| STUDENT SELECTION/ADMISSIONS |
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| Year : 2001 | Volume
: 14
| Issue : 2 | Page : 277-286 |
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Can Selection Assessments Predict Students' Achievements in the Premedical Year?: A Study at Arabian Gulf University
Faisal A Latif Al-Nasir1, Annette Sachs Robertson2
1 Department of Family and Community Medicine, Student Affairs and Premedical Program, A rabian Gulf University, Bahrain
2 Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine and Medical sciences, A rabian Gulf University, Bahrain
Correspondence Address:
Faisal A Latif Al-Nasir
, Vice Dean, Student Affair s and Premedical Program, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, PO Box 22979, Manama
Bahrain
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
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Background: In a problem-based learning ( PBL ) program, students are
encouraged to develop self-motivation, self-con® dence, communication sk ills and problem-solving sk ills. Measuring these attributes when selecting
students into medical schools is a formidable task . A dmission to medical school typically depends upon students' academic achievement in their prior education. In the past 3 years the College of Medicine and Medical Science ( CMMS ) at the A rabian Gulf University, which has a PBL curriculum, adopted an admission policy that utiliz es ® nal high school scores, a written admission examination in English and science, as well as a structured interview. Objective: To determine the extent to which the admissions measures predict academic achievement in the ® rst year of studies at CMMS.
Design: Prediction study of prospectively collected data. Final cumulative score for all subjects at the end of the ® rst year was the main dependent variable analyzed. Subjects: A ll students admitted to the college during the academic year 1998± 1999. Results: The written admission science examination scores had the highest correlation ( r=0.663, p50.05 ) with the Y ear 1 ® nal cumulative score. A lthough the admission interview focused on non-cognitive student attributes, which may or may not affect the students' academic performance, its score had a statistically signi® cant, if low, correlation with the Y ear 1 ® nal cumulative score ( r=0.275, p50.012 ). A pproxim ately 59% of the total variability of the Y ear 1 ® nal cumulative scores could be explained by the admission examination scores in science and English and the high school scores. Conclusion: Procedures for selecting students who are most lik ely to succeed academically in the initial year at an innovative medical school deserve further study and probably should include both academic performance and non-academic attributes. |
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