title: Measuring final-year nursing students' satisfaction with the viva assessment.
abstract: This paper reports a study conducted to develop and test the psychometric properties of a brief 5-item Satisfaction with the Oral Viva Assessment Scale. The viva has been increasingly used to gauge students' learning, beyond the traditional written assessments. This assessment approach may pose additional challenges to various student groups. Using a prospective, correlational design, this study surveyed 275 final year nursing students about their satisfaction with the viva as an assessment approach. The survey was administered to those who attended a revision session in an undergraduate high dependency unit. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses, as well as exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the scale were computed. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a one-component structure that explained 51% of the total variance, which was supported by confirmatory factor analysis (standardised factor loadings: 0.54-0.73). Internal consistency as computed by a Cronbach's alpha was 0.8. The results also revealed that those who obtained higher grades in their viva performance (OR: 2.78, 95% CI: 1.58-4.90) and English-speaking only students (OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.07-3.27) were more satisfied with the viva assessment. These findings support the validity and reliability of this scale, and can be used to assess students' satisfaction with the viva.
authors.affiliation: Western Sydney University, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Centre for Applied Nursing Research, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia. Electronic address: y.salamonson@westernsydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Yenna
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Salamonson
authors.affiliation: Western Sydney University, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia. Electronic address: l.metcalfe@westernsydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Metcalfe
authors.affiliation: Western Sydney University, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia. Electronic address: e.alexandrou@westernsydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Evan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alexandrou
authors.affiliation: Western Sydney University, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia. Electronic address: a.cotton@westernsydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Antoinette H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Cotton
authors.affiliation: Western Sydney University, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia. Electronic address: s.mcnally@westernsydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mcnally
authors.affiliation: Western Sydney University, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia. Electronic address: Jeffrey.Murphy@westernsydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Western Sydney University, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia. Electronic address: s.frost@westernsydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Frost
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013338:Students, Nursing; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Academic performance; Assessment approaches; English as an additional language; Nursing; Nursing education; Nursing students; Psychometrics; Reliability; Validity; Viva