Open AccessThe relationship of non-cognitive factors to academic and clinical performance in graduate rehabilitation science students in the United States: a systematic review
Author(s) -
Kelly Reynolds,
Caroline Bazemore,
Can Hanebuth,
Stephanie Hendren,
Maggie E. Horn
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of educational evaluation for health professions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.397
H-Index - 9
ISSN - 1975-5937
DOI - 10.3352/jeehp.2021.18.31
Subject(s) - rehabilitation , cognition , medical education , graduate students , psychology , mathematics education , medicine , psychiatry , neuroscience
Purpose: Rehabilitation science programs utilize cognitive and non-cognitive factors to select students who can complete the didactic and clinical portions of the program and pass the licensure exam. Cognitive factors such a prior grade point average and standardized test scores are known to be predictive of academic performance, but the relationship of non-cognitive factors and performance is less clear. The purpose of this systematic review was to explore the relationship of non-cognitive factors to academic and clinical performance in rehabilitation science programs.Methods: A search of 7 databases was conducted using the following eligibility criteria: graduate programs in physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, United States-based programs, measurement of at least 1 non-cognitive factor, measurement of academic and/or clinical performance, and quantitative reporting of results. Articles were screened by title, abstract, and full text, and data were extracted.Results: After the comprehensive screening, 21 articles were included in the review. Seventy-six percent of studies occurred in PT students. Grit, self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, and stress were the most commonly studied factors. Only self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, and personality traits were examined in clinical and academic contexts. The results were mixed for all non-cognitive factors. Higher grit and self-efficacy tended to be associated with better performance, while stress was generally associated with worse outcomes.Conclusion: No single non-cognitive factor was consistently related to clinical or academic performance in rehabilitation science students. There is insufficient evidence currently to recommend the evaluation of a specific non-cognitive factor for admissions decisions.