title: Differing perceptions among ethnic minority and Caucasian medical students which may affect their relative academic performance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ethnic minority (EM) medical students in the United Kingdom underperform academically compared to their Caucasian counterparts, but the reasons are unclear and further understanding is required.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore self-reported factors that might influence academic underperformance of EM medical students.
  
  
  METHODS
  An online semi-structured questionnaire was used to identify associations between several dimensions that had been identified in previous research and obtain free-text comments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three-hundred and fifty-one medical students (73.3% Caucasian and 26.5% EM) from the Universities of Sheffield, Keele and London responded. EM medical students were less satisfied with their academic performance and less likely to feel they belonged to the medical school community due to their cultural background, including socio-economic factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differences exist between EM and Caucasian medical students in their learning experiences in medical school. There is a need to increase awareness, for both medical students and teaching staff, of the impact of cultural diversity on academic performance at medical school.
authors: University of Sheffield Academic Unit of Medical Education, UK.
authors: Rumbidzai E
authors: RE
authors: Chandauka
authors: University of Sheffield Academic Unit of Medical Education, UK.
authors: Jean M
authors: JM
authors: Russell
authors: University of Sheffield Academic Unit of Medical Education, UK.
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Sandars
authors: University of Sheffield Academic Unit of Medical Education, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield, S10 2RX, UK. p.vivekananda-schmidt@sheffield.ac.uk.
authors: Pirashanthie
authors: P
authors: Vivekananda-Schmidt
mesh_terms: D018864:Cultural Diversity; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D010465:Perception; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D006113:United Kingdom; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*