Admission Criteria as Predictors of Student Success in a Dental Hygiene Program

Abstract

The aims of this study were to assess which prerequisites the dental hygiene faculty at the University of Alberta perceived as essential to success in the dental hygiene program and to determine if students' prerequisite grades and interview scores predicted their success in the program. Academic records of students admitted between 2004 and 2013 were examined in 2016 for prerequisite course grades, interview scores, and junior, senior, and cumulative grade point average (GPA). In addition, course instructors were surveyed about which prerequisites they deemed necessary for their particular subjects. The results showed that every prerequisite course was perceived as necessary at some point in the program. However, most prerequisite course grades were weak predictors of academic performance, with a moderate correlation between cumulative prerequisite GPA and the junior GPA and final cumulative GPA. The interview was also considered necessary for some preclinical and clinical courses. There was no correlation between interview scores and students' academic performance. These findings suggest that, although the interview and prerequisite GPA requirements filtered out unsuitable candidates, they did not predict which students would be successful in the program. More refined methods need to be devised to identify which students are most likely to succeed.

A preliminary inquiry on the association between pre-admission assessments and academic performance of first year dental technology students’ within a South African university of technology

“…These results are consistent with the findings from previous studies. 16,20,21,29 DISCUSSION a). R Squared = .768 (Adjusted R Squared = .402) b).…”

“…[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Arguably, predictive admission procedures can reduce dropout rates, improve academic performance, increase success rates, and selectively exclude applicants who are unlikely to be successful in the course. [16][17][18] Furthermore, the aforementioned authors have unanimously indicated the value of predictive admission tests in providing rich information on the profile of students and informing curriculum design. The lack of these tests could therefore place students at risk of not completing their courses successfully.…”

Characterization of school of dentistry prerequisite courses and recommendations for admission

“…Additional research could explore whether prerequisite requirements offer a benefit or whether they could be eliminated 13 . Alternative admission approaches could be considered, such as competency‐based admission (CBA) models that are emerging in medical education.…”