title: Investigating the Correlation Between Pharmacy Student Performance on the Health Science Reasoning Test and a Critical Thinking Assignment.
abstract: Objective.To determine whether there is a correlation between pharmacy students' scores on the Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT) and their grade on a package insert assignment designed to assess critical thinking.Methods.The HSRT was administered to first-year pharmacy students during a critical-thinking course in the spring semester. In the same semester, a required package insert assignment was completed in a pharmacokinetics course. To determine whether there was a relationship between HSRT scores and grades on the assignment, a Spearman's rho correlation test was performed.Results.A very weak but significant positive correlation was found between students' grades on the assignment and their overall HSRT score (r=0.19,p<0.05), as well as deduction (a scale score of the HSRT; r=0.26,p<0.01).Conclusion.Based on a very weak but significant correlation to HSRT scores, this study demonstrated the potential of a package insert assignment to be used as one of the components to measure critical-thinking skills in pharmacy students.
authors.affiliation: Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, Florida.
authors.forename: Adwoa O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Nornoo
authors.affiliation: Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, Florida.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, Florida.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Axtell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013339:Students, Pharmacy; D013850:Thinking; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT); critical thinking; deduction; package insert; pharmacokinetics