Pharmacy Student Absenteeism and Academic Performance
Objectives. To assess the association of pharmacy students' personal characteristics with absenteeism and academic performance.
Methods. A survey instrument was distributed to first- (P1) and second-year (P2) pharmacy students to gather characteristics including employment status, travel time to school, and primary source of educational funding. In addition, absences from specific courses and reasons for not attending classes were assessed. Participants were divided into "high" and "low" performers based on grade point average.
Results. One hundred sixty survey instruments were completed and 135 (84.3%) were included in the study analysis. Low performers were significantly more likely than high performers to have missed more than 8 hours in therapeutics courses. Low performers were significantly more likely than high performers to miss class when the class was held before or after an examination and low performers were significantly more likely to believe that participating in class did not benefit them.
Conclusions. There was a negative association between the number of hours students' missed and their performance in specific courses. These findings provide further insight into the reasons for students' absenteeism in a college or school of pharmacy setting.
Nationwide, new pharmacy curricula are being developed to incorporate advances in classroom technology and information access to provide more opportunities for interactive and real-world learning. With the ever-increasing use of innovations in the classroom, establishing the impact of student attendance on their performance in large lecture-based courses has become increasingly difficult. Historically, the literature suggests that undergraduate students who spend more time in the classroom perform better academically than students with high rates of absenteeism. However, more recent studies suggest that this relationship may be weaker than previously reported and that student performance may depend on several other influencing factors and not be entirely contingent on attendance. Several external influencing factors such as employment, faculty member behaviors and perceived expectations, increased accessibility to information and advances in technology, and even apathy among students regarding the value of lecture attendance are believed to also impact student performance. Academic performance appears to be determined by a combination of internal and external factors in the life of a learner, the influence of and impact from which fluctuate often and substantially. To date, few studies have been done to evaluate these factors among pharmacy students.
Two studies were identified that assessed pharmacy students and rates of absenteeism. One study conducted an evaluation of several characteristics and their influence on student reasons to attend or not attend class and concluded that teacher behavior and test schedules impacted class attendance the most. The authors recommended that faculty members increase students' motivation for attending class by modifying their class schedules, testing patterns, and personal behaviors.
Another study of pharmacy students evaluated their characteristics and motivations for attending large lectures. The most common reasons reported for attending these lectures included that students desired to take their own notes and that the instructor highlighted key information on which to focus. The author concluded that instructors should highlight key concepts during lectures to encourage active note taking and to create a more interactive learning experience.
To our knowledge, no studies examining the association between academic performance of pharmacy students with various characteristics and reasons for absenteeism have been conducted. Because of an increasingly high rate of student absences and the potential negative impact this may have on professionalism, this study was conducted to assess the multi-factorial nature of student absenteeism on academic performance in a pharmacy program. The primary objective of this study was to assess various external influences, such as part-time employment, marital and family status, and travel time, and their impact on absenteeism. The secondary objective was to assess the association of academic performance with various student characteristics and reasons for absenteeism.
Abstract and Introduction
Abstract
Objectives. To assess the association of pharmacy students' personal characteristics with absenteeism and academic performance.
Methods. A survey instrument was distributed to first- (P1) and second-year (P2) pharmacy students to gather characteristics including employment status, travel time to school, and primary source of educational funding. In addition, absences from specific courses and reasons for not attending classes were assessed. Participants were divided into "high" and "low" performers based on grade point average.
Results. One hundred sixty survey instruments were completed and 135 (84.3%) were included in the study analysis. Low performers were significantly more likely than high performers to have missed more than 8 hours in therapeutics courses. Low performers were significantly more likely than high performers to miss class when the class was held before or after an examination and low performers were significantly more likely to believe that participating in class did not benefit them.
Conclusions. There was a negative association between the number of hours students' missed and their performance in specific courses. These findings provide further insight into the reasons for students' absenteeism in a college or school of pharmacy setting.
Introduction
Nationwide, new pharmacy curricula are being developed to incorporate advances in classroom technology and information access to provide more opportunities for interactive and real-world learning. With the ever-increasing use of innovations in the classroom, establishing the impact of student attendance on their performance in large lecture-based courses has become increasingly difficult. Historically, the literature suggests that undergraduate students who spend more time in the classroom perform better academically than students with high rates of absenteeism. However, more recent studies suggest that this relationship may be weaker than previously reported and that student performance may depend on several other influencing factors and not be entirely contingent on attendance. Several external influencing factors such as employment, faculty member behaviors and perceived expectations, increased accessibility to information and advances in technology, and even apathy among students regarding the value of lecture attendance are believed to also impact student performance. Academic performance appears to be determined by a combination of internal and external factors in the life of a learner, the influence of and impact from which fluctuate often and substantially. To date, few studies have been done to evaluate these factors among pharmacy students.
Two studies were identified that assessed pharmacy students and rates of absenteeism. One study conducted an evaluation of several characteristics and their influence on student reasons to attend or not attend class and concluded that teacher behavior and test schedules impacted class attendance the most. The authors recommended that faculty members increase students' motivation for attending class by modifying their class schedules, testing patterns, and personal behaviors.
Another study of pharmacy students evaluated their characteristics and motivations for attending large lectures. The most common reasons reported for attending these lectures included that students desired to take their own notes and that the instructor highlighted key information on which to focus. The author concluded that instructors should highlight key concepts during lectures to encourage active note taking and to create a more interactive learning experience.
To our knowledge, no studies examining the association between academic performance of pharmacy students with various characteristics and reasons for absenteeism have been conducted. Because of an increasingly high rate of student absences and the potential negative impact this may have on professionalism, this study was conducted to assess the multi-factorial nature of student absenteeism on academic performance in a pharmacy program. The primary objective of this study was to assess various external influences, such as part-time employment, marital and family status, and travel time, and their impact on absenteeism. The secondary objective was to assess the association of academic performance with various student characteristics and reasons for absenteeism.
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