ABSTRACT

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Background: Students’ academic achievement and its related factors is one of research priorities in the educational programs. Due to success in the studying, students achieve a position that can use the maximum Internal (individual) and external (environmental) power to attain their higher educational goals and gain needed conditions for successful social life. Accordingly, the goal of this study was to investigate individual and environmental factors  affecting educational achievement of Ardabil medical students.

Methods: This study was a case-control research. Statistical sample were consisted of all 200 medical students of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences. Through checking educational dossiers of students, the scores of two semester in academic year of 2009-2010 obtained, and accordingly, statistical samples of successful�students (score�>16) and unsuccessful (score>16) were identified and 32 persons were selected for each group by simple random sampling. For data collection, demographic questionnaire, Raven Intelligence Test for Adults, Cooper smith Self Esteem Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory were used. Data analyzed using descriptive-analytical tests in Spss v.19 software.

Results:�Results showed that, among 64 students, 34 people were males, of which 16 (47.1%) were in successful and 18 (52.9%) in unsuccessful groups and among 30 girls participated in the study, 16 persons (53.3%) were in successful and 14 (46.7%) were in unsuccessful groups. Results showed that there weren't a significant relationship between gender and marital status with academic achievement, but there were statistically significant relationship between residence variables, averaging diploma, employment, being native, socio-economic status, self-esteem, depression and IQ with the progress or lack of academic achievement. So, most of students with higher academic achievement were non-residential, unemployed, native and graduated with high diploma score, higher socioeconomic level, higher IQ and self-esteem and lesser depression level )p<0.05 (.

Conclusion: Residential place, diploma score, being native, socioeconomic status, self-esteem, depression and IQ level are some of factors affecting academic achievement. Conditions should be created to identify the student personal and environmental conditions that affect academic achievement to take the necessary steps to improve their academic

Keywords: Individual Factors, Environmental Factors, Achievement, Medical Students