SP01-PS09: Jazzin' up Student Self-Assessment

PROBLEM STATEMENT: Changes in healthcare require dental hygiene graduates to be equipped to work collaboratively in diverse settings and address the complex needs of the community.1 Hence, graduates must acquire competence in critical reasoning by being proficient in self-assessment. Self-assessment proficiency may lend to the development of competent practitioners who will then promote the health and well-being of communities. Investigation of self-assessment methods may increase the visibility of research, aligning with the National Dental Hygiene Research agenda objective #1. Furthermore, the Commission on Dental Accreditation recognizes the need for graduates to self-assess, as evidenced in standard 2-21.2 Exploration of the effects of various assessment tools on students’ ability to appraise their performance3 is essential and requires further investigation.4

PURPOSE: This research investigated the effectiveness of video-recorded testing compared to observational testing on student self-assessment scores, self-assessment accuracy, and student retest scores. METHODS: A crossover randomized AB/BA research design was used to evaluate newly introduced video-recorded testing compared to observational testing. After IRB approval (IRB-FY2024-11) and participant consent, 33 dental hygiene students were randomly assigned to an AB or BA sequence for preclinical skills testing and evaluated by 13 faculty members. Participants tested in each group sequence and therefore served as their own "control.” Student test scores, faculty test scores, student self-evaluation scores, and questionnaires were evaluated. Data will be measured using t-tests and framework analysis for focus groups. The participants’ anonymity and confidentiality were protected using pseudonyms.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The study is currently in the appraisal phase, with results expected in June. Preliminary findings (mean scores) show less of a gap between faculty and student test scores with video testing versus observational testing. Student self-assessment scores were higher for video testing versus observational testing. There was little difference in retest scores between the two testing methods.

All abstract authors:
Camille M. Biorn, RDH, MS
Rachelle Williams, RDH-EA, MS
Cyndee Harmon, RDH, MS(c)