title: Factors affecting self-regulated learning in medical students: a qualitative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Clinical courses are required of all medical students and means that they must develop the key skill of self-regulation during learning. The ability to self-regulate learning strategies is affected by different factors. This study determined the views of medical students on the factors affecting self-regulated learning (SRL).
  
  
  METHODS
  This study uses a qualitative approach and the content analysis method. Nineteen medical students in their fourth, fifth, and sixth years of study at Isfahan University of Medical Science participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. The students were selected using purposive sampling based on their overall grade point average (GPA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five main themes were found to affect SRL. These themes included family with the two subthemes of family supervisory and supportive roles; peers with the two subthemes of facilitating and inhibiting roles; instructors with the two subthemes of personal and educational instructor's characteristics; educational environment with the two subthemes of facilitator and inhibitor roles; and student with the two subthemes of facilitating and inhibiting personal factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The outcomes of student understanding of the factors affecting self-regulation indicate that facilitating factors should be used on an individual basis to reduce the effect of inhibiting factors to improve self-regulation in students.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, Medical Education Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jouhari
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, Medical Education Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran; fariba.haghani@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Fariba
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haghani
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, Medical Education Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Tahereh
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Changiz
mesh_terms: D004521:Educational Measurement; D004777:Environment; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007492:Iran; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D036301:Qualitative Research; D000068356:Self-Control / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: learning; medical student; qualitative research; self-regulation