The predictive validity of student selection variables in physical therapy education

This study was designed to investigate the selection of students for physical therapy education and how they performed in a baccalaureate entry level program and on the state board examination. The goals of the project were to investigate and attempt to validate specific student selection variables as predictors of success in a physical therapy program and on the licensure examination. Three aspects of the physical therapy student selection process were studied: a) the admissions requirements of the baccalaureate degree granting programs in Texas; b) the predictive quality of prior academic achievement and standardized test scores in relation to academic and clinical success in a physical therapy program; and c) the predictive quality of prior academic achievement and standardized test scores in relation to success on the licensure examination. In the baccalaureate physical therapy programs in Texas, the major similarities in admissions standard were found to the use of a total grade point average; the use of a math/science grade point average; the use of a personal interview; and the use of personal letters of recommendation. The major differences were in the use of standarized test scores in the admissions process and the variation in the minimum acceptable grade point averages. Pre-admission grade point average, pre-admission math/science grade point average, score on the Otis Mental Ability Test, and scores on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test were used as the variables to predict final physical therapy grade point average, clinical education grades, and scores on the state board examination. The best predictor of final grade point average in a physical therapy program was a model combining the pre-admission grade point average and the reading score from the Nelson- Denny Test. In relation to clinical education grades, no single or combination of predictor variables used show significant predictive quality. The best predictor of achievement on the basic science portion of the state board examination was the Nelson-Denny reading rate score; on the clinical medicine portion was a combination of the pre-admission grade point average and Nelson-Denny comprehension score; and on the physical therapy portion was a combination of pre-admission grade point average and Nelson-Denny vocabulary score.