STRENGTH OF MOTIVATION FOR MEDICAL SCHOOL-REVISED IN A SAMPLE OF IRAQI MEDICAL STUDENTS: SCORE PATTERNS AND PSYCHOMETRIC EVALUATION

Abstract

Objectives: Motivation is widely regarded as a critical determinant of learning outcomes, academic achievement, and overall well-being within the domain of medical education. Nevertheless, empirical investigations addressing this construct within the Iraqi context remain scarce, so this study design for mapping motivation patterns and evaluating the psychometric performance of the SMMS-R in a sample of Iraqi medical students. Methods: This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the patterns of motivation and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Strength of Motivation for Medical School-Revised (SMMS-R) questionnaire among 384 medical students of all six years of study at Hammurabi College of Medicine, University of Babylon. This was achieved by using scale of 15 items which were organized into 3 subscales each with 5 subitems, these conducted to the students by online survey by English & Arabic. & statistical analysis of the responses were achieved through SPSS v 31. Results: Results of an anonymous online poll revealed that most students expressed moderate motivation levels (62.0%), followed by strong motivation (24.5%) and 13.5% with poor motivation. The highest scores were obtained on the Readiness to Start subscale (3.82±0.91), followed by the Persistence (3.60±0.61) and Willingness to Sacrifice (3.52±0.76) subscales. Regarding the psychometric qualities, the overall 15-item SMMS-R demonstrated excellent total internal consistency (α=0.862) and internal consistency at the subscale level was assessed as satisfactory to good (α=0.680–0.829). Motivational strength was significantly different by gender (t=−2.12, p=0.036) with female students scoring slightly higher than male students and by academic stage (F=2.50, p=0.030). However, the practical significance of both effects appeared to be modest. Conclusion: Taken together, these results support the SMMS-R as a reliable and psychometrically robust instrument for use within Iraqi medical education. Also, the findings suggest that although students enter training with a strong sense of commitment, sustained socioeconomic and curricular pressures likely contribute to shaping their generally moderate motivation levels over time.