Evaluating students' learning achievements using the formative assessment technique: a retrospective study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Educational Assessment

Background:

• Formative assessment is crucial for enhancing learning outcomes and evaluating student progress over time.
• This study evaluated the impact of a formative assessment technique on medical students' learning achievements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a formative assessment technique in improving medical students' learning achievements.
• To utilize a normalized gain method for evaluating learning gains.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective observational study involving 118 fifth-year medical students at Prince of Songkla University, Thailand.
• Implementation of a formative assessment technique within a general pediatric course during the 2021-2022 academic year.
• Analysis of pre-test and post-test scores using a normalized gain method.

Main Results:

• Post-test scores were significantly higher than pre-test scores (mean difference 20.53, P < 0.001).
• The median student learning gain (g) was 0.34, with medium gains correlating with higher scores (P < 0.001).
• A positive correlation was observed between learning gains and post-test scores (R = 0.6, P = 0.01).

Conclusions:

• Formative assessment, coupled with mentoring, effectively enhances student learning outcomes through timely feedback.
• Integrating formative assessments into standard evaluation strategies is vital for undergraduate medical education.
• The study highlights the value of formative assessment in medical training.