Predictors of students’ academic achievements in allied health professions at King Saud University: a retrospective cohort study
Open Access
- 6 February 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in BMC Medical Education
- Vol. 21 (1), 1-7
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02525-x
Abstract
Background The admissions criteria for colleges of medicine and allied health professions include several cognitive predictors. Little is known of the admissions criteria for the allied health professions and their correlation with students’ academic performance. This study investigates predictors for students’ academic achievements at allied health colleges at King Saud University. Design Retrospective cohort study. Settings College of Applied Medical Sciences, College of Nursing, and Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz College for Emergency Medical Services, Saudi Arabia. Participants The sample comprised 1634 students. Method The high school grade average (HSGA), aptitude test (APT) score, achievement test (ACT) score, and current grade point average (GPA) were retrieved. The data were analysed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and regression analysis. Results HSGA, ACT, and APT were significantly positively associated with students’ academic performance in colleges for all allied health professions. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the most predictive variable for all allied healthcare professions was HSGA (β = 0.347), followed by ACT (β = 0.270) and APT (β = 0.053) scores. The regression model indicated that the HSGA, APT, and ACT together predicted 26.5% of the variation in students’ cumulative GPAs at the time of graduation. Conclusion The admissions criteria for the allied health colleges at King Saud University predicted only 26.5% of the students’ cumulative GPA at the time of graduation. Other noncognitive admission criteria should be taken into consideration to improve the prediction of students’ academic potential.This publication has 23 references indexed in Scilit:
- How effective are selection methods in medical education? A systematic reviewMedical Education, 2015
- Ability of Admissions Criteria to Predict Early Academic Performance Among Students of Health Science Colleges at King Saud University, Saudi ArabiaJournal of Dental Education, 2015
- Rehman Medical College admission criteria as an indicator of students' performance in university professional examinations. .2015
- Ensuring a fair and equitable selection of students to serve society's health care needsMedical Education, 2014
- Same admissions tools, different outcomes: a critical perspective on predictive validity in three undergraduate medical schoolsBMC Medical Education, 2013
- The predictive value of individual admission criteria on academic performance in a Saudi medical collegeJournal of Taibah University Medical Sciences, 2013
- Admission criteria to Saudi medical schools. Which is the best predictor for successful achievement?2012
- Does entry test make any difference on the future performance of medical students?2012
- Health sciences and medical college preadmission criteria and prediction of in-course academic performance: a longitudinal cohort studyAdvances in Health Sciences Education, 2012
- Psychological correlates of university students' academic performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Psychological Bulletin, 2012