The relationship between secondary school course choices, language proficiency and academic performance among Swedish pharmacy students

Background: Merely half of the students who enrol in the pharmacy programme at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden graduate in time. Papers submitted by the students enrolled in the programme reveal linguistic deficiencies. To gain university admission, students must achieve passing grades in Swedish (SFL) or Swedish as a Second Language (SAS). Objective: This study aimed to investigate Swedish language proficiency and its correlation to the academic performance of pharmacy students. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, Swedish language proficiency among pharmacy students was assessed using four approaches: tests (grammar, vocabulary, listening and reading comprehension), assessments of oral and written communication, and Swedish language admission grades. Academic performance was defined as the percentage of credits completed in the programme after one year and was correlated with language competence. Results: SFL students scored higher than SAS in Swedish tests and assessments. Admission grades did not differ significantly between language groups and did not correlate with tests, assessments, or academic performance. However, language testing and assessments correlated with academic performance. Conclusion: Many pharmacy students did not meet the expected level of Swedish proficiency and skills needed to perform course tasks adequately, with SAS students overrepresented. Admission grades in Swedish were not a reliable predictor of Swedish proficiency or academic performance.