Validation of the professional identity questionnaire among medical students
Abstract Background Professionalism represents a cornerstone of the medical profession, prompting medical educators to actively develop instruments to measure professional identity formation among medical students. A quantitative approach to this problem has been lacking. Hence in this study, we inv...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2021-06-01
|
| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02704-w |
| _version_ | 1818655254961455104 |
|---|---|
| author | Toben Daan Mak-van der Vossen Marianne Wouters Anouk Rashmi A. Kusurkar |
| author_facet | Toben Daan Mak-van der Vossen Marianne Wouters Anouk Rashmi A. Kusurkar |
| author_sort | Toben Daan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Professionalism represents a cornerstone of the medical profession, prompting medical educators to actively develop instruments to measure professional identity formation among medical students. A quantitative approach to this problem has been lacking. Hence in this study, we investigate the validity and reliability of using Brown et al.’s [1986] Professional Identity Questionnaire (PIQ) to measure professional identity among medical students. Methods We used the American Psychological Association’s account of validity and reliability to examine the PIQ in terms of its internal structure, its relation to a validated motivation scale, its content, and its internal consistency. To this end, we performed two factor analyses, a Pearson’s correlation test, an expert evaluation and measured Cronbach’s alpha, respectively.. Results Factor analysis revealed two latent factors underlying the items of the PIQ. We found a negative to positive spectrum of Pearson’s correlations corresponding to increasingly internal qualities of motivation. Experts unanimously rated four out of ten of the PIQ’s items as relevant, reliability analysis yielded a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.82. Conclusion Despite poor ratings by experts in the field, these results illustrate the PIQ as a valid and reliable quantitative measure of medical students’ professional identity; its two factors reflecting the measure of attached and detached attitudes towards the medical profession. Educators may use the instrument as a tool for monitoring PIF among their students, as well as for designing and evaluating their medical curriculum. Future research might build on the current findings by investigating other dimensions of the PIQ’s validity, including response process validity, predictive validity and consequential validity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T03:06:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b167d82277294b3185109005ab4bec2b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T03:06:47Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-b167d82277294b3185109005ab4bec2b2022-12-21T22:05:55ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202021-06-012111810.1186/s12909-021-02704-wValidation of the professional identity questionnaire among medical studentsToben Daan0Mak-van der Vossen Marianne1Wouters Anouk2Rashmi A. Kusurkar3Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdam UMC, Faculty of Medicine Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Research in EducationAmsterdam UMC, Faculty of Medicine Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Research in EducationAmsterdam UMC, Faculty of Medicine Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Research in EducationAbstract Background Professionalism represents a cornerstone of the medical profession, prompting medical educators to actively develop instruments to measure professional identity formation among medical students. A quantitative approach to this problem has been lacking. Hence in this study, we investigate the validity and reliability of using Brown et al.’s [1986] Professional Identity Questionnaire (PIQ) to measure professional identity among medical students. Methods We used the American Psychological Association’s account of validity and reliability to examine the PIQ in terms of its internal structure, its relation to a validated motivation scale, its content, and its internal consistency. To this end, we performed two factor analyses, a Pearson’s correlation test, an expert evaluation and measured Cronbach’s alpha, respectively.. Results Factor analysis revealed two latent factors underlying the items of the PIQ. We found a negative to positive spectrum of Pearson’s correlations corresponding to increasingly internal qualities of motivation. Experts unanimously rated four out of ten of the PIQ’s items as relevant, reliability analysis yielded a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.82. Conclusion Despite poor ratings by experts in the field, these results illustrate the PIQ as a valid and reliable quantitative measure of medical students’ professional identity; its two factors reflecting the measure of attached and detached attitudes towards the medical profession. Educators may use the instrument as a tool for monitoring PIF among their students, as well as for designing and evaluating their medical curriculum. Future research might build on the current findings by investigating other dimensions of the PIQ’s validity, including response process validity, predictive validity and consequential validity.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02704-wConstruct validityDesigning and evaluating medical curriculumMedical studentsProfessional identityStructural equation ModellingConfirmatory factor analysis |
| spellingShingle | Toben Daan Mak-van der Vossen Marianne Wouters Anouk Rashmi A. Kusurkar Validation of the professional identity questionnaire among medical students BMC Medical Education Construct validity Designing and evaluating medical curriculum Medical students Professional identity Structural equation Modelling Confirmatory factor analysis |
| title | Validation of the professional identity questionnaire among medical students |
| title_full | Validation of the professional identity questionnaire among medical students |
| title_fullStr | Validation of the professional identity questionnaire among medical students |
| title_full_unstemmed | Validation of the professional identity questionnaire among medical students |
| title_short | Validation of the professional identity questionnaire among medical students |
| title_sort | validation of the professional identity questionnaire among medical students |
| topic | Construct validity Designing and evaluating medical curriculum Medical students Professional identity Structural equation Modelling Confirmatory factor analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02704-w |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tobendaan validationoftheprofessionalidentityquestionnaireamongmedicalstudents AT makvandervossenmarianne validationoftheprofessionalidentityquestionnaireamongmedicalstudents AT woutersanouk validationoftheprofessionalidentityquestionnaireamongmedicalstudents AT rashmiakusurkar validationoftheprofessionalidentityquestionnaireamongmedicalstudents |