Non-Academic Predictors of Academic Performance Throughout a Physical Therapist Education Program

Area of Science:

• Physical Therapy Education
• Admissions Research
• Academic Performance Metrics

Background:

• Holistic admissions evaluate academic and non-academic factors for student success.
• The predictive value of non-academic metrics like sociodemographic and personal attributes on physical therapist (PT) student performance is less understood.
• This study investigates the impact of personal and sociodemographic attributes on academic outcomes in a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how personal attributes (self-efficacy, anxiety, grit, stress, resilience, positive affect) and sociodemographic factors (age, sex, diversity) predict academic performance in DPT students.
• To determine if these attributes and factors are significant predictors of first-semester GPA, overall program GPA, and Practice Exam and Assessment Tool (PEAT) scores.
• To inform holistic admissions practices by assessing the utility of non-academic variables in predicting student success.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, observational cohort study involving three cohorts of first-year DPT students.
• Data collection via six validated surveys measuring personal attributes and sociodemographic information.
• Hierarchical regression analysis used to identify predictors of academic performance metrics (GPA, PEAT scores).

Main Results:

• Age and diversity characteristics were significant negative predictors of both first-semester and program GPAs (R2=0.22 for both models).
• Personal attributes (self-efficacy, anxiety, grit, etc.) did not significantly contribute to predicting GPA or PEAT scores.
• The study included 145 DPT students, with 80.7% identifying as female and 51% reporting zero diversity characteristics.

Conclusions:

• Age and diversity characteristics are predictive of GPA, but not PEAT scores, in the didactic phase of DPT education.
• Older and more diverse DPT students demonstrated poorer academic outcomes.
• While personal attributes are considered in holistic admissions, they may not serve as reliable indicators of academic performance in this context.