Factors affecting the academic failure of pharmacy students at isfahan university of medical sciences

Abstract

Background: One of the major problems in educational systems is academic failure in students' education during their course of study. The lack of control of this decline, especially in medical sciences, leads to a decrease in the scientific level and the efficiency of medical students. This study aimed to determine the main causes of academic failure among pharmacy students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 85 students were selected randomly in the School of Pharmacy at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. A valid and reliable questionnaire of students' demographic and educational information and their opinions about the factors related to academic failure, including family, student, teacher, educational environment, educational content, and socio-economic factors were collected. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using Pearson correlation, Spearman correlation, and student T tests. Results: The total rate of academic failure in the studied population was 9.66. Also, the rate in non-quota students, regional quota students, in males and females were 20, 6.92, 51.16, and 48.84, respectively. The main causes of academic failure were educational content, teacher, student, educational environment, family, social factors, and economic factors, respectively from the viewpoint of the students. Conclusion: This study showed that the first factor of academic failure in pharmacy education based on the opinion of students is about the content of pharmacy education. The educational system in comparison to the community and family is a more effective factor in academic failure. © 2020, Journal of Iranian Medical Council.