Searching for prognostic criteria of students' Academic success

Background. Recently Universities start facing problems of students' low academic success and high level of expulsion from the University. This study contributes to the on-going research of professional self-determination, self-regulation and personal features of junior medical students in order to develop complex system of psychological and pedagogical support. The goal of the study is to find psychological criteria that could be significantly prognostic for academic success. Methods. Psychological tests (Big Five P. Costa, R. McRae; SCL-90-R, Anxiety Scale, Style of Self-Regulation Test) and Survey were used to study professional self-determination, self-regulation and personal features. Diagnostic Test Battery (Part 1: Intelligence Tests, part 2: Personal Adaptive Capacity Tests) developed by Military Medical Academy named after S. M. Kirov was also used in the study. Grade Point Average for the study duration, debts and number of sessions without debts were taken as academic success criteria and dependent variables. Psychological tests were conducted twice (during the first and the third year). First year test results have been used for the search academic success prognostic criteria. Results. 697 medical students participated in the study. Intellectual features (logical thinking and math abilities) and personal features (conscientiousness, stress resistance, low situational anxiety, ability to evaluate and plan, good self-regulation) have been found significant in predicting higher grade point average and low level of debts, and therefore could be used as academic success prognostic criteria. Further development. It is important to use study results in order to develop programs of psychological support and individual approach for students with lower intellectual and personal resources at the beginning but who still would like to complete education. The received results demonstrate the necessity of further in-depth and consistent study of correlation between psychological variables and academic success, and further search of academic success prognostic criteria.