Relationship between students’ approaches to learning and the development of clinical reasoning ability

This study investigates the relationship between learning approaches and the development of clinical reasoning ability. The main questions for the study were: Is there a statistically significant relationship between students’ learning approaches and development of clinical reasoning ability? If there is a relationship between approaches to learning and development of clinical reasoning ability, which students develop this ability faster? And How does learning approach change relate to the development of reasoning ability?The Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) was used in order to evaluate participants’ learning approaches and Diagnostic Thinking Inventory (DTI) to measure participants’ diagnostic thinking ability. In order to determine changes of learning approaches, the same students were invited to fill out the same questionnaires one year later.This quantitative study was followed by a qualitative inquiry including in-depth interviews aimed at exploring the association of a change in learning approach score with the development of clinical reasoning ability. These interviews also explored the factors influencing learning approaches of these students. Those students with the greatest change in R-SPQ-2F scores between the two surveys were selected for interview.Analysis of the findings of both the quantitative and qualitative phases of this research leads the researcher to conclude that;-there is a correlation between ongoing learning approaches and the development of clinical reasoning ability; this correlation is positive if the approach is deep and it is negative if the approach is surface,-progress towards either end of the learning approach continuum is associated with observation of experts, reasoning practice and/or feedback from experts, and-progress towards either end of the learning approach continuum seems an earlier and better indicator of developing reasoning ability than categorization of learning approach because both learning approach change and the factor causing this change were associated with the development of clinical reasoning ability.This study contributes to understanding of the importance of ongoing learning approaches and the development of clinical reasoning ability by encouraging deep learning approach characteristics. Factors affecting learning approaches are also associated with the development of clinical reasoning ability. Their effect is more than expected