Introduction:

Medical students, from their basic training, should be prepared for the autonomous inquiry of knowledge. Among the fundamental skills to be acquired, the learning-to-learn skills stand out.

Objective:

To characterize learning to learn skills in fourth-academic-year medical students of Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Cienfuegos.

Methods:

A descriptive cross-sectional research, with a mixed quantitative and qualitative design, was carried out between March and April 2024. A sample of 68 students was selected by simple random sampling. The studied variables were 10 indicators corresponding to the four dimensions of learning to learn skills: cognitive, metacognitive, affective-motivational and communicative. A student questionnaire on learning to learn skills and a focus group were used to obtain the information. The statistical information was processed using Excel and Python.

Results:

The students were predominantly female, aged 21 and 22 years, and had good academic performance. According to the questionnaire, it was found that 51.5 % of them had moderately developed learning-to-learn skills. Insufficiencies persisted in planning, problem solving, self-evaluation of learning processes, self-regulation, perception of emotional control and motivation when studying.

Conclusions:

Learning-to-learn skills in fourth-academic-year medical students showed some insufficiencies in their training, although, in general terms, young people consider that they possess the necessary skills to manage their learning autonomously.

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