Perceived effects of accreditation on education quality and health-related job outcomes: scales validation and correlates in Lebanon
Bibliographic record
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study examines the impact of program accreditation on education quality and career outcomes among students and graduates of health-related disciplines in Lebanon. In the absence of a national accrediting body, many universities seek international accreditation. Additionally, the study validates four scales measuring factors influencing university choice and perceptions of accreditation. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between September and December 2023, enrolling 642 participants, including students and graduates from Lebanese health-related programs. Four validated scales included: Reasons for Choosing University Program (RCUP, 14 items), Perception of University Program Accreditation (PUPA, 12 items), Perceived Impact on Education Quality (PI-AQE, 27 items), and Perceived Impact on Career Outcomes (PI-ACO, 9 items). Principal component analysis with Promax rotation assessed construct validity. Bivariate analyses (t-tests and ANOVA) examined relationships between scales and participant characteristics. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) adjusted for sociodemographic and university-related factors, while multiple regression explored predictors of time to employment for graduates. RESULTS: Students from three universities reported significantly lower RCUP scores, indicating weaker motivations for their program choice. Clear communication of accreditation status correlated positively with RCUP (β = 1.097, p = 0.004). Pharmacy students scored higher on RCUP (β = 2.412, p = 0.002). Higher income levels (β = 1.829, p = 0.020) and awareness of accreditation (β = 2.348, p = 0.004) were linked to more favorable PUPA scores. Females (β = 4.981, p = 0.002) and high-income individuals (β = 3.777, p = 0.040) anticipated a stronger impact on PI-AQE. Graduates, particularly those with a PhD (β = 4.755, p = 0.042) or a Bachelor's degree (β = 2.557, p = 0.003), expressed more positive PI-ACO perceptions. Conversely, uncertainty about accreditation was associated with lower PI-ACO scores (β = -3.019, p = 0.004). Notably, university accreditation status (β = -0.355, p = 0.011) and longer professional experience (β = -0.274, p = 0.010) were significantly linked to a shorter time to employment. CONCLUSION: This study validates tools for assessing accreditation's impact on Lebanese health education. Findings emphasize that accreditation status, program choice, and demographics significantly shape perceptions of education quality and career prospects. Effective communication about accreditation may enhance career readiness and suggest potential benefits for employment prospects. These findings emphasize the importance of accreditation as a strategic tool for advancing health education quality and optimizing career prospects in the healthcare sector.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.004 | 0.003 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Open science | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Research integrity | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".