Application of Objective Structured Teaching Examination (OSTE) in Assessing Classroom Teaching Skills for Nursing undergraduates: A Quasi-experimental Study

Abstract

Objective. To evaluate the pedagogical skills of third-year nursing students at Yangzhou University (China). Methods. A multisite quasi-experimental design was used in this study. Fifty-five participants were selected by convenience sampling. The Objective Structured Teaching Evaluation (OSTE) scale was used to assess teaching skills. The evaluation included four different stages: Teaching Background Analysis (E1), Lesson Plan Presentation (E2), Mock Class (E3) and Teaching Reflection (E4). Prior to the assessment, the teachers assigned homework to the students to complete at the four stations. Results. Fifty-five nursing students with an average age of 21.3±0.7 years participated in the study, with a predominance of female students (78.2%). The highest mean score was achieved in E1 (83.1), followed by E2 and E3 (82.5 and 82.3 respectively), while the lowest mean score was found in E4 (79.6). In E3, instructors gave lower scores for class organisation, class characteristics and overall performance compared to the self-reported scores of the standardised students (p<0.05). More than 80% of the students strongly agreed and recommended the OSTE as the primary method for assessing teaching skills in the classroom. Conclusion. Deficits in teaching skills were identified in the participating students; this information will allow specific interventions to improve the situation. The OSTE instrument was a useful method for assessing the pedagogical skills of undergraduate nursing students.