Narrative information obtained during student selection predicts problematic study behavior

• Published in: Medical teacher 2016-08, Vol.38 (8), p.844-849
• Main Authors: oude Egbrink, Mirjam G. A., Schuwirth, Lambert W. T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Academic guidance counseling; Admission Criteria; Applicants; Aptitude; At risk; At risk students; Clinical research; College admissions; College choice; Counseling; Early intervention; Education, Medical, Graduate; Forecasting; Humans; Identification; Interviews as Topic; Masters Programs; Medical schools; Retrospective Studies; School Admission Criteria; Selfreflection; Student behavior; Students, Medical; Test Taking Skills
• ISSN: 0142-159X; 1466-187X
• DOI: 10.3109/0142159X.2015.1132410

Introduction: Up to now, student selection for medical schools is merely used to decide which applicants will be admitted. We investigated whether narrative information obtained during multiple mini-interviews (MMIs) can also be used to predict problematic study behavior. Methods: A retrospective exploratory study was performed on students who were selected into a four-year research master's program Physician-Clinical Investigator in 2007 and 2008 (n = 60). First, counselors were asked for the most prevalent non-cognitive problems among their students. Second, MMI notes were analyzed to identify potential indicators for these problems. Third, a case-control study was performed to investigate the association between students exhibiting the non-cognitive problems and the presence of indicators for these problems in their MMI notes. Results: The most prevalent non-cognitive problems concerned planning and self-reflection. Potential indicators for these problems were identified in randomly chosen MMI notes. The case-control analysis demonstrated a significant association between indicators in the notes and actual planning problems (odds ratio: 9.33, p = 0.003). No such evidence was found for self-reflection-related problems (odds ratio: 1.39, p = 0.68). Conclusions: Narrative information obtained during MMIs contains predictive indicators for planning-related problems during study. This information would be useful for early identification of students-at-risk, which would enable focused counseling and interventions to improve their academic achievement.