Smithers S, Catano V M, Cunningham D P
Department of Psychology, Saint Mary's University.
J Dent Educ. 2004 Jun;68(6):598-613.
The task of selecting the best dental applicants out of an extremely competitive applicant pool is a problem faced annually by dental faculties. This study examined the validity of both cognitive and noncognitive factors used for selection to Canadian dental schools. Interest in personality measurement and the prediction offered by personality measures has escalated and may be applied to the selection of dental candidates. Therefore, the study also assessed whether the addition of a personality measure would increase the validity of predicting performance beyond that achieved by an interview and the Dental Aptitude Test. Results suggest that an interview may be useful in identifying specific behavioral characteristics deemed important for success in dental training. Consistent with previous research, results show that the Dental Aptitude Test is a good predictor of preclinical academic success, with prediction declining when clinical components of the program are introduced into the criterion. Results from the personality measure indicated that Openness to Experience was significantly related to aspects of clinical education, although, contrary to expectations, this relationship was negative. A facet of Openness, Ideas, together with Positive Emotions, a facet of Extroversion, improved prediction of performance in clinical studies beyond that provided by the Dental Aptitude Test and the Interview. Implications of the findings are discussed, and recommendations regarding the admission process to Canadian dental programs are offered.
在竞争极为激烈的申请者群体中挑选出最优秀的牙科专业申请者，是牙科学院每年都要面对的问题。本研究考察了用于加拿大牙科院校选拔的认知因素和非认知因素的有效性。对人格测量以及人格测量所提供的预测的兴趣不断增加，且其可能应用于牙科候选人的选拔。因此，本研究还评估了增加一项人格测量是否会提高预测成绩的有效性，使其超过面试和牙科能力倾向测试所能达到的水平。结果表明，面试可能有助于识别出对于牙科培训成功而言重要的特定行为特征。与之前的研究一致，结果显示牙科能力倾向测试是临床前学业成功的良好预测指标，但当将该项目的临床部分纳入标准时，预测能力会下降。人格测量的结果表明，经验开放性与临床教育的多个方面显著相关，但与预期相反，这种关系是负相关的。经验开放性的一个方面——观念，以及外向性的一个方面——积极情绪，在临床研究成绩预测方面比牙科能力倾向测试和面试提供了更好的预测效果。本文讨论了研究结果的意义，并针对加拿大牙科项目的录取过程提出了建议。
