Investigating the internal structure of multiple mini interviews-A perspective from Pakistan

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychometrics
• Healthcare Professional Selection

Background:

• Healthcare professionals need specific personal attributes beyond cognitive skills.
• Multiple Mini-Interviews (MMI) are used globally to assess these attributes for entry into health professions education.
• Rigorous quality assurance is needed for MMI, but evidence for their internal structure, especially dimensionality, is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide statistical evidence for the multi-dimensional nature of MMIs using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA).
• To gather multiple lines of evidence supporting the internal structure of the MMIs.
• To establish that the MMIs accurately measure the intended personality constructs.

Main Methods:

• An a-priori seven-factor model was hypothesized based on essential graduating student attributes.
• Scenarios were developed to assess these attributes, with a 5-point rating scale used.
• Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed on data from 259 students.

Main Results:

• Reliability coefficients (Cronbach's alpha: 0.73-0.94) and item-total correlations were strong.
• Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported a seven-factor model with excellent goodness-of-fit indices (RMSEA=0.05, SRMR<0.08).
• The CFA confirmed the multi-dimensional nature of the MMIs and their ability to measure intended attributes.

Conclusions:

• This study provides validity evidence for using MMIs in selecting healthcare candidates based on personality traits.
• The findings support the multi-dimensional structure of the administered MMIs.
• Evidence for internal structure demonstrates the independence of the measured constructs.