Metacognitive, Management and Affective Strategies of Dental Students at the Beginning and the End of the University Curriculum

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate students’ metacognitive, resource management, and affective strategies at the Faculty of Dentistry in Casablanca and to observe their evolution between the beginning and the end of their university course. Method: A questionnaire on the different strategies was distributed to students in their first and fifth years of the 2021/2022 academic year. Results: 79.4% of fifth-year students began preparing by creating a schedule, compared with 59.3% of first-year students. 65.2% of fifth-year students and 60.1% of first-year students could adapt their planning to circumstances and unforeseen events. 78% of fifth-year students vs. 68.9% of first-year students gave enough time to their studies without neglecting other important aspects of their lives. 81.9% of first-year students and 85.1% of fifth-year students used the internet to search for difficult words. Efficient time management was noted in the fifth-year compared to the first-year students, as 69.5% of fifth-year students stated. 54.8% of first-year and 70.2% of fifth-year students opted for a clean, quiet study space to maintain motivation. Conclusion: The strategies adopted by the two classes were largely similar. However, fifth-year students felt they had better stress management, time management, and understanding of medical vocabulary than first-year students. This means effective study strategies and the ability to manage them develop over the years.