Self-Efficacy of Medical Students in Two Schools with Different Education Methodologies (Problem-Basead Learning versus Traditional)

Abstract Introduction: Academic self-efficacy refers to the student’s belief in their ability to organize and perform actions regarding academic activities and demands. In this context, self-efficacy has received great importance in the literature, both for the relevance and the predictive power of the events in the school setting. Students with higher levels of self-efficacy are more likely to succeed in their interventions, as they can more easily test and use their skills. Objective: To evaluate the academic self-efficacy of students in the 4th year of medical school and its correlation with the teaching method (PBL x traditional). Method: This is a cross-sectional and quantitative study carried in two medical schools: one with PBL methodology and another with traditional methodology. A total of 147 4th-year medical students participated in this study, who were divided in two groups, 73 from the school using the PBL methodology and 74 from the school with the traditional methodology. Data collection was carried out by filling out a self-answered questionnaire, containing questions on sociodemographic information and general health aspects, in addition to the Self-efficacy Scale in Higher Education. Result: Students from the school using the PBL methodology had a overall higher mean sum of the highest score (p <0.01) and higher mean score in each domain of the self-efficacy scale when compared to the school using the traditional methodology. The variables female gender, older age, living alone, not using medication for chronic disease and having an extracurricular activity had a positive influence on the mean self-efficacy score in the different scale domains. Conclusion: The 4th-year medical students of the assessed institutions showed moderate to strong self-efficacy. Students from PBL school had higher self-efficacy scores than those using the traditional methodology. These results may indicate that the active learning methodology such as the PBL curriculum may be related to a higher degree of academic self-efficacy. Further studies are required to understand the influence of the curricular model on medical students’ academic self-efficacy.