The fairness, predictive validity and acceptability of multiple mini interview in an internationally diverse student...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Admissions Assessment
• International Medical Students

Background:

• International medical students represent a growing demographic in global medical education.
• Assessing diverse student populations requires fair and valid selection tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the fairness, predictive validity, and acceptability of the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) for international medical students.
• To identify factors influencing MMI performance in a diverse student cohort.

Main Methods:

• Explanatory sequential, mixed methods study involving 109 first-year medical students.
• Quantitative data: demographics, selection scores, and academic performance.
• Qualitative data: focus groups with MMI assessors and students (EU and Non-EU).

Main Results:

• Non-EU and non-native English speakers scored significantly lower on MMI (P<0.001).
• MMI scores correlated with English language proficiency (IELTS) and predicted EU student OSCE performance.
• Focus groups revealed MMI's authenticity but highlighted concerns regarding cultural specificity and language barriers.

Conclusions:

• MMI is acceptable to stakeholders but requires modifications to ensure equity for international applicants.
• Addressing cultural awareness and language proficiency is crucial for fair assessment in medical school admissions.
• Ensuring distributive and procedural justice for all candidates, regardless of background, is essential.