title: Comparison of graduate-entry and direct school leaver student performance on an applied dental knowledge test.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the academic performance of graduate-entry and direct school leavers in an undergraduate dental programme.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study examined the results of students in applied dental knowledge (ADK) progress tests conducted during two academic years. A mixed model analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to compare the performance of graduate-entry and direct school leavers. ADK was treated as a repeated measures variable, and the outcome variable of interest was percentage score on the ADK.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results show statistically significant main effects for ADK [F (1,113) = 61.58, P < 0.001, η2p= 0.35], Cohort [F (1,113) = 88.57, P < 0.001, η2p= 0.44] and Entry [F (1,113) = 11.31, P = 0.001, η2p= 0.09]. That is, students do better on each subsequent test (main effect of ADK), students in later years of the programme perform better than those in earlier years (main effect of cohort), and graduate-entry students outperform direct school leavers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study to explore the differences in the academic performance of graduate-entry and direct school leavers in an undergraduate dental programme. The results show that the academic performance of graduate students was better than the direct school leavers in years 2 and 3. Further research is required to compare the performance of students longitudinally across the entire duration of undergraduate dental programmes and evaluate whether this difference persists throughout.
authors.affiliation: Peninsula Dental School, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK.
authors.forename: K
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3122-6729
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Plymouth, UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zahra
authors.affiliation: Peninsula Dental School, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tredwin
mesh_terms: D000073978:Academic Performance; D004497:Education, Dental; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans
keywords: academic; assessment; comparison; dental; knowledge; students