 2024 Author(s), Published by Innovative Publication. 16
 Lekharu et al. / Journal of Education Technology in Health Sciences 2024;11(1):16–20 17

1. Introduction as slow, average and advanced was done discretely without

the knowledge of students and measures for improvement
It is a well understood reality that to become a medical
were planned for all students.
professional, it requires a lot of rigorous hard work. A
new study of 1,000 medical students from 70 institutions
across India has revealed that a large number of them 2.2. Data sources
felt like dropping out of the course while a majority Questionnaire was prepared on Google Form based on
of students were physically or mentally affected during Dennis Congo Study Skill Inventory (DCSSI), which
the coursework. Many factors influence the academic is a predesigned, pretested structured and validated
performance of undergraduate students. questionnaire, to collect data on the study skills used
Identification of these factors would help towards by each student. It consists of six domains, namely
developing appropriate measures to facilitate the students textbook reading, note taking, memory, test preparation,
to improve their academic performance.Moreover, medical concentration and time management. Each of these six
education is undergoing revolutionary reforms in response domains had 5 to 13 components which were assessed using
to scientific advances and societal needs. All students do sentences to compositely indicate each component on a
not have the same study skills and capability to cope up five point rating scale. Study Skills Efficacy Scores were
with the multidimensional factors which affect academic determined using DCSSI. In Textbook Reading Skill (TBR),
performance and this also varies at individual level. a score less than 30 suggests that changes in textbook
So, it is of utmost significance in the current scenario that reading skill are likely to increase the academic grades; in
students be identified as per their study skills and learning Note-Taking Skill (NT), a score of less than 20 suggests
capability, and customized measures be taken to meet with that changes in Note-taking Skill are likely to increase the
individual needs to improve their academic performance in grades; a score of less than 30 in Memory Skills (Mem),
a stress free environment. suggests that changes in Memory Skill are likely to increase
This study was done with the objectives of giving equal the grades; in TestPreparation Skills (TP), a score of less
opportunity to all students from diverse background and than 40 suggests that changes in Test Preparation Skills
learning styles, so that they can gain knowledge and skill are likely to increase the grades; in Concentration Skills
for improving their academic performance and overall, to (Conc), a score of less than 35 suggests that changes in
provide a desirable and amicable solution both for the slow Concentration Skills are likely to increase the grades and
learners and advance learners without any discrimination in Time Management Skills (TM), a score of less than 35
between them so that they, in due course of time all students suggests that changes in Time Management Skills are likely
are at par with each other in building a successful career. to increase the grades.
So, overall aim of this study was to evaluate the factors Scores obtained in the internal examination were also
and identifying the grey areas which need to focused on and taken into account. Link to the google forms were
design appropriate remedial measures and provide support shared with the participants. Responses from learners were
to the students for a better academic performance and compiled in a spreadsheet. The data was analyzed using the
overall professional development. SPSS statistical package.

2. Materials and Methods

2.3. Data analysis
The study was based on the primary data analysis. The study
protocol was approved by the Institutional Scientific & Based on Marks scored in Internal Examination, Students
Ethical Review Committee, Gujarat Cancer Society Medical were categorized as slow, average and advanced learners.
College Hospital & Research Centre (GCSMCH&RC), Students securing <40% are termed as slow performers and
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. more than 75% as advanced learners. The Academic scores
were aligned with the study skills utilized by individual
students. The skills involved were text book reading (TBR),
2.1. Study setting
notes taking (NT), memory (Mem), test preparation (TP),
It was a cross-sectional observational, questionnaire- based concentration (Conc) and time management (TM).
descriptive study involving First Year MBBS students Data was analysed using Microsoft Excel 2010 &IBM
admitted to medical College in 2021, who had voluntarily SPSS Statistics 28.0.1.1 Windows software.
agreed to participate. However, the institute discourages Mean & Standard deviation (SD) of each skill in slow,
discrimination among students on the basis of their average and advanced learners were calculated.
academic performance and identifies students as complete Comparison of each skill between groups was done. The
individuals in their own rights. So, identification of learners difference between the observed means in the samples was
* Corresponding author. calculated and significance value (P-value) and Confidence
E-mail address: [email protected] (R. Lekharu). Interval (CI) of the difference was noted. Annova test was
18 Lekharu et al. / Journal of Education Technology in Health Sciences 2024;11(1):16–20

applied to determine the significance. Choudhary and Garg, who carried out a study
on academic performance of various categories of
3. Results students at Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi,
retrospectively, found that out of three categories in which
Based on the scores of internal examination, out of the 126 the students were divided into, based on the government
participants, 46 (36.51%) were found to be slow learners, guidelines and criteria of entrance into medical college, the
55 (43.65%) average learners and 25 (19.84%) advanced results of the first category was remarkably better than that
learners. (Figure 1) of the other two categories, which, according to them makes
it necessary for planning remedial measures at the earliest. 2
According to Nouhi et al. studying study habits and
skills and academic achievement of students in Kerman
University of Medical Sciences,major defects in the
study skills of the students were planning and time
management followed by concentration and note taking
skills. Study skills had a significant correlation with
educational achievement (r = 0.101, P < 0.05). 3
Nourian et al., in a similar study also used a
general information questionnaire and a specific researcher
developed validated questionnaire on study skills. However,
he did not relate their results to the term ending
examinationswhereas in our study, we correlated the study
Figure 1: Number of slow average and advanced learners and skills with the term ending examinations. Nourian et al. also
their percentage out of total number of participants suggested the establishment of training courses in learning
skills at universities. We also suggest putting in place a
100% of the Slow Learners were found to have poor support system in the form of study skills to help the
study skills related to concentration & time management, students to improve their academic performance. 4
97.83% had poor skills related to preparation for a test or From our study, we inferred that all the six skills may
examination, 93.48% had poor skills in memorizing and need to be developed in slow learners with equal emphasis
91% had poor skills in textbook reading & notes- taking. so as to facilitate them in becoming average learners. All
Among the average learners 9.09% had poor skills in the six skills also require improvement in average learners
textbook reading, 7.27% in notes- taking, 3.64% in memory, to become advanced learners, however our study shows that
test preparation & concentration skills and 1.82% in time more emphasis needs to be laid on the development of skills
management skills. of note-taking, memory enhancement, test preparation and
In case of advanced learners, all 126 students scored concentration. Out of these, note-taking and test preparation
above the minimum values. (Table 1) are skills which might be easier to work on as compared
We utilized the Anova test between the scores of learning to memory and concentration, as a part of these skills are
skills for all the three groups of learners. The difference inherent to the individual. Looking at the P-value, we also
was found to be statistically highly significant between infer that it will be easier to work on the average learners
the groups across all the skills. For the slow and average in terms of TBR & TM skills to bring them at par with
learners the statistical significance was the same between the advanced learners, when the same is compared between
both the groups for all six skills. slow and average learners.
However it is noteworthy that for TBR & TM skills, Way back in 1977, Frank studied the effects of
we found that the difference in scores was relatively study skills workshop, at York College, Pennsylvania and
less statistically significant between average and advanced concluded that conducting study skill classes for the
learners as compared to the remaining four skills where 1st year medical students would help in improving the
the statistical significance was equal for all the four skills academic performance. 5
between the two groups. P-value 0.00641 (TBR), 0.0020
In a study conducted by A. Mandal and coworkers,
(TM). (Table 2)
the key areas assessed were concentration, interest and
understanding of the subject and other perceived causes of
4. Discussion poor performance. 6
In a study on study skills conducted in Kempegowda From this study, it can be concluded that teachers
Institute of Medical Sciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, can play a significant role in helping the students in
note taking in particular was found to be a statistically acquiring the study skills. Learners can be familiarized
significant cause for poor academic performance. 1 and encouraged to apply textbook study system such as
 Lekharu et al. / Journal of Education Technology in Health Sciences 2024;11(1):16–20 19

Table 1: Study skill efficacy scores of slow, average and advanced learners and their percentage out of all participants
Slow Learners (total 46) Average Learners Advanced Learners Total (out of 126)
(total 55) (total 25)
Textbook Reading Skills 42 (91%) 5 (9 .09%) 0 47
Score < 30
Note-taking Skills < 20 42 (91%) 4 (7.27%) 0 46
Memory Skills < 30 43 (93.48%) 2 (3.64%) 0 45
Test Preparation Skills < 40 45 (97.83%) 2 (3.64%) 0 47
Concentration Skills < 35 46 (100%) 2 (3.64%) 0 48
Time Management Skills < 46 (100%) 1 (1.82%) 0 47
20

Table 2: Mean, SD, F-ratio & P-value of scores and comparison between groups
Slow Mean (SD) Avg Mean (SD) Adv Mean (SD) f-ratio P-value
TBR 23.34 (3.44) 33.30 (2.65) 35.46 (1.89) 170.06 <0.00001*
NT 16.52 (2.85) 22.29 (2.04) 28.44 (3.34) 169.81 <0.00001**
Mem 26.30 (2.11) 35.16 (2.33) 40.24 (01.47 407.42 <0.00001***
TP 35.36 (1.88) 45.94 (4.16) 57.12 (2.52) 389.91 <0.00001#
Conc 32.13 1.82 38.19 (2.43) 45.48 (2.06) 316.45 <0.00001##
TM 15.14 (1.27) 24.58 (1.84) 26.04 (1.16) 578.07 <0.00001###

SQ3R (a reading comprehension method named for its the Medical Education Unit of GCSMCH&RC, for their
five steps: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review.), support and encouragement during the conduct of the study.
OK5R (Overview – Key Ideas – Read – Record – Recite
– Review – Reflect), etc. They can be provided guidance References
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5. Conclusion 2. Choudhry R, Garg K, Gaur U, Anand C. Academic performance
of various categories of students admitted to Lady Hardinge Medical
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3. Nouhi E, Shakoori A, Nakhei N. Study habits and skills, and academic
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None.

7. Conflicts of Interest Author biography

None declared.
Rosy Lekharu, Professor https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7326-9391

Acknowledgment Amritmanthan Pradhan, MBBS Student

The authors would like to thank Dennis H Congos for giving

Shaila Shah, Associate Professor
permission to use the DCSSI inventory. The authors wish
to express their gratitude to the participants of the study, Kiran Arora, Associate Professor
20 Lekharu et al. / Journal of Education Technology in Health Sciences 2024;11(1):16–20

Cite this article: Lekharu R, Pradhan A, Shah S, Arora K. Assessment

of learning levels of students using ‘Dennis Congo study skill inventory’
& evaluation of protocol for slow, average & advanced learners in
medical education. J Educ Technol Health Sci 2024;11(1):16-20.