Cognitive Skills, Psychomotor Skills, and Academic Performance in Return Demonstration of Radiologic Technology Students of Academic Year 2025-2026

Accurate diagnostic imaging and patient safety in radiologic technologies rely on the integration of theory and practice, where students are expected to exhibit cognitive mastery and psychomotor competence during return demonstration. This study examined sixty-two (62) third-year radiologic technology students at the University of Perpetual Help-Dr. Jose G. Tamayo Medical University during the 2025–2026 academic year. The study employed a descriptive-correlational research methodology utilizing a researcher-developed questionnaire to evaluate students' cognitive and psychomotor skills, along with their official grades in chosen professional courses to evaluate their academic performance. To ensure validity and reliability, the questionnaire underwent expert evaluation by research and radiologic technology professionals to improve clarity, relevance, and conciseness. It was subsequently certified and translated by licensed English and Filipino major professors. A pilot test among second-year radiologic technology students demonstrated high reliability coefficients of 0.95 for cognitive skills and 0.98 for psychomotor skills before final distribution to third-year students. The results showed that the respondents had very high cognitive skills, indicating that they could understand, apply theoretical concepts, and think critically when performing return demonstrations, and a high level of psychomotor skills, demonstrating their capacity to carry out radiologic procedures accurately, efficiently, and in compliance with established safety protocols. In both subjects, the majority of students exhibit good to exceptional academic performance, demonstrating their ability to fulfill course requirements and apply theoretical knowledge during return demonstrations. Furthermore, the results showed a strong positive correlation between the level of cognitive and psychomotor skills, which indicates that students who perform well cognitively are also likely to perform well in psychomotor skills tasks during return demonstrations. However, the analysis revealed very weak, statistically non-significant positive correlations between academic performance and cognitive skills (r = 0.082), as well as between academic performance and psychomotor skills (r = 0.107), failing to reject the null hypothesis. These findings suggest that technical abilities and knowledge did not have a statistically significant linear relationship with academic grades in this cohort. With this discrepancy, the study has highlighted the importance of enhancing cognitive and psychomotor skills through appropriate instruction and practice, as well as lab exercises to provide students with clinical experience. These findings suggest potential areas for curriculum enhancement better to align theoretical and practical assessments with overall academic performance.