Kanada Yoshikiyo, Sakurai Hiroaki, Kaga Junko
The Journal of Tokyo Academy of Health Sciences, 4(4) 201-208, Mar, 2002 Peer-reviewed
In our study, we analyzed comments written freely by supervisors in the student report cards on practical training, and examined the correlation between the results of the analysis and the over-all grades. The purpose of the study was to grasp how well the students learned during the practical training. The subjects were 124 students who received the training in their third year in the physical therapist training course of our school between 1997 and 2000. The report card of our school consists of two parts; the over-all grade and the item-by-item evaluation. In the item-by-item evaluation part, scores for each of the items and comments are presented. In the over-all grade part, 4 different grades from A (very good) through D (poor) are given as a comprehensive evaluation of the student. In this study, we analyzed comments in the over-all grade part freely written by evaluators; they had written comments on what was improved, what was not improved, and future prospects. More specifically, we categorized the freely written comments as attitudes, knowledge, and technique. "Attitude"included the sub-items of (1) basic stance, (2) communication, (3) positiveness, and (4) attitude towards learning, "knowledge"included the subitems of (5) practice, (6) knowledge, and (7) writing articulacy, and"technique"included the sub-items of (8) examination and assessment, (9) grasp of patient, and (10) treatment. In addition to scores in the item-by-item supervisors and over-all grades, we analyzed the comments freely written by supervisors in this study, which helped us to grasp how supervisors saw our students during the practical training. At the same time, we came to understand better the characteristics of the institutions where the practical training was carried out, and what were the focal points of the supervisors. 1. Across the three sections; (1) what was improved, (2) what was not improved and (3) future prospects, comments on the grasp of patients were seen most. In the"future prospects"section, or aptitude, comments on attitude were presented most. 2. Looking into different grade groups,"not improved"section of the group of A grade students contained few comments, while"not improved" section of the group of C grade students contained many comments on attitude.3. Looking into the three terms, differences were found in the attitudinal aspects among the groups of A, B, and C students in the first term, which implies that the groups of B and C students left problems unsolved concerning (8) examination and assessment, which was the goal set for the first term. In the second term, supervisors seem to have focused on the improvement of technical aspects of the A student group. There were differences found in the attitudinal, technical and knowledge aspects among the groups of A, B and C students. In the third term, the A student group left no problem unsolved concerning attitudinal and knowledge aspects, but the C student group left problems unsolved concerning these aspects.