Agu Ifunanya Clara, Obi Uche Shalom, Mbachu Chinyere Ojiugo, Chukwuma Adanna
Health Policy Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu, 40001, Nigeria.
Institute of Public Health, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu, 40001, Nigeria.
BMC Med Educ. 2025 Apr 28;25(1):623. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07167-x.
Situational judgment tests (SJTs) are becoming more widely accepted for assessing medical students' behavioral (non-cognitive) competencies. However, the correlation between behavioral and clinical competencies is under-explored, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Using a validated SJT questionnaire, this study examined the association between SJT and the academic performance of clinical medical undergraduates in Enugu state, Nigeria.
This was a cross-sectional study of 279 clinical medical students at the Enugu State University of Science, Management and Technology (ESUT), Nigeria. The results of the SJT of behavioral competencies were collected using a pre-tested, validated, and self-administered questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha for SJT competencies was below 0.7, which reflects domain heterogeneity rather than poor tool precision. The association between the dependent variable (SJT performance) and individual-level predictors was assessed using both bivariate and multivariate linear regressions. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.01.
An increase in students' academic performance predicted a decrease in their SJT performance by 3% (β= -0.03; p = 0.21), but this finding was not statistically significant. Having a grade of A or B in chemistry, compared to a grade of C4 or below, predicted a statistically significant increase in SJT performance by 15% (β = 0.15; p = 0.01). Being a male student predicted a decrease in the SJT score by 8% (β= -0.08; p = 0.09). The results also showed that students' state of origin (β = 0.28; p = 0.04) correlated with their SJT performance.
Our study findings suggest that students who perform better clinically are less likely to have higher behavioral competence. However, the negative association between clinical performance and SJTs is not always statistically significant. This has implications for training and implies that excellent clinical education may not facilitate the production of better doctors, but this is not always the case. Hence, there may be a case for incorporating mechanisms to specifically build behavioral competencies in medical students being trained. There is a need for studies that examine these associations in other contexts and test the impact of trainings and other mechanisms in building behavioral competencies in medical professionals.
Not applicable.
情境判断测试（SJTs）在评估医学生的行为（非认知）能力方面越来越被广泛接受。然而，行为能力与临床能力之间的相关性尚未得到充分探索，尤其是在撒哈拉以南非洲地区。本研究使用经过验证的SJTs问卷，调查了尼日利亚埃努古州临床医科本科生的SJTs与学业成绩之间的关联。
这是一项对尼日利亚埃努古州科学、管理与技术大学（ESUT）279名医科临床学生的横断面研究。使用预先测试、验证且可自行填写的问卷收集行为能力的SJTs结果。SJTs能力的Cronbach's alpha低于0.7，这反映了领域异质性而非工具精度差。使用双变量和多变量线性回归评估因变量（SJTs表现）与个体水平预测因素之间的关联。统计学显著性设定为p < 0.01。
学生学业成绩的提高预示着他们的SJTs表现会下降3%（β = -0.03；p = 0.21），但这一发现无统计学显著性。化学成绩为A或B，与C4或更低成绩相比，预示着SJTs表现有统计学显著性的提高，提高了15%（β = 0.15；p = 0.01）。男性学生预示着SJTs分数会下降8%（β = -0.08；p = 0.09）。结果还表明，学生的原籍州（β = 0.28；p = 0.04）与他们的SJTs表现相关。
我们的研究结果表明，临床成绩较好的学生行为能力较高的可能性较小。然而，临床成绩与SJTs之间的负相关并不总是具有统计学显著性。这对培训有影响，意味着优秀的临床教育不一定能培养出更好的医生，但情况并非总是如此。因此，可能有必要纳入专门培养医学生行为能力的机制。需要在其他背景下研究这些关联，并测试培训和其他机制对培养医学专业人员行为能力的影响。
不适用。
