RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Previous investigations have studied the relationship between grit and academic performance, and it has been reported that grittier students perform better academically. The objectives of this study are to measure chiropractic students' grittiness and to explore the correlation between grit and academic performance. METHODS: We distributed the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S) questionnaire to chiropractic students in electronic form. We included questions about their previous grade point average and the number of times they had retaken examinations. We scored the overall Grit-S scale and the Consistency of Interest and Perseverance of Effort subscales. A 2-tailed t test and 1-way analysis of variance were used to determine differences between groups. RESULTS: The response rate was 87% (n = 110). The mean grit score (3.44 ± 0.60) was similar to the general population and slightly lower than other healthcare professionals. The students who had a grade point average between <80% but less than 90% obtained significantly higher grit scores compared to those who had a grade point average <60% but less than 70%. Similarly, students who had no examination retakes had higher grit scores compared to those who took 4 or more exam retakes. We observed these differences in the overall and subscales scores. No other group showed any difference. CONCLUSION: The results of this research showed that the grittier students performed better academically than the less gritty students. Grit scores can potentially be used to identify the students at risk of failing or dropping out. The role and potential application of grit in chiropractic education, student support, and admission procedures should be further evaluated.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this pilot study was to explore chiropractic graduates' perceived preparedness for practice in the 7 key competencies of the Canadian Medical Education Directives for Specialists. METHODS: An anonymous 5-point Likert scale electronic questionnaire was distributed to graduates from the 2014-2016 cohorts of 9 European chiropractic colleges accredited by the European Council of Chiropractic Education. For each group under 1 competency role, the mean overall score was calculated. Statistical differences were analyzed using a t test and analysis of variance. Cronbach's alpha was calculated for internal consistency. RESULTS: Results of 7 chiropractic colleges were analyzed (n = 121). Differences were found among colleges, competencies, and items. Overall, the graduates who responded scored the lowest in collaborator (3.76) and scholar (3.78) competencies. They scored the highest in professional (4.39) and chiropractic expert (4.13) competencies. In all colleges, a lower level of perceived preparedness was found in collaborator, scholar, and manager competencies. Statistical differences were found that compared the type of employment and cohorts. CONCLUSION: Our results show there may be a gap between education and professional practice regarding perceived preparedness, and graduates perceived themselves to be unprepared in some competencies. The preliminary results of this study could be used to improve curricula of chiropractic education.
