Assessment of Conformity: Instrument Development

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dc.contributor.advisorBeran, Tanya Nathalie
dc.contributor.advisorOddone Paolucci, Elizabeth
dc.contributor.authorAl Harbi, Nouf Sulaiman
dc.contributor.committeememberDrefs, Michelle A.
dc.contributor.committeememberAltabbaa, Ghazwan
dc.contributor.committeememberDavidson, Sandra
dc.contributor.committeememberGoldsworthy, Sandra
dc.date2018-11
dc.date.accessioned2018-06-11T16:54:59Z
dc.date.available2018-06-11T16:54:59Z
dc.date.issued2018-06-04
dc.description.abstractCurrent educational systems, including medical programs, incorporate learning in groups. However, subtle social factors functioning within these groups can influence learning and professional development. Thus, these social factors should be considered by both educators and learners. One social factor that has gained the attention of medical educators is conformity. Conformity is submission to the pressure of the group or its members and is represented by changing one’s behaviour, attitudes or beliefs to align with those of the group. It is associated with peer pressure and hierarchy whereby the need to be accepted within a professional milieu is paramount. Hence, conformity could prevent learners from actively engaging (e.g., asking questions) in education. Moreover, conformity has been associated with learners reporting feeling overwhelmed, and it has contributed to information mismanagement, inaccurate decision-making, and learners inefficiently using health care resources or compromising their role as patient advocates. The eventual outcome is deterioration in the provision of health care. The aim of this study was to create an instrument that enables both learners and educators to track verbal and nonverbal behaviours that are indicative of conformity. An observational cross-sectional design was used in three phases in this study. In Phase I, an initial conformity instrument was created based on behaviours identified in the communication, social psychology, and medical education literature and through discussion with conformity experts. The researcher then used this instrument in Phase II to code archival videos of the conformity behaviours of medical and nursing students from a prior study on conformity. Finally, in Phase III the instrument was used in real-time simulation sessions to record the behaviours of medical residents and students who were given the challenge of managing a patient case. This case was designed to expose the medical residents and students to pressure that would potentially influence their clinical decision making. Also, this study examined whether conformity as a construct is uni- or multidimensional. The study results showed that the instrument’s scores did not differentiate conforming from nonconforming behaviours. Also, the principal component analysis generated uninterpretable results, suggesting that the behaviours measured are not multidimensional. Participants also shared their perspectives about conformity, and revealed that they viewed conformity as a natural dynamic in their daily practice and could potentially yield to the pressure of the group or their senior colleagues when faced with a conflict. The implications for teaching and practice are discussed. It is also recommended that further research examine conformity in clinical settings to determine if the results obtained in clinical simulations are consistent with practice.en_US
dc.identifier.citationAlharbi, N. S. (2018). Assessment of Conformity: Instrument Development (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/31980en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/31980
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/106752
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyCumming School of Medicine
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectPeer pressure
dc.subjectGroup conformity
dc.subjectMedical Education
dc.subjectEducation
dc.subjectMedical students
dc.subjectSimulation
dc.subjectInterprofessional education
dc.subjectInterprofessional collaboration
dc.subjectNursing students
dc.subject.classificationEducational Psychologyen_US
dc.subject.classificationBiophysics--Medicalen_US
dc.titleAssessment of Conformity: Instrument Development
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineMedical Science
thesis.degree.disciplineMedical Education
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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