Perception of fourth year MBBS students about structured and traditional viva examination formats in Pathology department in CIMS Multan– An ethnographic study

Abstract

Objective: To explore the perception and views of undergraduate medical students about the significance of structured versus traditional viva formats.
Study Design: It was qualitative exploratory research
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Pathology department of CMH Multan Institute of Medical Sciences from December 2019 to August 2020.
Materials and Methods: Four sets of focused group discussions were carried out, each group comprising of 8 students of fourth year MBBS who had undertaken both structured and traditional viva examinations in the subject of Pathology. The students who did not appear in the exam and those who did not volunteer for the study were excluded from the study. The interviews were audio recorded followed by transcription and manual thematic analysis. The students identified their preferences for the type of viva which gave an umbrella of themes. The subthemes were then identified to find out the exact reasons of their preferences.
Results: The results of the study yielded five themes and sub themes. The main themes were attitude towards exams, exams preparation, time management, student teacher relationship and relevancy of content of viva. The students suggested that viva exam of all subjects should be structured to maximize uniformity of content coverage, time management and attitude improvement for both faculty and students.
Conclusion: The students were Overwhelmingly satisfied with structured viva as compared to traditional viva format. They emphasized structured viva as their preferred assessment method as traditional viva does not truly reflect a student's competence.