Abstract
Medical schools seek ways to improve their admissions strategies, since the available methods prove to be suboptimal for selecting the best and most motivated students. In this multi-site cross-sectional questionnaire study, we examined the value of (different) selection procedures compared to a weighted lottery procedure, which includes direct admission based on top pre-university grade point averages (≥8 out of 10; top-pu-GPA). We also considered whether students had participated in selection, prior to being admitted through weighted lottery. Year-1 (pre-clinical) and Year-4 (clinical) students completed standard validated questionnaires measuring quality of motivation (Academic Self-regulation Questionnaire), strength of motivation (Strength of Motivation for Medical School-Revised) and engagement (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student). Performance data comprised GPA and course credits in Year-1 and clerkship performance in Year-4. Regression analyses were performed. The response rate was 35% (387 Year-1 and 273 Year-4 students). Top-pu-GPA students outperformed selected students. Selected Year-1 students reported higher strength of motivation than top-pu-GPA students. Selected students did not outperform or show better quality of motivation and engagement than lottery-admitted students. Participation in selection was associated with higher engagement and better clerkship performance in Year-4. GPA, course credits and strength of motivation in Year-1 differed between students admitted through different selection procedures. Top-pu-GPA students perform best in the medical study. The few and small differences found raise questions about the added value of an extensive selection procedure compared to a weighted lottery procedure. Findings have to be interpreted with caution because of a low response rate and small group sizes.
Highlights
By applying selection procedures, medical schools aim to admit motivated students who will perform well in their studies (Turner and Nicholson 2011)
Medical schools seek ways to improve their admissions strategies, since the available methods prove to be suboptimal for selecting the best and most motivated students. In this multi-site cross-sectional questionnaire study, we examined the value of selection procedures compared to a weighted lottery procedure, which includes direct admission based on top pre-university grade point averages (C8 out of 10; top-puGPA)
The literature on selection mainly contains single-site studies and studies investigating selection tools in isolation, rather than combinations of selection tools (Patterson et al 2016). This multi-site study aims to fill these gaps by examining the value of selection procedures compared to a weighted lottery procedure, which is weighted for pre-university grade point average and includes direct admission for students with top-pu-GPAs (C8 out of 10) (Ten Cate 2007)
Summary
Medical schools aim to admit motivated students who will perform well in their studies (Turner and Nicholson 2011). The literature on selection mainly contains single-site studies and studies investigating selection tools in isolation, rather than combinations of selection tools (Patterson et al 2016) This multi-site study aims to fill these gaps by examining the value of (different) selection procedures compared to a weighted lottery procedure, which is weighted for pre-university grade point average (pu-GPA) and includes direct admission for students with top-pu-GPAs (C8 out of 10) (Ten Cate 2007). Student engagement contributes to better learning and academic performance of (medical) students (Carini et al 2006; Casuso-Holgado et al 2013; Schaufeli et al 2002a; Svanum and Bigatti 2009) and has a negative relationship with burnout (Schaufeli et al 2002b). Engagement is defined as ‘‘a positive, fulfilling, and work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigour, dedication, and absorption’’ (Schaufeli et al 2002b)
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