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Correcting the bias of clerkship timing on academic performance.

OBJECTIVES: To document the time-of-year bias in National Board of Medical Examiners subject examination (NBME) scores in a third-year pediatrics clerkship and to develop a grading method that neutralizes the bias. DESIGN: Interventional modeling of final grades. SETTING: University-based medical school. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: During each of the past 3 academic years, we conducted six 2-month pediatric clerkships for third-year students. To counter the time-of-year bias, NBME scores, clinical evaluations, and departmental examination scores for the current rotation were pooled with those from the rotations from the same time of year during the previous 2 years. Final grades for the current rotation were determined by cutoff points derived from that entire 3-year pool. We analyzed this approach by testing the time-of-year effects on NBME scores, clinical evaluations, and final grades while maintaining step 1 of the US Medical Licensing Examination as a preclinical baseline control. RESULTS: The scores for step 1 of the US Medical Licensing Examination did not differ significantly by time of year. Clinical evaluations and NBME scores showed significant upward trends as the academic year progressed. By contrast, according to design, final grades showed no significant time-of-year trend. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support previous reports of significant improvements in NBME scores across the academic year. Our method of computing final grades corrects for this time-of-year bias by judging students only in relation to those who took the rotation at the same time of year. It is our belief that the prevalence and significance of the time-of-year trend warrants such an adjustment in grading to help minimize the academic disadvantage faced by students early in their clinical training.

Bias↗

The RSNA-AUR-ARRS introduction to research program for 2nd year radiology residents: effect on career choice and early academic performance. Radiological Society of North America. Association of University Radiologists. American Roentgen Ray Society.

PURPOSE: To evaluate graduates of the first 5 years of the Introduction to Research program, sponsored by the Radiological Society of North America, Association of University Radiologists, and American Roentgen Ray Society, to determine if they more frequently entered and demonstrated early success in academic careers than did nonparticipants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 1997, the authors surveyed all 396 program participants for the 1990-1995 period and 2,047 nonparticipants who were in the same residencies as the participants during that period. Career plans, research participation, and academic achievements were compared. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 321 participants (81%) and 1,153 nonparticipants (56%). More than a third of participants thought the program had a strong effect on their initial career decision. Forty-one percent of participants who completed training (n = 192) were currently in academia versus 26% of nonparticipants (n = 676; P = .001). Of the 321 participants, 35% believed they would spend most of their careers in academia and 15% thought research would be their major focus versus 19% and 8% for the 1,153 nonparticipants (P < .001). Participants had higher levels of academic achievement earlier in their careers than did nonparticipants. CONCLUSION: The Introduction to Research program is encouraging the development of successful research careers. However, the results may be influenced by the self- or departmental selection of participants who were oriented toward research independent of program participation.

Achievement↗

Relations between academic performance by medical students and COMLEX-USA Level 2: a multisite analysis.

The Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination-USA (COMLEX-USA) is a national medical licensing examination for physicians earning the doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) degree. Little has been published regarding the validity of this relatively new, high-stakes examination. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of COMLEX-USA Level 2, which is given to fourth-year osteopathic medical students and focuses on clinically relevant content. Nineteen osteopathic medical schools were asked to submit Level 2 scores and associated academic information, including predictions by deans or deans' representatives regarding whether each student would pass the examination. Twelve of the 17 schools that had students eligible to take the Level 2 examination provided data for 1254 (80%) of 1577 first-time test takers in March 2000. The overall mean score of study participants was 533.35, with a pass rate of 91.98%. The highest average correlation with COMLEX-USA Level 2 performance was with COMLEX-USA Level 1 scores (r = 0.76), followed by basic science grade point average (GPA) (r = .66), total GPA as a fourth-year student (r = .65), and clinical GPA (r = .36). Students identified as being at highest risk received the lowest mean score (427.54) and were most likely to fail Level 2. COMLEX-USA Level 2 scores are moderately to highly related to academic achievement in osteopathic medical schools.

Educational Status↗

Bullying, psychosocial adjustment, and academic performance in elementary school.

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, concerns about bullying and its role in school violence, depression, and health concerns have grown. However, no large studies in the United States have examined the prevalence of bullying during elementary school or its association with objective measures of school attendance and achievement. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of bullying during elementary school and its association with school attendance, academic achievement, disciplinary actions, and self-reported feelings of sadness, safety, and belonging. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using 2001-2002 school data. SETTING: Urban, West Coast public school district. PARTICIPANTS: Three thousand five hundred thirty (91.4%) third, fourth, and fifth grade students. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Self-reported involvement in bullying. RESULTS: Twenty-two percent of children surveyed were involved in bullying either as a victim, bully, or both. Victims and bully-victims were more likely to have low achievement than bystanders (odds ratios [ORs], 0.8 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.7-0.9] and 0.8 [95% CI, 0.6-1.0], respectively). All 3 bullying-involved groups were significantly more likely than bystanders to feel unsafe at school (victims, OR, 2.1 [95% CI, 1.1-4.2]; bullies, OR, 2.5 [95% CI, 1.5-4.1]; bully-victims, OR, 5.0 [95% CI, 1.9-13.6]). Victims and bully-victims were more likely to report feeling that they don't belong at school (ORs, 4.1 [95% CI, 2.6-6.5] and 3.1 [95% CI, 1.3-7.2], respectively). Bullies and victims were more likely than bystanders to feel sad most days (ORs 1.5 [95% CI, 1.2-1.9] and 1.8 [95% CI, 1.2-2.8], respectively). Bullies and bully-victims were more likely to be male (ORs, 1.5 [95% CI, 1.2-1.9] and 3.0 [95% CI, 1.3-7.0], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of frequent bullying among elementary school children is substantial. Associations between bullying involvement and school problems indicate this is a serious issue for elementary schools. The research presented herein demonstrates the need for evidence-based antibullying curricula in the elementary grades.

Achievement↗

Order of rotation in third-year clerkships. Influence on academic performance.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if student performance during the third-year clerkship is influenced by the order of departmental rotation. STUDY DESIGN: In this retrospective, descriptive study, the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) scores, departmental examination grade (DE) and final block grade (FG) were stratified into six segments based on the order of block time in obstetrics-gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, internal medicine, surgery and family medicine. Consistency was validated by comparing these performance criteria from 1988 to 1992. RESULTS: When all six clerkships were assessed by year, there was no uniform trend of improved performance over time. In the obstetrics-gynecology block, however, NBME scores and FGs were highest for students assigned to the fifth and sixth rotation as compared to the first two groups (P < .02). No such trend was noted with the departmental written examination. In surgery, DE and FG were always lower in the first rotation (P = .0001). Psychiatry DE scores were significantly higher on the second or third blocks as compared to the fifth and sixth rotation positions (P < .001). Students had a higher FG in pediatrics when the sixth position was compared to the second block (P = .02), but the DE grades and NBME scores were not altered by rotational schema. In family medicine and internal medicine, no effect of rotation was noted. CONCLUSION: Third-year clerks tended to have higher NBME scores and FGs in obstetrics-gynecology if they selected this rotation later in the academic year. Surgery DEs and FGs were lowest if selected first in the academic year. There was no similar trend in other nonsurgical specialties. These data suggest that prior clinical rotations positively influence student performance in obstetrics-gynecology.

Clinical Clerkship↗

Temperament and elementary school children's actual and rated academic performance: a test of a 'goodness-of-fit' model.

To test a goodness-of-fit model of temperament, 194 Pennsylvania fourth-grade students were studied. It was predicted that children whose temperament fitted or exceeded demands or expectations of their teachers would show more positive functioning than children whose temperament fell below expectations. Children responded to the Dimensions of Temperament Survey (DOTS), which assesses 5 temperamental attributes. Teachers specified demands/expectations for their students for each of the DOTS attributes and rated students' academic ability and adjustment. Objective measures of academic achievement were also obtained. Results indicated that for 2 of the 3 temperament attributes for which directional predictions were made some support was obtained for the model.

Achievement↗

Predicting the academic performance of Asian, black, and Hispanic optometry students.

As optometry schools receive increasing numbers of Asian, Black, and Hispanic applications, it is appropriate for us to ask whether minority students differ in meaningful ways from nonminority students in measures used in admissions, and whether these variables have differential validity in predicting their achievement in optometry school. This study compares Asian, Black, Hispanic, and nonminority students at entry to the University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) from 1981 through 1986 and tests the validity of admissions indices to predict optometry grades, academic dropout, and high-level achievement for these ethnic groups. Although preoptometry grade point average (GPA) was the best predictor of optometry grades for all students, measures of verbal ability were additional predictors for Asian students and, for Black and Hispanic students, ability in study/reading and math were predictors. In addition, personality inventory measures and ratings of the competitiveness of the undergraduate institution were important in differentiating minority academic dropouts from retained students. Suggestions are made for optometry college programs which will enhance the probability of success for minority students.

Achievement↗

A comparison of selected demographic characteristics and academic performance of on-campus and satellite-center RNs: implications for the curriculum.

This study compared two groups of RN students and noted that there is a difference between the profile of the on-campus student and the student in satellite areas. The demographic profile differences revealed that the RN students in satellite centers were slightly older, were employed, and worked more hours each week. They tended to work full-time, traveled farther to attend classes, had more children, and projected a longer time necessary to complete the SCN than their campus counterparts. The academic profile differences revealed that the satellite center RN students had higher ACT-PEP mean scores and transfer GPAs than their on-campus peers. On-campus RN students had higher University of Iowa GPAs and higher grades in the Pathology course and Foundations of Nursing Practice course than satellite center RN students.

Career Choice↗

Relationship between past academic performance and results of specialty in-training examinations.

In this study, the authors review the records of 63 graduates of Northwestern University Medical School who were residents in its graduate medical education programs of anesthesia and orthopedic surgery. They examine the relationship among college grades, medical school performance, and the results of assessment by annual, nationwide, medical specialty in-training examinations. For the anesthesia group, the best predictors of in-training examination performance were the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) Verbal Ability score, the college grade-point average for nonscience subjects, and the MCAT Science, General Information, and Quantitative Ability scores. For the orthopedic group, the best predictors were the MCAT Verbal Ability score, the college grade-point average in nonscience subjects, the MCAT Science score, and the National Board of Medical Examiners Part I and Part II examination scores. The previous academic records for the 63 residents contained little to presage results in the in-training examination. The correlation obtained between nonscience college subjects and the in-training examination results was negative.

Achievement↗

Behavioral and emotional adjustment, family functioning, academic performance, and social relationships in children with selective mutism.

This study addressed four questions which parents of children with selective mutism (SM) frequently ask: (1) Is SM associated with anxiety or oppositional behavior? (2) Is SM associated with parenting and family dysfunction? (3) Will my child fail at school? and (4) Will my child make friends or be teased and bullied? In comparison to a sample of 52 community controls, 52 children with SM were more anxious, obsessive, and prone to somatic complaints. In contrast, children with SM were less oppositional and evidenced fewer attentional difficulties at school. We found no group differences in family structure, economic resources, family functioning, maternal mood difficulties, recreational activities, or social networks. While parents reported no differences in parenting strategies, children with SM were described as less cooperative in disciplinary situations. The academic (e.g., reading and math) and classroom cooperative skills of children with SM did not differ from controls. Parents and teachers reported that children with SM had significant deficits in social skills. Though teachers and parents rated children with SM as less socially assertive, neither teachers nor parents reported that children with SM were victimized more frequently by peers.

Achievement↗

Ethnicity, drug user status and academic performance.

The impact of drug use and race on school performance was investigated. Data were collected retrospectively from a sample of 100 students in Grades 9 through 12, using a questionnaire devised by the authors. Most recent grades in English, mathematics, social studies, and science, and percentile scores on the mathematics portion of a recent Metropolitan Achievement Test, constituted achievement. Sufficient data were obtained for 38 students (11 black, 18 white, and 9 Latino). Results included significant main effects for both race (p < .05) and user status (p < .05). An interaction of race and user status was suggested. While black users and nonusers did not differ across academic areas, large differences for the two other ethnic groups emerged.

Adolescent↗

Auditory and academic performance of children with unilateral hearing loss.

Since the data provided in the literature concerning unilateral hearing loss in children are still lacking, we decided to study a group of subjects suffering from unilateral sensorineural deafness that has developed during the first 12 years of life. One hundred and fifteen subjects out of 150 answered a questionnaire that intended to investigate at what age the disorder developed, how it was recognized, its possible causes and a subjective evaluation of the difficulties encountered because of the hearing deficiency. In a second stage of the research, more detailed case history data were obtained on 30 children who satisfied more stringent selection criteria. The same children were compared with a matched control group of 30 normal hearing subjects, on speech in noise recognition, and sound localization skills. Results were correlated with the academic and educational progress and case history data. Our results may demonstrate that unilateral deafness represents a far from negligible handicap concerning the child's learning and relationship with classmates and teachers, specially during compulsory school life.

Adolescent↗

Explanatory style and academic performance among college students beginning a major course of study.

Explanatory style, a cognitive variable, reflects how people typically explain the causes of bad events involving themselves. Explanatory style emerged from the attributional reformulation of the learned helplessness and depression model as a way of explaining individual differences in response to uncontrollability. A central prediction of the reformulation is that people with habitual explanatory tendencies differ, and individuals with a pessimistic explanatory style will be more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms following bad events than individuals with an optimistic explanatory style. 116 upper-level undergraduates beginning a degree program at this university completed the Attributional Style Questionnaire. Scores were correlated with students' cumulative grade point averages and their total points earned in Consumer Behavior, the first course required in the Marketing major. Students with pessimistic explanatory style scores outperformed colleagues with optimistic explanatory style scores. Implications of these findings and possible explanations for why explanatory style did not correlate in the theoretically predicted way with academic achievement are considered.

Adult↗

Effects of methylphenidate alone and in combination with behavior modification procedures on the behavior and academic performance of hyperactive children.

Twenty hyperactive 6- to 9-year-old children of normal intelligence were studied in a half-day laboratory classroom in a 2-week period baseline-treatment-reversal design for behavior modification. Under double-blind conditions half the children were placed on .3 mg/kg of Ritalin and half on placebo for the entire program. The classroom program consisted of a group period with immediate reinforcement possible, and an individual time period without immediate reinforcement possible. Behavior modification caused a significant decrease in nonattending, out-of-seat, inappropriate vocalizing and inappropriate peer interaction behavior in the group period. Fidgeting, a nontargeted behavior, was not significantly decreased during this period but did significantly decrease as a result of medication. No other drug effects occurred during this period. During the individual period, the results were essentially reversed. There were no significant behavior modification effects observed. Significant reductions resulted from medication in all behaviors except out-of-seat and fidgeting. Behavior modification alone significantly affected the two academic measures. No signigicant effects were seen on the Conners Abbreviated Teacher Rating Scale. No significant interactions were noted between medication and behavior modification.

Achievement↗

The menstrual cycle, personality, and academic performance.

Considerable research supports the widespread complaint of mood and behavioral changes during the menstrual cycle. However, there is little evidence of effects on intellectual performance, even though students commonly complain of it. We studied the results obtained by 244 female medical and paramedical students in all examinations taken during one year. In view of suspected correlations between personality characteristics and degree of dysmenorrhea, an Eysenck Personality Inventory, measuring extroversion and neuroticism, was administered. The examination results of high and low scorers on these personality scales and of those women with prolonged (greater than or equal to six days) menses were reanalyzed. Not one of these analyses revealed significant menstrual-cycle effects on examination performance. Thus, while some persons may suffer, it does not seem that menstrual cycle effects are sufficient to handicap significantly the examination performance of the majority of female students.

Achievement↗