Does Absenteeism Affect Academic Performance Among Undergraduate Medical Students? Evidence From "Rashid Latif Medical College (RLMC)."

Household food insecurity and its association with academic performance among primary school adolescents in Hargeisa City, Somaliland

BACKGROUND

Academic achievement is crucial for the social and economic development of young people and determines the quality of education of a nation. According to different studies, food insecurity adversely affects children's health, nutrition, and subsequent decline in academic performance by impairing students' ability to learn and therefore affects the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. To provide evidence on the association of food insecurity with academic performance is necessary. The current study assessed household food insecurity and its association with academic performance among primary school adolescents in Hargeisa City, Somaliland.

METHODS

A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 630 primary school adolescents from December 2021 to March 2022. Students were selected using a multistage sampling technique. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on household food security and socio-demographic variables and entered into Epi data version 3.1. The data was exported to SPSS version 26 for descriptive and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals together with p <0.05 were utilized to declare statistical significance.

RESULTS

The prevalence of food insecurity among school adolescents was 59.21%. The majority (55.40%) of the school adolescents were poor academic performers. The frequency of adolescents' poor academic performance was significantly high (71.05%) among food insecure households (P < 0.001) as compared to their counterparts whose households were food secure (32.68%). On multivariable analysis, household food insecurity (AOR = 5.24, 95%CI = 3.17-8.65), school absenteeism (AOR = 3.49, 95%CI = 2.20-5.53), spending >2h/day watching TV / screen media use (AOR = 9.08, 95%CI = 4.81-17.13), high and middle wealth households (AOR = 0.51, 95%CI = 0.30-0.88) (AOR = 0.40, 95%CI = 0.21-0.76) and habitual breakfast consumption (AOR = 0.08, 95%CI = 0.03-0.20) had shown statistically significant association with academic performance among primary school adolescents.

CONCLUSION

The present study revealed that household food insecurity has a high association with adolescents' academic performance. The prevalence of food insecurity is moderate, based on the household food insecurity access scale. The results indicate the need for policies and programs intended to improve household income by developing income-generation programs for lower-income families and enhance feeding programs such as national school lunch and school feeding across schools in the country.

Effect of Absenteeism on Student's Performance in Different Components of Examinations - A Comparison of Online Verses Offline Teaching

Background

The In online learning, more responsibility is shifted towards students in learning according to their needs. However there is a need to assess which component of teaching can be shifted online for future hybrid teachings.

Objective

This study aims to compare the students' performance in difference components of the exams and compare them in online vs offline.

Methods

It was a quantitative study comparing onsite and online groups academic performance in individual components of assessment for a duration of 6 months. Estimates were reported per standard deviation (SD) increase or decrease. Taking absenteeism rate as a predictor, models with group and gender on their own was fitted in univariable models, before including all three predictors (absenteeism rate, group and gender) in the final model.

Results

Students who studied online, had a 0.49SD higher grade than their counterparts who attended physically (p < 0.001), each SD increase in the absenteeism rate was associated with a 0.26SD lower overall score, and this was significant, p < 0.001. While comparing both groups in MCQ part students who studied online, had a 0.6SD higher grade than their counterparts (p < 0.001), also in continuous assessment students who studied online, had a 0.49 SD higher grade than their counterparts who attended physically (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Positive effect of the online teaching was clear in the (MCQs) and the final result, while no significant gender variation detected in this study.

Absenteeism among undergraduate medical students and its impact on academic performance: A record-based study

BACKGROUND

Student absenteeism is a major concern for undergraduate medical education training in India. Regular class attendance helps students have a proper understanding of the topic of discussion. This study explores the pattern of absenteeism among medical students and whether absenteeism is associated with their academic performances.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A record-based, cross-sectional study was done by reviewing departmental attendance registers, item cards and marks obtained in exam by 190 students in the community medicine department who had passed their 3^rd professional part 1 examination in 2018. The data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 16. A descriptive analysis summarizes the pattern of absenteeism and their marks obtained in the semester and professional exam of community medicine. The primary outcome indicator was the 3^rd professional exam marks. The correlation between class absenteeism and other predictors and exam result was analyzed. Regression analysis was done to predict dependence of outcome variable on class attendance and formative examination marks.

RESULTS

Overall, female students had better class attendance than male students. There was a positive correlation of lecture class attendance (r = 0.369) and marks obtained in the 6^th semester exam (r = 0.717) with the final exam result. Further regression analysis showed final marks had a higher dependence on the 6^th semester examination score (B = 0.669) when compared to lecture class attendance (B = 0.051).

CONCLUSION

Although lecture class attendance is an important predictor of final result, this study showed that the 6^th semester marks were a better predictor. This may be due to multiple factors (alternate source of learning, student's motivation, etc.) which require further exploration.

YouTube as a complementary learning tool in times of COVID-19: Self-reports from sports science students

OBJECTIVES

This study reports on sports science students' educational experience in times of the COVID-19 pandemic and explores their interactions with online technologies, exclusively for learning purposes.

METHODS

A total of 181 Tunisian final-year sports science students were surveyed using, a custom-designed questionnaire, following the end of the academic year 2020/2021. Semi-structured interviews were conducted for triangulation and validation of the findings.

FINDINGS

Participants reported that COVID-19-induced educational disruptions had detrimental effects on their learning experiences. Even though they deemed emergency remote teaching to be less effective than classroom-based teaching, participants recognized the role technology had played in mitigating the impact of the pandemic on their graduation year. They reported using a wide range of online technologies to complement remote curriculum delivery. Ranking second after Google Meet, with a marked difference from the rest of the list, YouTube seemed to be sports science students' best "learning companion" in times of COVID-19. YouTube helped them better understand instructional content delivered remotely and compensate for the missed opportunities for knowledge and motor skill acquisition.

CONCLUSIONS

It is very likely that curriculum-based YouTube videos can smoothen emergency implementation of flipped classrooms during future crises that may force teachers and students into home confinement once again, but further empirical research is needed in this area.

Reincluding: Providing Support to Reengage Youth who Truant in Secondary Schools

Truancy, a complex, unresolved educational issue in countries with compulsory attendance policies, has the potential to cause further educational inequity in times of a global COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of this study, there was a paucity of research regarding youth perspectives of truancy compared to adult perspectives. To address this gap in truancy scholarship, data from a grounded theory study were used to indicate how a sample of 13 students who were truant in New Zealand explained their experiences of reinclusion in learning after persistent absences. Findings showed that support by a significant adult, not necessarily a teacher, and peers were vital in helping youth who are truant to develop a positive and determined attitude to reengage with learning. Results will support school leaders, counsellors, and teachers to further develop inclusive approaches that promote student well-being and achievement.

[Impact of primary dysmenorrhea on the academic performance of university students]

OBJECTIVE

Primary dysmenorrhea has a high prevalence among the student population. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of dysmenorrhea, its severity and its impact on academic performance in Mexican university students.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study. An anonymous multiple-choice questionnaire was applied in class hours in the classrooms. The visual pain scale (VAS) was used for the measurement of pain. A descriptive and inferential analysis of the variables studied was carried out using the program SPSS® IBM.

RESULTS

A total of 2154 (n=2154) students were surveyed. The average age of the women was 20.4 ±1.9years. The general prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 78.9%, with psychology students having the highest value (83.7%). The VAS mean pain score was of 64.0. The severity of menstrual pain in students was reported as mild in 9.0%, and moderate-severe in 91.0%. The VAS mean pain scores and intensity of pain of gerontology students were significantly higher than those reported by dentistry and medicine students (P&lt;.05). Limitation of daily activities was reported in 90.4% of women, with medical students reporting the highest percentage (93.3%). Women reported school absenteeism in 37.0%, with medical students presenting the highest percentage (41.4%). The severity of menstrual pain as a risk factor (independent variable) positively influenced various dependent variables involved in students' academic performance (P&lt;.05), including: stop doing their activities due to pain in 1 to 6 menstruations a year, minor concentration, absenteeism, low school performance, and lower grades during dysmenorrhea.

CONCLUSION

A high prevalence of dysmenorrhea was observed and it is concluded that the severity of the symptomatology significantly interferes with the academic performance of the participants.

Effect of absenteeism on the performance of medical sciences students: gender differences

The effects of the learning environment on academic performance can be investigated according to a broad range of factors using a diversity of approaches. Many differences in academic performance have been associated with the sex of the student. Objectives: This study aims to understand the impact of absenteeism on the final grades earned by full-time medical laboratory sciences undergraduate students and whether this is affected by sex. Academic performance was analyzed using students' final grades from two consecutive semesters (January to April and September to December 2019). The differences between male (n = 43) and female (n = 72) students were evaluated by Pearson's correlation. During the semester, all teaching and assessment methods were standardized across both course sections to avoid confounding effects derived from the teaching method. Academic performance was assessed both objectively (multiple-choice questions) and subjectively (short essay questions). The mean scores of male and female students during two semesters were significantly different (p = 0.0180). To correlate marks with absenteeism, the correlation coefficient (r) was negative, which indicates an inverse correlation between absence rate and scores. Interestingly, a statistically significant correlation between absenteeism and final grades was found in the male sample population (p = 0.0011 for the first semester; p = 0.0255 for the second semester) that was not observed for their female counterparts (p = 0.2041; p = 0.1537). The results indicate that academic performance among women is not solely dependent on class attendance but likely involves other factors such as self-learning, and group discussion. The mean scores of female medical sciences students were significantly higher than the male students for two consecutive semesters. Male overall scores seem to be conditional on the instructor's explanation. This sex-based variation in academic performance revealed by taking absenteeism rate into account warrant further investigation.

The relationship between attendance and academic performance of undergraduate medical students during surgical clerkship

BACKGROUND

The current study aimed to evaluate the previously unexplored correlation between undergraduate medical students' attendance during their surgical clerkship and their academic performance. It also aimed to explore any difference in the attendance rate between male and female students and whether this difference, if present, affects the academic performance.

METHODS

A retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study has been conducted on 331 undergraduate medical students during their surgical clerkships at the College of Medicine and Medical Sciences (CMMS) at Arabian Gulf University (AGU), Bahrain from September 2018 to June 2020.

RESULTS

There was a positive statistically significant correlation between students' attendance during surgical clerkship and academic performance (r = 0.360, P <  0.01). Mean attendance rate was greater in each increasing category of academic performance: 47.95% in the weak category (less than 65%, n = 42), 57.62% in the good performance category (65% to less than 75%, n = 108), 67.82% in the very good performance category (75% to less than 85%, n = 126), 83.16% in the excellent performance category (85% and above, n = 55). The mean attendance rate of male students was 59.76% (SD = 25.73), compared to 66.92% (SD = 24.30) in the female students. T-test indicated that the difference between the mean attendance of the two groups of the students (male, female) was statistically significant (t = 2.483, p <  0.05). On the other hand, the difference between the mean academic performance for the two groups of students, male & female, (t = 0.284, p = 0.777) was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed a significant relationship between undergraduate medical students' attendance during their surgical clerkship and their academic performance. Further studies are needed to stratify this correlation according to clinical and theoretical teaching activities. No significant difference was observed in academic performance between female and male students.

Investigating the reasons for students' attendance in and absenteeism from lecture classes and educational planning to improve the situation

BACKGROUND

This study investigated the reasons for the students' attendance in and absenteeism from lecture classes from the perspective of professors, students, and educational planning to change the unsatisfactory status quo.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present study was a narrow needs assessment survey which was performed on students (n = 70) of the Faculty of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, in four stages. In the first stage, the opinions of professors and students about the reasons for absenteeism from the lecture classes were collected. In the second stage, the results of the first stage were discussed by an expert panel to find solutions for the problem. The results of the survey were tabulated, summarized, and discussed. In the third stage, online classes were held as one of the solutions and evaluated in the fourth stage.

RESULTS

The results showed that various factors, such as professor empowerment, evaluation system, audiovisual equipment of the classes, educational curriculum, and class schedules, are associated with the students' attendance in the classes. Along with these factors, one of the most important reasons for students' absenteeism from classes in recent years might be the generational differences of students. The evaluation of online classes showed that the ratio of the number of students who actively participated in the online classes to the number of students participating in the online classes varied from 30% to 64% (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In addition to improving the factors associating students' attendance in classes, online education is a proper solution for reducing absenteeism in lecture classes and increasing students' active participation from the perspective of professors and students.

Exploring Quality of Life, Stress, and Risk Factors Associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome for Female University Students in Taiwan

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common recurrent functional gastrointestinal disorder that impacts on patients physically and mentally. Studies on IBS have focused on adults, yet few studies have examined IBS among female university students. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of IBS for female university students and its related factors. Using a cross-sectional study design, a total of 2520 female university students were recruited in southern Taiwan. The structured questionnaires, including the Rome III IBS diagnostic questionnaire, IBS symptom severity scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) were used for data collection. A total of 1894 female students complete the questionnaires. The response rate was 75.15%. The results indicated 193 female students with IBS and the prevalence of IBS was 10.1%. IBS female students had higher levels of stress and lower QOL than non-IBS female students. The risk factors for female university students developing IBS were dysmenorrhea, food avoidance, class absenteeism, and the lower physical domain of QOL. It is advised to consider these factors when providing students with counselling and relevant services in the expectation of alleviating their IBS symptoms, reducing the incidence rate of IBS, and further improving their QOL.

Predictors of high achievers in Indian medical undergraduates: Association with emotional intelligence and perceived stress

BACKGROUND

Today's Bachelor in Medicine, Bachelor in Surgery (MBBS) students will become Indian Medical Graduates in future. Emotional intelligence (EI) is an essential component in the making of an Indian Medical Graduate. There is increasing stress during medical training. The study was conducted to compare the association of EI score and perceived stress scale (PSS) among average and excellent undergraduate medical students. The secondary objective was to find the predictors of excellent academic performance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted after institutional ethics committee approval. All 522 consented students studying in 2^nd, 4^th, 7^th, and 9^th semesters filled up established pre-validated questionnaires ; Schutteself report EI test and Cohen's perceived stress scale. Sociodemographic details of the respondents were collected. Average attendance and marks of previous semester examinations of all included students were collected from academic cell of the institution. All students were grouped into three groups: average, good, and excellent performers from the marks collected. Comparison of EI scores and PSS scores was done between students in excellent and average groups using unpaired t-test.

RESULTS

Of the 94.9% of respondents, 78.2% of the students were included in the study. The mean EI and PSS scores were 123 ± 14.5 and 22.8 ± 13.9, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in EI scores between average and excellent performers ([123.8 ± 18.7] vs. [127.7 ± 16]; P - 0.089). Perceived stress was lower in excellent performers ([20.9 ± 11.1] vs. [24.8 ± 15.0]; P - 0.01). EI was associated with better performance in clinical year students. EI was negatively correlated to perceived stress.

CONCLUSION

Our study provides predictors of excellent academic performances among Indian medical undergraduates. This study suggests introduction of extracurricular activities in ongoing undergraduate curricular syllabus. It imparts awareness among students about the importance of attending classes. This study bestows higher EI and lower perceived stress to better academic performance.