Can Entry Qualifications be Used to Predict Fieldwork and Academic Outcomes in Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Students?

Abstract

This paper examines the relationships between the entry qualifications and the fieldwork score, academic score and final degree score of a group of 168 occupational therapy and physiotherapy students. The data were gathered from spreadsheets showing the results of students' practical and written assignments and their final degree score computed from these. Details of entry qualifications were obtained from students' personal files. Statistical analyses were carried out on the data obtained to support or refute hypotheses generated by the literature search. It was found that the physiotherapy students with A-levels had higher average scores on entry than the occupational therapy students but that, over the 3 years of their degree, this discrepancy disappeared and there was no significant difference in either fieldwork score or final degree score between the two sets of students. A statistically significant difference was, however, found between the final academic scores of physiotherapy students entering with qualifications other than A-levels, mostly BTEC, and those with A-levels. The results suggest that entry qualifications are poor predictors of both fieldwork and academic outcomes and support the School of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy at the University of East Anglia in its policy of a flexible approach to entry requirements; however, careful monitoring should be continued.