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Gender differences in initial medical student self‐efficacy for the anatomy curriculum
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.574.12
Subject(s) - curriculum , specialty , medical education , medical school , self efficacy , task (project management) , psychology , selection (genetic algorithm) , significant difference , human anatomy , medicine , family medicine , pedagogy , anatomy , social psychology , management , artificial intelligence , computer science , economics
Self‐efficacy, defined as an individual's own judgment of their abilities to successfully perform a task, influences student motivation and impacts such areas as academic achievement, selection of activities, and persistence. The purpose of this study was to investigate first year medical student self‐efficacy for the anatomy curriculum, focusing on self‐efficacy at the beginning of the anatomy curriculum and its potential relationship to gender. First year medical students (male, n = 74; female, n = 66) completed a survey prior to beginning an anatomy course. Data collected from the survey included anatomical self‐efficacy ratings and anatomical experiences prior to medical school, which were analyzed using ANCOVA and ANOVA. When controlling for academic ability, females had significantly lower anatomical self‐efficacy at the beginning of the course than did males [ F (1, 137) = 7.886, p = 0.006]. However, there was no significant difference ( p = 0.203) in anatomical experiences prior to medical school between genders, even though it is these personal performances that provide the most reliable and influential information for accessing one's self‐efficacy. Impacts on teaching methods and student selection of a medical specialty are discussed. [This project was supported by the Fund for the Development of Post‐Secondary Education, US Department of Education.]