DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/SH35-K865
Defense Date
2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
First Advisor
Lisa Abrams
Second Advisor
Kelly Lockeman
Third Advisor
Alison Koenka
Fourth Advisor
Michael Broda
Abstract
Medical school plays a pivotal role in the training of future physicians. Academic Self-Concept (ASC) represents a person’s beliefs about their academic ability, and it has been documented across educational contexts as an important factor in relation to academic performance. Despite decades of research into the relationship between ASC and academic performance, this relationship remains underexplored in medical education. The purpose of this study was to examine the ASC of preclinical medical students using longitudinal data to explore both the relationship between ASC and performance and ASC throughout the preclinical phase of medical school. Survey data from three cohorts of preclinical medical students, for a total sample of 495 students, was analyzed. Bivariate correlation and simple linear regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between preadmissions performance and ASC during matriculation to medical school. There was a statistically significant positive relationship between preadmissions performance and ASC, but a low correlation coefficient suggested the relationship was not a practically significant one. Ordinal regression was used to explore the relationship between ASC and academic performance, as measured by rank quartile. In an analysis of factors influencing rank quartile at the end of the first year, ASC was a statistically significant predictor of subsequent performance, though prior academic performance was the strongest predictor of subsequent performance. Ordinal regression was also used to determine the impact of ASC at the end of the first year on academic performance at the end of the second year. The results of this analysis also suggested that ASC plays a statistically significant role in performance, but prior performance was again the strongest predictor of subsequent performance. Repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to explore changes in ASC over time. There was a significant decline in ASC between matriculation and the end of the first and second years, but there was not a significant difference in ASC between the end of the first and the end of the second year of medical school. The results of these analyses provide support for the relationship between ASC and academic performance among preclinical medical students. Evidence of this relationship, as well as the decline in ASC over time, provide insight into the experiences of medical students that may be used to help improve those experiences, as well as academic processes and outcomes.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-2-2023