Students' perceptions of the script concordance test and its impact on their learning behavior: a mixed methods study

Abstract

The Script Concordance Test (SCT) is increasingly used in postgraduate and undergraduate education as a method of summative clinical assessment. It has been shown to have high validity and reliability but there is little evidence of its use in veterinary education as assessment for learning. This study investigates some students' perceptions of the SCT and its effects on their approaches to learning. Final-year undergraduates of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science (SVMS) at the University of Nottingham participated in a mixed-methods study after completing three formative SCT assessments. A qualitative, thematic analysis was produced from transcripts of three focus group discussions. The quantitative study was a survey based on the analyses of the qualitative study. Out of 50 students who registered for the study, 18 participated in the focus groups and 28 completed the survey. Clinical experience was regarded as the most useful source of information for answering the SCT. The students also indicated that recall of facts was perceived as useful for multiple-choice questions but least useful for the SCT. Themes identified in the qualitative study related to reliability, acceptability, educational impact, and validity of the SCT. The evidence from this study shows that the SCT has high face validity among veterinary students. They reported that it encouraged them to reflect upon their clinical experience, to participate in discussions of case material, and to adopt a deeper approach to clinical learning. These findings strongly suggest that the SCT is potentially a valuable method for assessing clinical reasoning and enhancing student learning.