Measurement of the levels anxiety, self-perception of preparation and expectations for success using an objective structured clinical examination, a written examination, and a preclinical preparation test in Kerman dental students

Abstract

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:Examinations have an important role in evaluating students’ learning outcomes and their mastery of a subject. Passing or failing an examination can have far-reaching consequences for the students. Therefore, it is not surprising that international studies consistently show that dental students report examinations and grades among the highest ranking stressors in dental schools.PURPOSE:The aim of this research was to measure the levels of anxiety, self-perception of preparation and expectations for success using an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), a written examination and a preclinical preparation test, and to examine the effects of the three predictive variables on the outcomes of assessments.MATERIALS AND METHODS:The present research is a cross-sectional study. The population under consideration was students of Kerman Dental School in 2013. Examination anxiety was measured with Spielberger's state anxiety inventory. Preparation for the assessment (I am fully prepared = 4, I am prepared = 3, I’m not prepared = 2, I’m not fully prepared = 1) and expectation to succeed (I am quite successful = 4, I am successful = 3, I’m not successful = 2, I’m not quite successful = 1) were quantified with Likert scale. The questionnaire was completed during an OSCE, a written examination, a preclinical crown and bridge preparation test and a nonexamination situation.RESULTS:The study population consisted of 138 4th, 5th, and 6th year Kerman dental students (65 males and 73 females). The results showed that all the assessment methods induced a significant increase in state anxiety compared to baseline levels with the highest anxiety levels reported during an OSCE (62.4 ± 8.1, P = 0.04) and a written examination (48.8 ± 9.2, P = 0.04). The preparation levels in females were significantly higher than those in males in OSCE (P = 0.03) and written (P = 0.04).CONCLUSION:State anxiety was high in all the three assessment methods. OSCE induced more anxiety than other assessment formats. However, anxiety was not predictive of performance outcomes in contrast to preparation and expectation to succeed, which were good predictors of the outcome scores. Also, this study showed that despite a better answer to the assessment of (I prepared myself well for the test), the students showed high levels of state anxiety.

In‐person and virtual assessment of oral radiology skills and competences by the Objective Structured Clinical Examination

“…Some authors have assessed the students' anxiety level when faced with the OSCE and other exams, such as the written test and traditional pre-clinical practical exam, and have found moderate to high levels of anxiety in all exams, with higher values for OSCE, but not related to performance in the exams. 10,22 In another study, 79% of students said they were afraid of performing the task when being assessed by a faculty member. 23 One study assessed the usefulness of a game (OSCEGame) to familiarize students with the procedures and reduce anxiety as a preparation for the OSCE and concluded that it was a useful and efficient online tool in terms of preparation, especially for inexperienced students.…”

“…9 The OSCE is believed to be capable of inducing a higher level of anxiety than other assessment formats, as there is a constant observation by the evaluators. 10 Therefore, parallel assessment focused on this psychological aspect of anxiety is important.…”

Factors Correlated With Medical Students Anxiety in Clinical Skills Examination

“…Kekuatan korelasi yang lemah dengan arah korelasi negatif menunjukkan bahwa semakin baik faktor ujian maka semakin rendah skor kecemasannya. Penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Kalantari et al 13 menunjukkan metode OSCE menyebabkan tingkat kecemasan paling tinggi dibandingkan metode ujian lainnya (p = 0.04). 13 Tidak seperti ujian tertulis yang tidak memberikan batasan waktu untuk setiap soal dan mahasiswa dapat kembali ke soal tertentu di akhir ujian setelah mengerjakan soal lainnya, dalam suatu OSCE setiap soal atau stasiun memiliki durasi waktu yang telah ditentukan dan tidak dapat diperpanjang.…”

“…Penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Kalantari et al 13 menunjukkan metode OSCE menyebabkan tingkat kecemasan paling tinggi dibandingkan metode ujian lainnya (p = 0.04). 13 Tidak seperti ujian tertulis yang tidak memberikan batasan waktu untuk setiap soal dan mahasiswa dapat kembali ke soal tertentu di akhir ujian setelah mengerjakan soal lainnya, dalam suatu OSCE setiap soal atau stasiun memiliki durasi waktu yang telah ditentukan dan tidak dapat diperpanjang. Jika mahasiswa tidak dapat menjawab soal di satu stasiun maka tidak ada waktu lain untuk mengerjakan selain di stasiun tersebut.…”

Relationship between the sense of coherence, self-directed learning readiness, and academic performance in Malaysian undergraduate dental students

“…[ 5 ] For example, an event such as an examination may be perceived as stressful by some students and nonstressful by some. [ 6 ] This perception depends on the availability of resources and elements in their surroundings such as class notes, books, helpful friends, friendly faculty, and mental preparedness for the examination. Not surprisingly, mental health was found to be a prevalent health issue among dental students.…”