title: A multi-site study on medical school selection, performance, motivation and engagement.
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.
authors.affiliation: Research in Education, VUmc School of Medical Sciences, VU University Medical Center, PK KTC 5.002, Post box 7057, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. a.wouters@vumc.nl.|LEARN! Research Institute for Learning and Education, Faculty of Psychology and Education, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. a.wouters@vumc.nl.
authors.forename: A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6806-7573
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wouters
authors.affiliation: Research in Education, VUmc School of Medical Sciences, VU University Medical Center, PK KTC 5.002, Post box 7057, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|LEARN! Research Institute for Learning and Education, Faculty of Psychology and Education, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Croiset
authors.affiliation: Center for Research and Innovation in Medical Education, UMC Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Schripsema
authors.affiliation: Center for Research and Innovation in Medical Education, UMC Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cohen-Schotanus
authors.affiliation: Center for Evidence-Based Education, AMC-UvA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: G W G
authors.initials: GWG
authors.lastname: Spaai
authors.affiliation: Center for Evidence-Based Education, AMC-UvA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Hulsman
authors.affiliation: Research in Education, VUmc School of Medical Sciences, VU University Medical Center, PK KTC 5.002, Post box 7057, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|LEARN! Research Institute for Learning and Education, Faculty of Psychology and Education, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kusurkar
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D003071:Cognition; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012570:School Admission Criteria; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Academic performance; Admissions; Engagement; Medical school; Medical students; Motivation; Selection; Self-determination theory