Entrance Test Scores Research Articles

Application of PRI-E–a combined learning method in oral and maxillofacial oncology education

The traditional lecture-based learning (LBL) method is facing great challenges due to its low efficiency and single proceeding form. We designed a PRI-E learning mode that combined and modified problem-based, case-based, and evidence-based learning with a step-by-step approach. We evaluated the practical learning outcomes of using the PRI-E mode by comparing it with traditional lecture-based learning in oral and maxillofacial oncology education. “PRI-E” consists of the first letters of the English words Passion, Research, Innovation, and Education, and it means “the best Education”. This prospective randomized controlled trial included 40 participants. We evenly divided the participants into the PRI-E (n = 20) and LBL group (n = 20) based on the entrance test scores. The same staff group designed and then taught the learning content with different group measures. The evaluation included the final test scores and questionnaire assessments. Without affecting the examination results, the PRI-E teaching method was more satisfactory and popular with participants in terms of ability development and classroom participation. Enacting the PRI-E teaching method required more time, but this did not affect its popularity among the participants. Compared with the LBL learning mode, the PRI-E learning mode was more organized and efficient in oral and maxillofacial oncology education without affecting academic performance. This model has a high degree of satisfaction, which is conducive to training students' comprehensive ability.

Human capital consequences of missing out on a grammar school education

This paper disentangles the effect of selective schooling on long-term human capital from that of individual background. The study design proxies entry test scores for selective secondary schools in England with historical data, estimating discontinuities in school assignment directly from the data. We find that, for the marginal admitted student, selective school attendance positively affects educational attainment. Adult labour market and health outcomes are not affected for the marginal admitted student. The effect on educational outcomes is conditional on having a favourable background, and partly explained by higher-ability peers and single-sex schools.

Panel Data Models for School Evaluation: The Case of High Schools’ Results in University Entrance Examinations

To what extent do high school students’ course grades align with their scores on standardized college admission tests? People sometimes make the argument that grades are “inflated”, but many school districts only use outcome-based descriptive methods for school evaluation. In order to answer that question, this paper proposes econometric models for panel data, which are less well-known in educational evaluation. In particular, fixed-effects and random-effects models are proposed for assessing student performance in university entrance examinations. School-level panel data analysis allows one knowing if results in college admission tests vary more between high schools than within a high school in different academic years. Another advantage of using panel data includes the ability to control for school-specific unobserved heterogeneity. For empirical implementation, official transcript data and university entrance test scores of Spanish secondary schools are used.

Correlation between Admission Criteria and Academic Performance in Medical and Dental Colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Aim: To evaluate the connection among admission criteria and academic performance amongst medical and dental scholars of different institutes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Study design: Quantitative-cross-sectional study. Study setting: Department of Medical Education of Khyber Medical University, Peshawar from 15th February to 15th July 2017. Methodology: Ten thousand and sixty one students attending 10 Medical colleges of KP from entering for qualification who were registered in the 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 academic sessions. Results: Intermediate marks (with median =0.22) have noteworthy correlation (both at 0.05 & 0.01 points) with all 5 professional exam marks of all medical sample scholars, trailed by Merit and Entrance test (0.33 and 0.19 median marks). The relationship for merit and entrance marks was also noteworthy for all of the cases excluding for 3rd year. Conclusion: All the forecasters (intermediate, entrance test and merit marks) were meaningfully linked with all 5 MBBS examination marks of all the medical colleges, in nearly all the six units. Though, stepwise regression analysis uncovered that amongst the analysts, from 1st to 4th year, Intermediate was establish the finest analyst, tracked by merit and entrance score whereas for the fifth year; merit was the finest analyst, trailed by entrance test and Intermediate scores. Key words: Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA), Predictive validity,

Speaking Performance of Islamic Boarding School and Public School-Based Graduates: A Comparative Study

This study aims 1) to compare the speaking performance of university students who graduated from Islamic boarding school and public school-based senior high schools and 2) to investigate the potential factors affecting the difference of their speaking performance. First year students of a State Islamic University in Lampung - Indonesia participated as the subjects of research. The data of students’ speaking performance was obtained from the documentation of students’ speaking entrance test score. Then, a semi-closed-ended questionnaire investigating the curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular programs in their previous high schools covering the sorts, the frequency, and the duration of the activities was distributed to disclose the underlying reasons of the speaking performance differences. The results revealed that generally the Islamic boarding school-based senior high school graduates’ speaking performance is slightly better than the public-based one with a minor difference on the five aspects of speaking assessment. The former showed better achievement in fluency, vocabulary and comprehension, whereas the latter got better result in grammar and pronunciation. Dissimilar variations of the co-curricular and extra-curricular activities at both types of school and the frequency of the activities might be the potential factors affecting the differences.

Speaking Performance of Islamic Boarding School and Public School-Based Graduates: A Comparative Study

This study aims 1) to compare the speaking performance of university students who graduated from Islamic boarding school and public school-based senior high schools and 2) to investigate the potential factors affecting the difference of their speaking performance. First year students of a State Islamic University in Lampung - Indonesia participated as the subjects of research. The data of students’ speaking performance was obtained from the documentation of students’ speaking entrance test score. Then, a semi-closed-ended questionnaire investigating the curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular programs in their previous high schools covering the sorts, the frequency, and the duration of the activities was distributed to disclose the underlying reasons of the speaking performance differences. The results revealed that generally the Islamic boarding school-based senior high school graduates’ speaking performance is slightly better than the public-based one with a minor difference on the five aspects of speaking assessment. The former showed better achievement in fluency, vocabulary and comprehension, whereas the latter got better result in grammar and pronunciation. Dissimilar variations of the co-curricular and extra-curricular activities at both types of school and the frequency of the activities might be the potential factors affecting the differences.

Critical thinking dispositions’ level among neophyte nursing students

Introduction: Critical thinking dispositions (CTD) are valued across the health professions disciplines being essential for decision-making, critical judgment and managing complex health situations. Promoting critical-thinking dispositions in undergraduate nursing students can support the students to utilize critical thinking during challenging patient care and problem-solving situations.
 Objective: This study aimed to assess the level of critical thinking disposition among neophyte nursing students in a private nursing college.
 Methodology: An analytical cross-sectional study design was adopted. Neophyte students (n=98) of the BSN program participated in the study. Critical Thinking Dispositions Scale (CTDS) of 54 items under seven constructs was utilized to assess CTD level. Data was analyzed at descriptive and inferential level using SPSS 23.0 version. 
 Results: Overall, CTD among neophytes nursing students is at 75% a progressive level. Contextual and inquisitiveness construct of CTDs are at positive CTD level while other constructs are at the progressive level. Students have completed their matriculation from public 55(56.1%) while FSc (Faculty of Science) from private sector 57(58.2%). Mothers of most neophytes 73(74.5%) were housewives and fathers were working in private organization 32(32.7%). There was no statistically significant association between CTD’s construct with demographic variables (P-Value, >0.05). FSc marks showed a significant association with overall CTD scores, intellectual and inquisitiveness, while admission entry test scores associate significantly with intellectual construct.
 Conclusion: The CTD level of neophyte is at a progressive level which suggest that different teaching and learning strategies could be implemented to improve this level.

Classification and Prediction of Students’ GPA Using K-Means Clustering Algorithm to Assist Student Admission Process

Background: Student admission at universities aims to select the best candidates who will excel and finish their studies on time. There are many factors to be considered in student admission. To assist the process, an intelligent model is needed to spot the potentially high achieving students, as well as to identify potentially struggling students as early as possible.Objective: This research uses K-means clustering to predict students’ grade point average (GPA) based on students’ profile, such as high school status and location, university entrance test score and English language competence.Methods: Students’ data from class of 2008 to 2017 are used to create two clusters using K-means clustering algorithm. Two centroids from the clusters are used to classify all the data into two groups: high GPA and low GPA. We use the data from class of 2018 as test data. The performance of the prediction is measured using accuracy, precision and recall.Results: Based on the analysis, the K-means clustering method is 78.59% accurate among the merit-based-admission students and 94.627% among the regular-admission students.Conclusion: The prediction involving merit-based-admission students has lower predictive accuracy values than that of involving regular-admission students because the clustering model for the merit-based-admission data is K = 3, but for the prediction, the assumption is K = 2.

0369 Sleep Disparities are Established by the First Month of College

Abstract Introduction Short and poor quality sleep are particularly common in college students, likely impacting their ability to persist and succeed in difficult courses. In the current study, we investigated demographic-based sleep differences (sleep disparities) and demographic-based academic differences (achievement gaps) in first-semester college students, with the goal of informing whether sleep disparities contribute to achievement gaps. Methods From 2017 to 2018, first-semester undergraduate students at Baylor University completed the New2BU Survey [N=6,048, 61.9% female, 18.7% first-generation, 23.8% underrepresented racial/ethnic minority (URM)]. Data collection occurred within three to five weeks of classes beginning. The survey included self-reported weekday total sleep time (TST), which we classified as short sleep (≤6.9 hours), normal sleep (7-9 hours), or long sleep (>9 hours). Semester GPA data were obtained from university records for students’ first 4 semesters. Results There was evidence for both achievement gaps and sleep disparities. The risk for short sleep was increased in female students (p<.001; OR=1.20, 95%CI: 1.08-1.33), first-generation students (p=.02; OR=1.17, 95%CI: 1.03-1.33), and URM students (p<.001; OR=1.32, 95%CI: 1.16-1.50). The risk for long sleep increased substantially in first-generation students (p=.003, OR=1.92, 95%CI: 1.25-2.97) and URM students (p<.001; OR=2.41, 95%CI: 1.57-3.70), but not in female students (OR=0.88, 95%CI: 0.59-1.30). First-generation and URM students showed a 0.2-0.3 GPA reduction each semester relative to comparison groups (ps<.001), but short sleep and long sleep predicted GPA data up to four semesters later. Sleep-GPA correlations were modest in size (rs=.10-.14), but remained significant even after controlling for numerous demographic variables, high school GPA, and college entrance test scores. Conclusion Sleep disparities are noteworthy within the first month of college, and predictive of academic performance across four semesters. Addressing sleep health in all students—but particularly female, first-generation, and URM students—may increase academic success, bridge achievement gaps, and reduce health disparities. Support National Science Foundation (DRL 1920730)

Probing the Differences Caused by Cognitive Variables on LET Performance: An Embedded Mixed Method Study

The purpose of this study is to probe the differences caused by selected cognitive variables such as entrance test scores (ETS) and grade point average (GPA) on the performance of the graduates in the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET). It entailed a causal-comparative embedded mixed method research design. The study followed a cohort of 42 purposively sampled graduates of Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEEd), College of Education (CoEd), Mindanao State University (MSU), General Santos City (GSC). Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to determine the differences in the LET performance when grouped according to arbitrary categories of the cognitive variables. A presentation of case narratives and thematic analysis was further used to explore the significant differences. The result disclosed that the ETS of the graduates grouped as passed and conditional cause a significant difference in the LET performance. It further uncovered that the GPA of the graduates grouped as high, average, and low causes a significant difference in the LET performance. The qualitative probes revealed themes such as access to review materials, metacognitive strategies, motivational experiences, and efficacy to succeed. These themes provide explanatory context to the differences in the performance of the graduates in the LET. The implications are further discussed in the study. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.4.12

How can we evaluate the effectiveness of grammar schools in England? A regression discontinuity approach

Previous research evaluating grammar school effectiveness has generally relied on snapshot or longitudinal regression models to deal with pre‐existing differences between grammar school pupils and those in non‐selective schools. These passive designs are based on correlations, and cannot demonstrate clear positive causal relationships between grammar school attendance and subsequent attainment. After accounting for the variables available for the analysis, pupils in different schools might still have distinct and unmeasured characteristics which threaten the validity of any conclusions drawn. Given that a randomised trial is not feasible under current conditions, this study addresses the limitations of previous research, using a regression discontinuity design (RDD) approach. This is the first use of RDD to attempt to make a robust causal inference about the effectiveness of grammar schools in one local authority in England. However, the authority, the Department for Education and the schools would not provide the individual data on pupils’ 11+ entry test scores, and the scores obtained could not be uniquely matched to Key Stage 4 outcomes. While the model presented suggests that there is an advantage to grammar school attendance, the incomplete data means that the study is more a feasibility trial of this strong design than any kind of definitive test intended to settle the debate on grammar school effectiveness. Conducting this design with national data on grammar school selection would create the most powerful evidence so far. To promote an effective and equitable education system for generations to come, those advocating the expansion of grammar schools should make the responsible decision to disclose all grammar school selection data for the purposes of research.

The Effects of Ability Tracking on the Academic Performance in the Secondary School: Evidence from South Korea

Ability tracking creates a homogenous learning environment within the classroom, by segregating high-performing and low-performing students into different groups. This paper exploits a unique policy change in South Korea combined with comprehensive micro dataset to measure the causal consequences of ability tracking, compared to the allocating students to mixed ability groups. Before the policy change, high schools selected students according to their prior academic achievement, whereas under the new policy, students are randomly assigned to high schools. Variations in the timing of the policy implementation across districts provide a difference-in-difference research design. We find that tracking benefits high performing students who study more and gain from a superior learning environment, with the expense of the academic achievement of the low-performing students. The transition to the ability mixing system caused a reduction in the students’ probability of getting into top-tier colleges. The distribution of the academic performance of the students under the non-tracking system converged to the mean, and the variance in college entrance test score across students declined. The underlying mechanism behind these results is that the positive benefits of having better peers dominate the tailored guidance of teachers. This paper emphasizes the importance of the design of the education policy in human capital development of a country.

Priming, enabling and assessment of curiosity

In the information age, where all answers are just a click away, curiosity, the intrinsic drive to learn, becomes of paramount importance. How easy is it to prime for curiosity and what are its effects? What simple interventions can be used to enable curiosity-driven behaviors? We have conducted a large-scale study to address these questions, using a novel curiosity-based application (app) on university applicants. Using the same app, we addressed the issue of curiosity assessment, which in recent years has mainly been performed via self-reporting questionnaires. The curiosity assessment tool was developed in order to assess curiosity via an objective, quantitative and digital way. The tool measured several behavioral aspects during a free and task-less interaction with the tablet app. From the recorded activity logs we calculated quantitative behavioral measures related to their exploration patterns. We show that a single word can prime the participants and induce better learning of their self-explored knowledge. We also show that by simply enabling more time to explore, without the ability to stop at will, induces more exploration and more learning. Finally, we show that our behavioral measures, obtained with the digital quantitative assessment tool, are significant predictors of the participants’ self-reported curiosity and Psychometric Entrance Test scores. These results suggest that simple priming for curiosity and enabling enough time to explore improve self-paced learning, and that a relatively simple and short interaction with a digital app can greatly improve state-of-the-art curiosity assessment.

Effects of graded versus ungraded individual readiness assurance scores in team-based learning: a quasi-experimental study.

Pre-class preparation is a crucial component of team-based learning (TBL). Lack of preparation hinders both individual learning and team performance during TBL. The purpose of the present study was to explore how the grading of the individual readiness assurance test (iRAT) can affect pre-class preparation, iRAT performance and performance in the end-of-year examination. Using a quasi-experimental design, Year 1 and 2 students' download frequency for their pre-class materials, performance on iRAT and examination were examined under two conditions; (1) under which the iRAT was graded and (2) under which the iRAT was ungraded. Medical students (N = 220) from three cohorts were included in the study. Differences between both conditions were tested by means of six separate ANCOVAs, using medical school entry test scores as the covariate to account for potential cohort effects. Results revealed that students were downloading more pre-class materials prior to their TBL sessions, and were performed significantly better on iRAT when their performance was graded, even after controlling for cohort effects. Analysis of covariance demonstrated that performance on iRAT also appeared to affect performance on their examination scores. The results of the study suggest that grading has a positive effect on students' iRAT scores. Implications for TBL are discussed.

Predictive validity of a Uniform Entrance Test for the health professionals.

Objective:To investigate the predictive validity of Uniform Entrance Test for academic performance in the first two years in various health science degree programs.Methods:A retrospective analysis of admissions data and academic performance of students admitted in under-graduate programs of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy of three cohorts was taken. The independent and dependent variables were entry test scores and semester scores respectively. Spearman’s Correlation co-efficient was computed to determine the association between entrance test scores and semester scores for three groups.Results:Majority of the students were from the MBBS degree program (61%) with majority of female students (65%) in all three programs. In MBBS the highest correlation coefficient between entry test and semester scores was observed for semester one rs = 0.334 and lowest in semester four rs= 0.208. In BDS degree program both highest and lowest correlations were in semester one. In the Pharm-D degree program, a significant correlation was only seen in cohort 1 but not in the subsequent cohorts.Conclusion:The uniform entrance test has an incremental predictive validity for the MBBS and BDS programs as compared to Pharm-D. Better performance in the entrance test predicts higher semester scores and more likelihood of achieving higher scores in the first year as compared to the second year.

Relationship between admission criteria and academic performance: A correlational study in nursing students.

Background & Objective:An admission criterion is one of the key indicators of academic success. The purpose of admission process is to select best candidates for the particular program who will complete the program successfully. Thus rigorous admission criteria can predict academic performance, decrease failure rate and successful completion of degree. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between various variables in the existing admission criteria and academic performance.Methods:A cross sectional study design was chosen. Data (2009-2017) was gathered from the records of Institute of Nursing Science, Khyber Medical University. Variables in the admission criteria included age, gender, previous academic performance, entry test score and experience. The dependent variable was academic performance measured in CGPA. The data was analyzed using correlation and regression analysis through SPSS and STATA.Results:The results reported a significant relationship between admission criteria and the academic performance of nursing students. Various variables in the admission criteria i.e. SSC marks (r=0.32, p=>0.001), previous academic score at diploma level (r=0.48, p=>0.001) and entry test scores (r=0.26, p=>0.001) have significant relationship between academic performance. However, previous academic scores at diploma level were better predictors of the academic performance.Conclusion:The study concludes to use integrated admission criteria for the selection of students and bring changes in the traditional admission process.

Are Quantitative Skills Critical for Business Education Program or an Entry-Barrier for Diversity?

Two prominent criticisms of business education programs are that they disproportionately focus on cultivating quantitative skills (i.e., the ability to use and analyze numerical/mathematical concepts) and that the programs lack diversity in terms of gender, social class, and undergraduate backgrounds of students. We tested whether the emphasis on quantitative skills is linked to this lack of diversity in business education programs. We drew data from a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program from a leading business school in India (N = 275). We analyzed three key outcomes (entrance test scores, program grades, and salary offers) for three attributes (gender, social class, and quantitative undergraduate degree) before and after partitioning of the quantitative and non-quantitative components of the academic outcomes. Before the partitioning of components, our regression models explained 63% of variance in entrance test scores, 42% in program grades, and 21% in salary offers, which was suggestive of the suitability of our predictor variables. Post-partitioning of the outcomes into quantitative and non-quantitative components, the key results were: (a) social class disadvantage was in both the quantitative and non-quantitative components of the entrance test, and in course grades; (b) female-disadvantage was in the quantitative coursework of the MBA program, but not in the entrance test, or in salary offers (p < .05); (c) individuals with a quantitative undergraduate education had no advantage in the quantitative section of the entrance test, or of the coursework; (d) social class, gender, and quantitative undergraduate had no effect on salary offers. However, salary offers were higher for those with work experience (p < .01), and most notably, for those who performed well in the non-quantitative courses (p < .01). On addressing lack of diversity, the results suggest that unlike individuals from a more marginalized social class, females’ deficit is selective and identifiable in the form of lower scores on the quantitative component of MBA coursework. Apart from identifying entry-barriers for diversity, our results are also helpful in discarding certain unfounded beliefs surrounding business education. For example, contrary to popular belief, quantitative undergraduate training has no advantage in business education. Moreover, quantitative course grades are not disproportionately valued in the job market for MBAs.

Academic success predictors in Optometry

The success of students in health professions training programs depends on the selection process, teaching and curriculum, motivation, and student support services. However, most of the factors considered as predictors of student success in medicine and nursing include those involved exclusively in the selection process, such as grade point average (GPA), standardized entrance and aptitude test results. Similar factors have been found to predict the GPA and graduation of students in optometry programs. However, we are unaware of any systematic evaluation in an optometry training program of student aspects beyond selection factors.In this study, we propose to widen the scope of the factors involved in academic success in optometry school to include demographic aspects (like gender and race), psychological aspects (like learning style), and exam platform. We also examined the classic academic aspects like GPA and standardized entrance test (Optometry Admission Test [OAT]) scores. As the fourth year in our curriculum is exclusively clinic and includes rotations outside of the optometry school, we chose GPA at the end of their in‐house curriculum as the index measure of academic success. To this end, we recruited sixty‐five students from the second‐year class at the University of Incarnate Word Rosenberg School of Optometry and recorded the following: scores from two exams in two concomitant pathophysiological courses during their third semester in the in‐house curriculum, demographic data (gender, race, and ethnicity), undergraduate GPA, OAT scores, and optometry GPAs at the mid‐point and at the end of their in‐house curriculum. We also determined learning styles via surveys.We found that race and ethnicity were predictors of student success at the mid‐point but not at the end of the in‐house curriculum. The effect of undergraduate GPA and OAT scores was negligible. However, student performance in the pathophysiological courses during their third semester and the GPA at mid‐point of their in‐house curriculum predicted academic success (r=0.662, p&lt;0.001; r= 0.659, p&lt;0.001, respectively). Apart from academic factors, learning style—specifically the “read‐write” index—significantly and positively correlated with academic success (r=0.328, p&lt;0.08). These data suggest that additional attention to student success during the first half of the in‐house curriculum may be worthwhile and bolster academic success overall. In addition, it may be useful for optometry faculty to have knowledge of student learning styles, as students' preferred method of learning played a role in their success.Support or Funding InformationAmerican Optometric Foundation (AOF)This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

The Adequacy of the B2 Level as University Entrance Requirement

ABSTRACTThis article reports on a study of foreign students’ success in higher education in Norway and focuses specifically on the relation between academic success and students’ proficiency level of Norwegian as measured by a CEFR-based university entrance test. This study is distinguished from prior studies because it sets out to investigate not only the relation between entrance test score and future academic success but also what level of target language proficiency is a necessary minimum requirement for foreign students to manage the linguistic demands they face in higher education. It includes students who passed the entrance test in question as well as students who failed, hence overcoming a common limitation of predictive validity studies. The results of the study show a significant positive correlation between scores on the university entrance test and self-reported academic success. Moreover, the study shows that students with proficiency levels below B2 seem to lack the necessary language skills to master their studies, regardless of discipline and faculty. The results are of relevance to other countries and educational contexts where the CEFR scale is used as a reference for university entrance tests. Together with similar studies of the predictive validity of CEFR-based entrance tests, the study contributes to an ongoing validation of the CEFR, which has been called for since its publication.

School Starting Age, Family Background, and Academic Achievement: Evidence from Urban China

In contrast to the holding back of children in numerous western countries, particularly the United States, Chinese parents prefer to send their children to school early. In this paper, we examine the effect of school starting age on academic achievement of junior high school students in urban China, using the newly available data from the China Education Panel Survey. Instrument variable estimation using an exogenous entrance cut-off indicates that a one-year delay is associated with a decrease of 0.313 standard deviations in cognitive scores. We also find strongly heterogeneity effect between entrance age and test scores. Specifically, the negative effects for children from high socioeconomic status families are larger, but it is very small and not statistically significant for children from poorer families.