Measuring the Affective Domain in Medical Education: A Psychometric Study of Undergraduate Students in Pakistan
Keywords:
Education, Affective Domain, Assessment tools, Assessment, Higher EducationAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To identify the change in attitude and behavior of medical students and to analyze the factor structure and psychometric properties of the scale used.
METHODOLOGY: This descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative, student self-reported study was conducted from August to October 2025 at Muhammad Medical College, Ibn-e-Sina University, Mirpurkhas, Pakistan, after institutional approval. Five hundred medical students (100 from each academic year, 1st to final year) were invited to complete the questionnaire.
RESULTS: Of 500 questionnaires, 293 were found complete and used for statistical analysis. The mean Ibn-e-Sina University Mirpurkhas Scale of Affective Domain (ISUMSAD) score was 59.98±21.1 out of a possible 84. A Cronbach's alpha of 0.958 with a positive item-total correlation (mean 0.645) was found. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value was 0.96, indicating excellent reliability and sampling adequacy. Pearson correlations were strong except for item 3. Academic year and hostel residence were significantly associated, whereas no significant differences were observed by gender. It is recommended that Pakistan's medical curriculum incorporate more extensive initiatives to support the affective domain and other humanistic principles throughout MBBS education.
CONCLUSION: A simple, convenient 12-item ISUMSAD showed high validity and reliability and has the necessary qualities to evaluate the affective domain of medical students. Compared to day scholars and students from earlier academic years, 4th-year medical students living in hostels performed better. The score was not significantly influenced by gender.
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