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Medical Students in Early Clinical Training and Achievement Motivation: Variations According to Gender, Enrollment Status, and Age

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the achievement motivation perceptions of medical students in early clinical training, to find out if variations in such perceptions may relate to students’ gender, age, ethnicity, or enrolment status (domestic or international). The participants were 272 4th and 5th year medical students who voluntarily completed the short version of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. The students’ scores in self-efficacy, intrinsic value, test anxiety, cognitive strategy use, and self-regulation, derived from the questionnaire, were analyzed in relation to the students’ gender, ethnicity, and enrolment status, along with their age as a possible covariate. Female students evidenced lower self-efficacy and higher test anxiety compared to their male counterparts. Likewise, international students were found to have lower self-efficacy and higher test anxiety compared to domestic students; the international students also scored lower in intrinsic value perception. Age was found to significantly correlate with self-efficacy, test anxiety, and intrinsic value perception. The findings suggest a need to use strategies like role-modeling to counteract the possible detrimental effects of negative gender stereotyping on female students’ self-efficacy — especially female students from non-Western cultural backgrounds. The higher levels of test anxiety evidenced by some groups may be understandable in the context of clinical training, but nevertheless indicate a need for the formulation and provision of appropriate forms of skills training and support for students — including communication skills training and support for international students.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marcus Henning, Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    Marcus A. Henning, Rain Lamdin & Susan J. Hawken

  2. AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand

    Christian U. Krägeloh

  3. Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

    Emmanuel Manalo

  4. University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

    Iain Doherty

Authors
  1. Marcus A. Henning
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  2. Christian U. Krägeloh
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  3. Emmanuel Manalo
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  4. Iain Doherty
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  5. Rain Lamdin
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  6. Susan J. Hawken
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Correspondence to Marcus A. Henning.

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Henning, M.A., Krägeloh, C.U., Manalo, E. et al. Medical Students in Early Clinical Training and Achievement Motivation: Variations According to Gender, Enrollment Status, and Age. Med.Sci.Educ. 23, 6–15 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03341798

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