Developing a Framework of Relationships Among Noncognitive Factors in Doctor of Pharmacy Students' Academic Performance

Abstract

Objective. To develop a framework of the effects of select noncognitive factors (grit, perceived stress, internal locus of control, and select Big Five personality traits) on pharmacy students' academic performance.Methods. A survey measuring select noncognitive factors was administered to two cohorts of first professional year (P1) pharmacy students (entering classes of 2019 and 2020, n=374) during fall orientation. Demographics, pre-pharmacy GPA, and P1 fall semester GPA were collected from student records. Structural equation modeling was conducted to assess the proposed framework.Results. Academic performance was directly influenced by students' (n=367; 98.1%) perceived stress and neuroticism and indirectly influenced by internal locus of control and neuroticism (via perceived stress as mediator). Neuroticism has a complex relationship in the models as it was directly and positively associated with academic performance, and indirectly contributed to decreased academic performance via a positive association with perceived stress. Squared multiple correlations indicated 13% and 9% of the variance in academic performance in the first final model (academic performance measured by pre-pharmacy GPA and P1 fall GPA) and second final model (academic performance measured by P1 fall GPA), respectively, were explained by the predictor variables.Conclusion. Evidence provided by structural equation modeling supports the conclusion that select noncognitive factors, namely perceived stress, neuroticism, and internal locus of control, have direct and indirect effects on the academic success of P1 students. The model variances of 9% and 13% represent 36% to 52% of the predictive value of the most accepted cognitive measures used to determine students' potential for academic success.

Keywords: academic performance; big five personality traits; grit; locus of control; perceived stress.

Figure 1.

Proposed model of the relationships among select noncognitive factors and academic performance. The figure displays the proposed model of relationships among academic performance (as indicated by pre-pharmacy grade point average [GPA] and first-year fall GPA) and the noncognitive factors of grit, internal locus of control (LOC), and select Big Five Personality Traits (agreeableness, extraversion, and neuroticism), as mediated by perceived stress. Hypothesized associations (relationships) among the independent variables are represented by bidirectional arrows, and relationships among the independent variables (noncognitive factors) and dependent variable (academic performance) are represented by unidirectional arrows.

Figure 2.

Modified Model 1 and Model 2 of the relationships among select noncognitive factors and academic performance. Modified Model 1, in which academic performance was indicated by pre-pharmacy GPA and P1 fall GPA, illustrates the standardized regression weight estimates as well as the correlation between internal locus of control (LOC) and neuroticism. Modified Model 2, in which academic performance was indicated by P1 fall GPA only, illustrates the standardized regression weight estimates, as well as the correlation between internal LOC and neuroticism. GPA, grade point average. *p<.05