Medical and Dental Students' Learning and Study Strategies in Shahed University

Introduction: Positive relationship between the use of learning and study strategies with academic achievement in college has been proved in some studies. The goal of this study was to determine learning and study strategies inventory (lassi) of medical and dental students. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out during 2013 at Shahed University. Based on a pilot study, a sample size was of 240 medical and 90 dental students in were selected through random quota. A valid and reliable Persian translation of Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI, 2nd edition) questionnaire was completed by students. Data was analyzed using independent t-test and ANOVA. Results: From ten domains, the highest mean score achieved by students belonged to “main idea” (28.78±4.47) and the lowest belonged to “self-testing” (22.13±4.36) (possible of 8-40). Comparing mean scores of the ten domains of learning and study strategies for medical and dental students, only a significant difference was observed in the area of study aids and self-testing (p= 0.02). Mean scores of test strategies showed a meaningful statistical difference between female and male students (p =0.001). The mean score for information processing domain among dormitory students was lower compared to student having local accommodation and this difference was statistically significant (p=0.005). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that many domains of LASSI among medical and dental students were low. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate students’ study and learning skills in advance. Students must receive regular feedback. Apposite training programs to improve their capabilities are highly recommended.