Evaluation of professional course teaching behavior and self-reported professional competence in medical students: the effects of professional identity evaluation and campus environment satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the association between professional course teachers' teaching behavior and medical students' self-reported professional competence, with a particular focus on the mediating role of professional identity evaluation and the moderating role of campus environment satisfaction. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was employed, recruiting 430 full-time undergraduate students from a medical university in Guizhou Province, China. Data were collected via self-reported questionnaires measuring four core variables—evaluation of teaching behavior, professional identity evaluation, campus environment satisfaction, and self-reported professional competence—using 5-point Likert scales. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro for SPSS. RESULTS: (1) Teaching behavior evaluation was significantly and positively associated with self-reported professional competence; (2) Professional identity evaluation partially mediated this relationship; and (3) Campus environment satisfaction significantly moderated the association between professional identity evaluation and self-reported professional competence, such that the positive relationship was stronger at higher levels of campus environment satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: These findings offer theoretical insights and practical implications for optimizing teaching behaviors and enhancing the cultivation of professional competence among medical students.