PHARMACY STUDENTS EXPRESSED OPINION IN FOCUS GROUPS ABOUT THE CAUSES THAT PROLONG THE STUDIES

The extension of university studies is part of a complex phenomenon that is related to several factors. In 2016, a qualitative study was carried out with the objective of deepening the causes of the prolongation of the studies in students of Pharmacy at the University of Costa Rica. In August, students were invited face-to-face or through electronic media and brochures, to volunteer in focus groups. Four focus groups were held in September and four in October, with the total attendance of forty-one students, at least two at each level of the curriculum, and an average of five per focus group. At least five additional and generative questions were raised on the subject. The data were collected by the research team, managed confidentially and anonymously. The data were analyzed and organized considering the aspects that prolong the studies: Before the entrance to the University, first university years, in the courses of the career, academic aspects or related to the academic load or the social environment of the academic unit. From the results, it was obtained in the opinion of students who have weaknesses in some life skills and in some academic bases (mathematics, chemistry, physics), there is a lack of orientation or information, they perceive an imbalance in the academic load in the university cycles, pedagogical failures, lack of identity in the discipline and lack of support. The focus groups made it possible to know more clearly the biopsychosocial and academic factors involved in the extension of the studies, but more research is needed to determine the degree of association between these factors and the impact they have on the student's academic performance.