Background: The subconscious way in which an individual approaches learning, goal
orientation (GO), has been shown to influence job satisfaction, job performance, and
burnout in nonmedical cohorts. The aim of this study was to adapt and validate an instrument
to assess GO in surgical residents, so that in the future, we can better understand
how differences in motivation affect professional development.
Materials and methods: Residents were recruited to complete a 17-item survey adapted from
the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales (PALS). The survey included three scales assessing
GO in residency-specific terms. Items were scored on a 5-point Likert scale, and the psychometric
properties of the adapted and original PALS were compared.
Results: Ninety-fivepercent of residents (61/64) participated.Medianagewas30 y and33%were
female. Mean (standard deviation) scale scores for the adapted PALSwere: mastery 4.30 (0.48),
performance approach (PAP) 3.17 (0.99), and performance avoid 2.75 (0.88). Mean (standard
deviation) scale scores for the original PALS itemswere:mastery 3.35 (1.02),PAP 2.76 (1.15), and
performance avoid 2.41 (0.91). Cronbach alpha were a ¼ 0.89 and a ¼ 0.84 for the adapted PAP
andavoidscales, respectively,whichwerecomparablewith theoriginal scales. For theadapted
mastery scale, a¼0.54. Exploratory factor analysis revealed five factors, and factor loadings for
individual mastery items did not load consistently onto a single factor.
Conclusions: This study represents the first steps in the development of a novel tool to
measure GO among surgical residents. Understanding motivational psychology in residents
may facilitate improved education and professional development.