What predicts collective dedication in health professions education? A path analysis among health and social care students
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: In health professions education, cultivating commitment to collaborative practice is essential. However, collective dedication as a desired outcome in interprofessional education (IPE) often remains overlooked. Psychological factors contributing to team members' collective dedication are poorly understood within health professions collaborative learning environments. This study examined relationships among team psychological factors (interdependence, relatedness, efficacy, and potency) and their influence on collective dedication in an IPE context. METHOD: Data were from 236 undergraduate students (Chinese medicine, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Speech Therapy, and Social Work) who attended an IPE simulation at a higher education institution in Hong Kong. Participants completed a set of standardized questionnaires adapted to the IPE context, assessing positive interdependence, sense of relatedness, collective efficacy, group potency, and collective dedication. The data were analyzed using correlational and path analysis. RESULTS: Findings showed that positive interdependence positively predicted students' sense of relatedness, collective efficacy, and group potency. Further, sense of relatedness positively predicted collective efficacy, group potency, and collective dedication. Further, collective efficacy and group potency positively predicted collective dedication. Lastly, collective efficacy mediated the association between group potency and collective dedication. CONCLUSIONS: This study advances health professions education by examining the pathways to collective dedication in IPE. Positive interdependence indirectly affects collective dedication through students' sense of relatedness, group potency, and collective efficacy. The findings provide practical implications of the findings for health professions educators and IPE program implementers.
Authors: John Ian Wilzon T. Dizon, Qing He, Xiaoai Shen, Ma. Jenina Nalipay, Runjia Wang, Karen Man Kei Chan, Linda Chan, Jody Kwok Pui Chu, Amy Yin Man Chow, Julienne Jen, May P. S. Lam, Feona Chung Yin Leung, Mary Lok Man See, Dana Vackova, Pauline Pui Ning Yeung, George L. Tipoe, Fraide A. Ganotice
Institutions: University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,290
Funder: University of Hong Kong
OpenAlex ID: W4415808145