The role of intrinsic goal orientation on medical and allied health students’ deep learning approach

Medical institutions have an exceptional responsibility to train health providers to become versatile in their own fields, trying to foster and stimulate life-long skills such as problem solving and critical thinking. Research on academic self-regulation suggests that students' intrinsic goal orientation and deep approach to learning enhance students' learning. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the role intrinsic goal orientation plays on students' deep learning approach. A sample of 205 first year students (121 males and 84 females) from College of Medicine in Malawi responded to a questionnaire assessing their intrinsic goal orientation and deep learning strategy approach. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 20. Linear regression results indicate that intrinsic goal orientation positively predicted both deep and meta-cognitive learning strategies as components of deep learning approach construct. Male students had higher levels of intrinsic goal orientation than their female counterparts. There were no significant differences among students from different programs of study on intrinsic goal orientation, deep and meta-cognitive learning strategies. The results suggest that intrinsic goal orientation has an important impact on medical and allied health students' deep learning approach. Possible implications of the results and recommendations for future research are discussed.