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The effects of deliberate practice in undergraduate medical education
Author(s) -
Moulaert Véronique,
Verwijnen Maarten G M,
Rikers Remy,
Scherpbier Albert J J A
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
medical education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1365-2923
pISSN - 0308-0110
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2929.2004.01954.x
Subject(s) - psychology , clinical practice , medical education , medical practice , repetition (rhetorical device) , task (project management) , applied psychology , medicine , nursing , engineering , linguistics , philosophy , systems engineering
Ericsson and colleagues introduced the term ‘deliberate practice’ to describe training activities that are especially designed to maximise improvement. They stressed that how much one practises is as important as how one practises. Essential aspects of deliberate practice are the presence of well defined tasks, informative feedback, repetition, self‐reflection, motivation and endurance. Deliberate practice is often difficult, laborious, and even unpleasant. Previous studies in the fields of sports and music have shown a positive relation between deliberate practice and level of expertise. Purpose The present study investigated the relationship between several aspects of deliberate practice and study achievements among undergraduate medical students. Methods A questionnaire was developed to measure important aspects of deliberate practice. It was filled out by 777 medical students at Maastricht University Medical School (response rate 90%). Scores on 3 regular tests were used to define student levels of expertise. Results Positive correlations between aspects of deliberate practice (self‐study, study resources, planning, study style and motivation) and study achievements were found. Furthermore, high achieving students showed more characteristics of deliberate practice than low achieving students. Conclusion Some important aspects of deliberate practice appear to contribute to the performance of medical students.