Investigating Whether Transfer of Learning in Pharmacy Students Depends More on Knowledge Storage or Accessibility

Abstract

Objective. To investigate whether prior knowledge or reactivated marginal knowledge alone is sufficient for student pharmacists to transfer foundational science content to pharmacy application. Methods. In two experiments, transfer of foundational science knowledge was examined. Far transfer was examined by investigating the relationship between prior knowledge of chemistry and physiology to pharmacokinetic application. Near transfer was examined by investigating the relationship between foundational physiology content and its application to pharmacy. Participants completed fill-in-theblank (FIB) items to assess accessible prior knowledge. Half the participants also received multiplechoice formats of the FIB questions to assess stored well but not readily retrievable information. Participants then answered application-type questions. Results. Participants were more successful in correctly answering multiple-choice questions than FIB questions. Participants could not apply stored and accessible nor stored but inaccessible knowledge in the far transfer condition (pharmacokinetics application). Participants were more successful in applying foundational science knowledge to the near transfer condition (pharmacy application of physiology) Conclusion. This study suggests some students may be able to transfer their prerequisite knowledge to pharmacy application, but most students probably cannot successfully transfer without formal instruction. In addition, reactivating the foundational knowledge through multiple-choice testing has been shown to be sufficient to cause retention of the knowledge, but this seems to be an insufficient stimulus to allow for transfer to occur. What this confirms is that even if students have the prior knowledge, transfer cannot be assumed to be an automatic process and probably requires specific instruction.

Clinical reasoning in pharmacy: What do eye movements and verbal protocols tell us about the processing of a case task?

“…Thus, it is likely that practical knowledge learnt in pharmacies helped the third-year students to succeed in this case better, as learning in practice fosters the integration of theoretical knowledge to practice and deepens the theoretical understanding of pharmaceutical knowledge (Katajavuori et al, 2006 ). Research has shown that applying basic knowledge in practical problem-solving situations poses challenges for learners, and therefore learning activities and assignments supporting this, such as case tasks, are important particularly in the early phases of studying (e.g., Boshuizen et al, 2020 ; Persky & Murphy, 2019 ).…”

“…However, research has shown that students typically struggle in applying basic knowledge in practical problem-solving situations, such as solving case tasks (e.g. Boshuizen et al, 2020 ), also in pharmacy context (Persky & Murphy, 2019 ).…”

Knowledge Retention Practices and Performance of Public Research Institutions in Kenya

“…This knowledge must be captured and stored in the organizations' repositories, such as databases, records, and software. Knowledge Retention is a fundamental part of learning and development within an organization as it allows knowledge to be used effectively and efficiently (Persky & Murphy, 2019). Knowledge retention plays a significant role in knowledge management, allowing organizations to store, access, and use the knowledge and information necessary to make decisions and inform their operations (Hislop et al, 2018).…”