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Webb, C.T.; Shields, P.; Cohen, D.; Sedlacek, W.; Nieman, L. Breaking Away from Tradition: Atypical Correlations for Academic Performances. Paper presented at the Research in Medical Education Conference; 1994. Boston, Mass.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate the relationship between non-academic variables and medical students' academic performance and to compare the relationships across two different types of medical schools.

METHODS: The sample consisted of 104 students from the Medical College of Pennsylvania (MCP) and 102 students from Howard University Collegeof Medicine (HUCM) who had each completed the Noncognitive Variables Questionnaire1 for medical students (NVQ-MS). Three non-academic constructs were created through a factor analysis (commitment/leadership, motivation, and expected difficulty). Academic variables included undergraduate GPA, MCAT scores, and college quality. All factors were correlated with the mean of first-semester grades.

RESULTS: Significant Pearson correlations for MCP indicated that motivation (r=.23) and commitment/leadership (r=.27) correlated with first semester grades. Only expected academic difficulty correlated with first semester grades for HUCM (r=.27). MCAT scores and undergraduate GPA correlated with first semester grades at both institutions (r=.48 and r=.47, respectively, for MCP; r=.35 and r=.27 for HUCM). Multiple regression analysis of all factors indicated that academic variables accounted for 39% of MCP's variance in grades but only 20% of HUCM's variance. Non-academic variables did not add to the explained variance in grades for either institution.

CONCLUSIONS: The authors concluded that both non-academic and academic factors are related to medical school performance. Additionally, the authors cautioned that while academic factors appeared to be better indicators of academic achievement, they might not be equally predictive across institutions. They emphasized that determining which non-academic and academic variables are the best predictors of academic achievement in various medical school environments is critical.