Multivariate Predictive-discriminatory Model of Academic Performance in Medical Students. A Mixed Longitudinal Study.
Condition: Students at Risk of Obtaining Low Academic Performance
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Reported studies on individual differences related to academic performance based on
      personality aspects describe self-efficiency, motivation and self-control as the main
      indicators of academic performance. Students who are motivated tend to have a better academic
      performance (AP) than peers with less motivation. On the other hand, differences in the
      environment related to academic performance have been linked to social aspects, among which
      are: family environment, family socioeconomic status and academic socialization. A constant
      factor in aspects of the environment that seems to permeate and impose itself on others is
      the socioeconomic one. About the personal factors of medical students, it has been found that
      university students who report stress caused by socioeconomic factors are more likely to have
      some psychological morbidity. There are certain ways to deal with stress that are related to
      better performance. Due to the complexity of the study of AP, it is necessary to develop
      holistic models that allow a better approach to reality. The educational research work
      related to academic disillusionment has been aimed at determining the factors involved in it.
      However, the methodological approach that has been used to document these works focuses on
      reductionism, where each variable that is studied and correlated independently with the AP.
      Although, this approach has provided valuable information, it is necessary to postulate
      holistic models that allow a better approach to reality. Although, there are published works
      on the correlation of the factors that can influence the academic performance of medical
      students of the Faculty of Medicine of the UNAM, no multivariate predictive models have been
      developed that include the main psychosocial factors and the resilience of students and how
      they impact academic performance; and also, study their behavior throughout a school year of
      the career, using stochastic models that allow characterizing a succession of random
      variables that evolve as a function of time. Therefore, the present work has as main purpose
      to establish a predictive model that allows predictions of expected academic performance and
      timely detection of students in situations of academic risk; and in turn tutorials,
      educational guidance, psychological support and / or specialized advice.
    

Detailed description: 
      The medical career demands of its students a great dedication and dedication, which for some
      can become a problem that leads to an alteration of the state of physical and mental health.
      Those who have dedicated themselves to studying academic performance and its impact on mental
      health point out that the stress, anxiety and depression experienced by students throughout
      the school year are factors that cause poor academic performance (AP). The AP is defined as
      the degree to which a student has achieved educational goals satisfactorily. It is usually
      measured through tests or continuous evaluations. Individual differences related to academic
      performance have been linked to cognitive and personality aspects (non-cognitive skills). In
      cognitive aspects, it has been reported that students with a higher IQ and those who have
      greater awareness of effort and achievement tend to have high performance in academic
      settings. In addition, it has also been suggested that mental curiosity (measured by
      intellectual commitment) has an important influence on academic achievement. In relation to
      personality aspects, understood as a set of "attitudes, behaviors and strategies" that
      promote academic and professional success. It has been reported that academic
      self-efficiency, self-control, motivation, expectation and goal-setting theories, emotional
      intelligence and determination are non-cognitive skills that provide a better explanation of
      AP. Reported studies on individual differences related to academic performance based on
      personality aspects describe self-efficiency, motivation and self-control as the main
      indicators of academic performance. Self-efficacy is understood as an individual's belief
      that he can do something. Stajković and collaborators demonstrated that self-efficacy is one
      of the best predictors of academic success. In addition, they reported that emotional
      awareness and stability were predictors of self-efficacy; Students who are motivated tend to
      have better academic performance than peers with less motivation; and self-control, in the
      academic environment, is related to self-discipline, self-regulation, delay of
      self-gratification and impulse control. That is, self-control is the ability to prioritize
      long-term objectives over the temptation of short-term impulses. On the other hand,
      differences in the environment related to academic performance have been linked to social
      aspects, among which the following stand out: family environment, family socioeconomic status
      and academic socialization. In the family environment it has been described that the quality
      of the relationship between parents and students influences the development of academic
      self-efficacy, which in turn will contribute to their AP; With regard to family socioeconomic
      status it has been reported that students of parents with lower economic incomes lack an
      academic environment at home, which influences their academic success. In particular, books
      at home have been associated as one of the most influential factors in student performance,
      in addition, highly educated parents (who have improved their family income) tend to have
      learning environments more stimulants; Academic socialization is understood as the
      interaction that the student establishes with classmates and academic-administrative staff,
      studies have linked it to the development of extracurricular activities, which have resulted
      in positive relationships between students and high performance. academic which includes the
      increase of the rates of attendance to classes, greater school commitment, as well as a
      decrease in the rates of abandonment and depression or student frustration. Among the most
      studied extracurricular activities is physical exercise that has been shown to improve
      academic performance in university students, in addition to increasing neuronal activity in
      the brain, especially the increase in executive brain functions, such as attention span and
      working memory. A constant factor in aspects of the environment and that seems to permeate
      and impose itself on others is the socioeconomic one, where it has been described that
      academic socialization can be influenced by family socioeconomic status. The socioeconomic
      level also impacts education institutions, in the report Coleman concluded that students who
      attend a school in which the average socioeconomic level is high enjoy better educational
      results compared to one where, the students have a low socioeconomic level. From the
      beginning, parents with a higher socioeconomic status can provide students with financial
      support and household resources for individual learning.

      Regarding the personal factors of medical students, it has been found that university
      students who report stress caused by socioeconomic factors are more likely to have some
      psychological morbidity. One possible explanation is that the entrance to the university and
      the academic difficulties represent a set of stressful situations that can generate a
      temporary emotional lack of control in the students. A diagnostic test is applied at the
      Faculty of Medicine of the UNAM; in which several areas of conceptual auscultation are
      evaluated, it has been shown that the academic background of the baccalaureate play a very
      important role in the level of accreditation that is reached in the different subjects of the
      medical career. On the other hand, there are certain ways to deal with stress that are
      related to better performance. Due to the complexity of the study of AP, it is necessary to
      develop holistic models that allow a better approach to reality. Therefore, this work has as
      main purpose to establish predictive models that allow predictions of expected academic
      performance and timely detection of students in situations of academic risk; and in turn
      tutorials, educational guidance, psychological support and / or specialized counseling. In
      addition, due to the complex nature of the phenomenon, a qualitative study will be carried
      out using phenomenological methodology, which will explore specific social aspects that could
      be imperceptible in quantitative tests.
    

Intervention name(s): Observation of psychological aspects
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): Motivational, socioeconomic, family, stress, and other aspects are tested.
Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Probability Sample
Study population: 
        The study will be carried out in the Department of Physiology of the Faculty of Medicine of
        the National Autonomous University of Mexico during the 2019-2020 school year.

        Selection criteria.

        In January 2019, physiology students will be informed and invited to participate personally
        after authorization of the head teacher of each group, explaining the voluntary nature of
        the study, the nature of the study and the student's participation in it.