Cognitive, Collegiate, and Demographic Predictors of Attrition in Professional Physical Therapist Education

• Published in: Journal of physical therapy education Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 14 - 21
• Main Authors: Andrews, Williams A, Johansson, Charity, Chinworth, Susan A, Akroyd, Duane
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: St. Louis Journal of Physical Therapy Education 01.04.2006
• Subjects: Attrition; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive models; College students; Education; Grade Point Average; Graduate Study; Learning Processes; Physical therapists; Physical therapy; Undergraduate Study
• ISSN: 0899-1855; 1938-3533
• DOI: 10.1097/00001416-200601000-00002

Attrition in professional physical therapist education is problematic for students, educational programs, and society. The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of different admissions variables to predict successful completion of physical therapist education in a timely manner. All students in a professional physical therapist program who matriculated between 1998 and 2002 (N = 198) were studied. Subjects were allocated to 1 of 2 groups, based on whether or not they graduated with the class in which they entered. For each subject in the Attrition group, the reason for attrition was identified. Predictors of attrition were either cognitive (undergraduate cumulative grade point average [GPA], Graduate Record Examinations [GRE®] - Math, GRE-Verbal), collegiate (undergraduate institution quality as determined by the institution's average SAT® I composite scores of entering students), or demographic (age, race, gender) in nature. Predictors of attrition were identified using logistic regression. Most students experienced attrition for academic reasons. While attrition overall was not predicted by the regression model that included all of the cognitive, collegiate, and demographic attributes (P = .32), a second regression model including data from only students who experienced attrition for academic reasons was able to predict attrition. Using the second regression model, undergraduate GPA and the alma mater's average SAT for entering students in this professional physical therapist program were able to independently predict attrition for academic reasons (P = .04). Undergraduate institution quality and undergraduate GPA were identified for the first time as significant, independent predictors of attrition in physical therapist education.