Further Observation on Study Difficulty in University Students Including ‘Syllabus-Boundness’

Abstract

The UCLS questionnaire, in a form modified to include a measure of syllabus-boundness, and a questionnaire to measure psychiatric symptomatology (the MHQ) were administered to two groups of students, one seeking help for emotional problems, the other a control group. Groups were compared on tests, test findings were inter-correlated, and scores were related to academic success. The UCLSQ is confirmed as a reliable research instrument. Principal component analysis again indicates a separation of psychoneurotic and motivational components of study difficulty. Syllabus-boundness ('Sylbism') emerges as a relatively independent trait, with a significant negative relationship to work satisfaction in both groups. MHQ scores again show a positive correlation between phobic anxiety and academic attainment for patients.

Clinical experience, performance in final examinations, and learning style in medical students: prospective study

“…For applicants in 1986 the reliability coefficients were 0.556, 0.713, and 0.647. Applicants in 1981 were assessed on the less reliable measure of syllabus-boundness23 (α=0.497).…”

Preclinical anxiety: the stress associated with aviva voceexamination

“…This is a widely used test, for both clinical and research purposes, some 300 papers being published on it since its introduction (Buros 1978). On emerging from the viva students were handed a second, more general questionnaire asking about their social and educational background, and their perceptions of their performance in sessional and first—year examinations, and containing the ‘syllabus‐boundness’ questionnaire of the University College London Study Habits questionnaire (Lucas et al 1976), which assesses the degree to which students confine their work principally to the syllabus (and hence it also assesses the degree of examination orientation). Finally, students were asked for any general comments upon either vivas in particular or examinations in general.…”

Audit of admission to medical school: I--Acceptances and rejects.

“…QI also contained a measure of syllabus boundness. 4 Ql covered nine sides of A4 paper. The final sheet of the questionnaire was left blank, and applicants were encouraged to write at length about their views on selection, many doing so with great feeling.…”