Bridging knowledge gaps: impact of remedial classes on first-year medical students in biochemistry - a cross-sectional study

BackgroundRemedial teaching is a tailored educational approach dedicated to enhancing the academic performance of students facing challenges within the curriculum. By identifying and addressing specific learning difficulties, it provides essential support and guidance to bring students closer to expected standards while preventing future setbacks. We hypothesize that underperforming medical students who receive daily, tailored remediation will demonstrate significant improvement in their formative and summative assessment scores in biochemistry. MethodsA cross-sectional mixed-method study was conducted on 56 underperforming first-year medical undergraduates to assess the effect of targeted remediation on formative and summative assessments in Biochemistry. Training sessions included various remediation techniques over six months. Post-remediation feedback was collected to gather insights into students' attitudes, perceptions, and the effectiveness of the methods in improving their understanding of the subject. Logistic regression analysis was employed to determine the most effective remediation for student performance. Benefits and weaknesses of remedial training approaches for future application as perceived by the students were derived through deductive thematic analysis of their feedback. ResultsThe mean marks, evaluated out of a maximum of 100, showed improvement from 29.86 +/- 7.71 to 71.48 +/- 10.19, with statistical significance (p < 0.001). From the students' perspective, the most effective remediation method was grade incentives in formative assessments (odds ratio 6.19). Five major themes were identified: perceived barriers prior to remediation, positive outcomes and behavioral changes observed after remediation, and strengths and areas for improvement in remediation. ConclusionsThe study concludes that identifying underperformers in the early stages of the medical curriculum and providing them with tailored remediation can enhance their performance in exams. Grade incentives in formative assessments, mind maps, quizzes, quick revisions, and assignments were beneficial remedial tools. Targeted remediation proved advantageous for students in improving their academic skills, exam preparation, time management, and attitudes towards the subject.