The effect of personality traits on undergraduate dental students' performance in multiple mini interviews
Keywords:
Multiple Mini Interviews. Dental School Admission. Big Five Inventory. Assessment. Dental educationAbstract
Background: Multiple mini interviews (MMI) is a structured student selection method where applicants rotate around a series of stations that do not require previously learned knowledge. The Big Five Inventory (BFI) is a tool often used to measure personality traits commonly used in applicant selection.
Objective: The aim of the current study was to assess the effect of personality traits using the BFI on undergraduate dental students' performance in MMI.
Methods: This research was conducted at The Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. All undergraduates applying to the dental program at King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Dentistry (KAUFD) in two academic years [(2014-2015) and (2015-2016)] undertook the MMI held at KAUFD and completed the BFI inventory with a total number of 350 students. The MMI consisted of five stations while the BFI contained forty-four items. Data were analysed by SPSS version 20, using independent-samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient and Chi-square test.
Results: female students scored higher than their male counterparts but scores were only significant in the empathy station (p<0.001) in the first year, and in both empathetic skills and team work abilities (p<0.05) in the second. BFI results indicate that male students scored higher on agreeableness (p<0.003) and lower on neuroticism (p<0.001) in the first year while female students scored higher on agreeableness and conscientiousness (p<0.001) in the second year. Students of private schools had higher total MMI scores compared to those of public schools (p<0.05).
Conclusion: MMI combined with the Big Five Inventory can be a useful tool in the admission process.
References
Powis D. Selecting medical students: An unresolved challenge. Med Teach. 2015; 37(3): 252-60. doi:
3109/0142159X.2014.993600. PMID: 25532428.
Eva KW, Reiter HI, Rosenfeld J, Norman GR. The relationship between interviewers' characteristics and
ratings assigned during a multiple mini-interview. Acad Med. 2004; 79(6): 602-9. doi: 10.1097/00001888- 200406000-00021. PMID: 15165983.
Eva KW, Reiter HI, Rosenfeld J, Norman GR. The ability of the multiple mini-interview to predict pre- clerkship performance in medical school. Acad Med. 2004; 79(10 Suppl): 40-2. PMID: 15383385.
Alaki SM, Shinawi LA, Yamani I, Hassan MH, Tekian A, Park YS. Gathering validity evidence in the use
of multiple mini-interviews as an admission tool for dental students: Preliminary evidence from Saudi
Arabia. Med Teach. 2016; 38 Suppl 1: S45-51. doi: 10.3109/0142159X.2016.1142510. PMID: 26984033.
Kumar K, Roberts C, Rothnie I, du Fresne C, Walton M. Experiences of the multiple mini-interview: A
qualitative analysis. Med Educ. 2009; 43(4): 360–7. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03291.x. PMID:
Griffin B, Harding DW, Wilson IG, Yeomans ND. Does practice make perfect? The effect of coaching and
retesting on selection tests used for admission to an Australian medical school. Med J Aus. 2008; 189(5):
-3. PMID: 18759725.
Razack S, Faremo S, Drolet F, Snell L, Wiseman J, Pickering J. Multiple mini-interviews versus traditional
interviews: Stakeholder acceptability comparison. Med Educ. 2009; 43(10): 993–1000. doi:
1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03447.x. PMID: 19769649.
Brownell K, Lockyer J, Collin T, Lemay JF. Introduction of the multiple mini interview into the admissions
process at the University of Calgary: Acceptability and feasibility. Med Teach. 2007; 29(4): 394-6. doi:
1080/01421590701311713. PMID: 17786758.
Uijtdehaage S, Doyle L, Parker N. Enhancing the reliability of the multiple mini-interview for selecting
prospective health care leaders. Acad Med. 2011; 86(8): 1032-9. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182223ab7.
PMID: 21694560.
Yeates P, Moreau M, Eva K. Are Examiners' Judgments in OSCE-Style Assessments Influenced by
Contrast Effects? Acad Med. 2015; 90(7): 975-80. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000000650. PMID:
Finlayson HC, Townson AF. Resident selection for a physical medicine and rehabilitation program:
Feasibility and reliability of the multiple mini-interview. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2011; 90(4): 330-5. doi:
1097/PHM.0b013e31820f9677. PMID: 21765249.
Alaki SM, Yamany IA, Shinawi LA, Hassan MH, Tekian A. Can Multiple Mini-Interviews Predict
Academic Performance of Dental Students? A Two-Year Follow-Up. J Dent Educ. 2016; 80(11): 1376-83.
PMID: 27803210.
Eva KW, Reiter HI, Trinh K, Wasi P, Rosenfeld J, Norman GR. Predictive validity of the multiple miniinterview for selecting medical trainees. Med Educ. 2009; 43(8): 767-75. doi: 10.1111/j.1365- 2923.2009.03407.x. PMID: 19659490.
Hofmeister M, Lockyer J, Crutcher R. The multiple mini-interview for selection of international medical
graduates into family medicine residency education. Med Educ. 2009; 43(6): 573-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1365- 2923.2009.03380.x. PMID: 19493182.
Eva KW, Reiter HI, Rosenfeld J, Trinh K, Wood TJ, Norman GR. Association between a medical school
admission process using the multiple mini-interview and national licensing examination scores. JAMA.
; 308(21): 2233-40. doi: 10.1001/jama.2012.36914. PMID: 23212501.
Goho J, Blackman A. The effectiveness of academic admission interviews: An exploratory meta-analysis.
Med Teach. 2006; 28(4): 335-40. doi: 10.1080/01421590600603418. PMID: 16807172.
Wilkinson D, Zhang J, Byrne GJ, Luke H, Ozolins IZ, Parker MH, et al. Medical school selection criteria
and the prediction of academic performance. Med J Aus. 2008; 188(6): 349-54. PMID: 18341459.
Conard MA. Aptitude is not enough: How personality and behavior predict academic performance. Journal
of Research in Personality. 2006; 40(3): 339-46. doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2004.10.003.
Lounsbury JW, Saudargas RA, Gibson LW, Leong FT. An Investigation of Broad and Narrow Personality
Traits in Relation to General and Domain-Specific Life Satisfaction of College Students. Research in
Higher Education. 2005; 46(6): 707-29. doi: 10.1007/s11162-004-4140-6.
Griffin B, Wilson I. Associations between the big five personality factors and multiple mini-interviews.
Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2012; 17(3): 377-88. doi: 10.1007/s10459-011-9316-1. PMID:
Azman, MAZ, Yaacob NA, Yusoff, MSB, Noor SH. Comparative Study on Medical Student Personality
Traits between Interview and Non-interview Admission Method in University Sains Malaysia. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2014; 116: 2281-5. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.560.
Komarraju M, Karau SJ, Schmeck RR. Role of the Big Five personality traits in predicting college students'
academic motivation and achievement. Learning and Individual Differences. 2009; 19(1): 47-52. doi:
1016/j.lindif.2008.07.001.
Komarraju M, Steven J, Schmeck RR, Avdic A. The Big Five personality traits, learning styles, and
academic achievement. Pers Indiv Differ. 2011; 51(4): 472-7. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2011.04.019.
Eva KW, Rosenfeld J, Reiter HI, Norman GR. An admissions OSCE: the multiple mini-interview. Med
Educ. 2004; 38(3): 314-26. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2923.2004.01776.x. PMID: 14996341.
Hecker K, Donnon T, Fuentealba C, Hall D, Illanes O, Morck DW, et al. Assessment of applicants to the
veterinary curriculum using a multiple mini-interview method. J Vet Med Educ. 2009; 36(2): 166-73. doi:
3138/jvme.36.2.166. PMID: 19625664.
Dore KL, Kreuger S, Ladhani M, Rolfson D, Kurtz D, Kulasegaram K, et al. The reliability and
acceptability of the multiple mini-interview as a selection instrument for postgraduate admissions. Acad
Med. 2010; 85(10 Suppl): 60-3. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181ed442b. PMID: 20881706.
Roberts C, Walton M, Rothnie I, Crossley J, Lyon P, Kumar K, et al. Factors affecting the utility of the
multiple mini-interview in selecting candidates for graduate-entry medical school. Med Educ. 2008; 42(4):
–404. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2008.03018.x. PMID: 18338992.
Roberts C, Zoanetti N, Rothnie I. Validating a multiple mini-interview question bank assessing entry-level
reasoning skills in candidates for graduate-entry medicine and dentistry programmes. Med Educ. 2009;
(4): 350-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03292.x. PMID: 19335577.
Yen W, Hovey R, Hodwitz K, Zhang S. An exploration of the relationship between emotional intelligence
(EI) and the multiple mini-interview (MMI). Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2011; 16(1): 59-67. doi:
1007/s10459-010-9241-8. PMID: 20535634.
Dowell J, Lynch B, Till H, Kumwenda B, Husbands A. The multiple mini-interview in the U.K. context: 3
years of experience at Dundee. Med Teach. 2012; 34(4): 297-304. doi: 10.3109/0142159X.2012.652706.
PMID: 22455698.
Pau A, Jeevaratnam K, Chen YS, Fall AA, Khoo C, Nadarajah VD. The Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI)
for student selection in health professions training – A systematic review. Medical Teacher. 2013; 35(12):
-41. doi: 10.3109/0142159X.2013.829912. PMID: 24050709.
Cameron AJ, Mackeigan LD. Development and pilot testing of a multiple mini-interview for admission to a
pharmacy degree program. Am J Pharm Educ. 2012; 76(1): 10. doi: 10.5688/ajpe76110. PMID: 22412209,
PMCID: PMC3298392.
Lemay JF, Lockyer JM, Collin VT, Brownell AK. Assessment of non-cognitive traits through the
admissions multiple mini-interview. Med Educ. 2007; 41(6): 573-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1365- 2923.2007.02767.x. PMID: 17518837.
Hecker K, Violato C. A generalizability analysis of a veterinary school multiple mini interview: Effect of
number of interviewers, type of interviewers, and number of stations. Teach Learn Med. 2011; 23(4): 331- 6. doi: 10.1080/10401334.2011.611769. PMID: 22004317.
Jerant A, Griffin E, Rainwater J, Henderson M, Sousa F, Bertakis KD, et al. Does applicant personality
influence multiple mini-interview performance and medical school acceptance offers? Acad Med, 2012;
(9): 1250-9. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e31826102ad. PMID: 22836836.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 KNOWLEDGE KINGDOM PUBLISHING
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
