Predicting First-Time National Physical Therapy Examination Performance for Graduates of an Entry-Level Physical Therapist Education Program

Dombkowski, Ryan A.; Sullivan, Steven A.; Widenhoefer, Tricia; Buckland, Aaron J.; Almonroeder, Thomas Gus

doi:10.1097/jte.0000000000000291

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 19 publications

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“…Comparing the performance of our prediction models with those of other studies presents challenges, since in our research, the target variable-self-reported academic performance (ACAD_PERFO)-is subjective, while in most of the others, the target variable is an objective measure like GPA or equivalent ratings [28,[77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90]. We were interested in how students perceived their performance, which is totally different from actual academic achievements.…”

Section: Models Metrics and Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a Model to Predict Self-Reported Student Performance during Online Education Based on the Acoustic Environment

Puyana-Romero,

Larrea-Álvarez,

Díaz-Márquez

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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In recent years, great developments in online university education have been observed, favored by advances in ICT. There are numerous studies on the perception of academic performance in online classes, influenced by aspects of a very diverse nature; however, the acoustic environment of students at home, which can certainly affect the performance of academic activities, has barely been evaluated. This study assesses the influence of the home acoustic environment on students’ self-reported academic performance. This assessment is performed by calculating prediction models using the Recursive Feature Elimination method with 40 initial features and the following classifiers: Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and Support Vector Machine. The optimal number of predictors and their relative importance were also evaluated. The performance of the models was assessed by metrics such as the accuracy and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC_AUC-score). The model with the smallest optimal number of features (with 14 predictors, 9 of them about the perceived acoustic environment) and the best performance achieves an accuracy of 0.7794; furthermore, the maximum difference for the same algorithm between using 33 and 14 predictors is 0.03. Consequently, for simplicity and the ease of interpretation, models with a reduced number of variables are preferred.

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Section: Models Metrics and Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a Model to Predict Self-Reported Student Performance during Online Education Based on the Acoustic Environment

Puyana-Romero,

Larrea-Álvarez,

Díaz-Márquez

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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A Comparison of Physical Therapist Educational Outcomes Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multicenter Study

Pucillo,

Crowder,

Andrea

et al. 2024

JOPTE

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Introduction. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare educational outcomes of Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) graduates before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Review of Literature. Reports show increased stress, anxiety, and burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have negatively affected academic performance. Historically, academic performance is predictive of National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) scores. Yet, there is little evidence analyzing student outcomes during the pandemic. Subjects. Doctor of Physical Therapy graduate records (N = 1,897) were retrospectively collected from a multicenter convenience sample consisting of 5 blended programs. Records were sampled from existing “prepandemic” graduates of Fall 2018–2019 (n = 988) and “pandemic” graduates of Fall 2021–2022 (n = 909). Methods. A causal comparative and correlational study design was used. Grade point average (GPA) and NPTE scores were collected. A general linear model examined differences between groups, and a multiple linear regression examined predictors of NPTE performance. Results. Grade point average was a significant predictor of NPTE score (r 2 = 0.56; P < .01) for the overall sample and for the prepandemic and pandemic cohorts (r 2 = 0.38, P < .01; r 2 = 0.45, P < .01, respectively). Grade point average was not significantly different between the groups (P = .09), nor did it significantly influence differences in NPTE scores (P = .13). Pandemic graduates displayed a significantly lower NPTE pass rate (85.1%) compared with prepandemic graduates (89.7%; P < .01). Pandemic graduates experienced higher rates of academic difficulty (20%; P < .01) and had a approximately 5 times higher likelihood of not passing the NPTE. Discussion and Conclusion. This is the first study to report on DPT graduate outcomes spanning the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to previous studies, GPA remained the most significant predictor of NPTE scores. Pandemic graduates demonstrated significantly lower NPTE scores and higher rates of academic difficulty (GPA < 3.0). Continued monitoring of NPTE performance is warranted between prepandemic, pandemic, and postpandemic cohorts across modes of program delivery.

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The Impact of Graduate Record Exam Threshold Scores in Disqualifying Underrepresented Ethnic–Racial Minority Applicants for Admission to a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

Coleman-Salgado,

Moore

2024

JOPTE

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Introduction. A growing number of graduate-level health professions education programs in the United States are discontinuing the use of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) in their admissions requirements amidst concerns that its use puts Underrepresented Racial Minority (URRM) applicants at a disadvantage. This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzes the association between ethnic–racial selection and the reasons for disqualification among applicants to a public Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program that used a minimum grade point average (GPA), and Analytic Writing and Quantitative Reasoning GRE minimum threshold scores to qualify applicants. Review of Literature. There is evidence across the health professions literature that both GRE scores and GPA are associated with success on licensure examinations and academic performance. However, these variables also tend to disadvantage URRM applicants in gaining admissions to postgraduate health care fields, including physical therapy. Subjects. All applicants (N = 4,797) to a single DPT program from a 9-year period were included. Methods. Racial and ethnic self-selections, GRE scores, and prerequisite GPA were coded for each applicant and classified for meeting qualifying criteria. Results. The URRM applicants were disqualified based on GRE scores alone (P < .001) and in combination of GRE and GPA at a statistically significantly (P < .001) higher rate than Overrepresented Racial Group (ORRG) applicants, although the associations were negligible or weak. Conclusion. Compared with ORRG applicants, URRM applicants were at a statistically significant disadvantage because of the GRE threshold scores requirement. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that use of GRE minimum threshold scores disproportionately reduced URRM applicants in the qualified applicant pool. This investigation can be used as a model to inform holistic admission decisions regarding the use of academic variables to achieve the diversity and success goals of the program.

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Predicting First-Time National Physical Therapy Examination Performance for Graduates of an Entry-Level Physical Therapist Education Program

Cited by 5 publications

References 19 publications

Developing a Model to Predict Self-Reported Student Performance during Online Education Based on the Acoustic Environment

Developing a Model to Predict Self-Reported Student Performance during Online Education Based on the Acoustic Environment

A Comparison of Physical Therapist Educational Outcomes Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multicenter Study

The Impact of Graduate Record Exam Threshold Scores in Disqualifying Underrepresented Ethnic–Racial Minority Applicants for Admission to a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

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