Table 4 Disadvantages of peer-tutors as assessors in the OSCE: Categories used to code the content of qualitative data (peer assessors n = 74, peer-assesses n = 307)
From: Peers as OSCE assessors for junior medical students – a review of routine use: a mixed methods study
Peer assessors | Peer-assessed | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Category | Subcategory | Code /description | Subcategory | Code /description |
For AALplus (in general) | Reduced obligation | - Peer assessed students might not take the OSCE seriously enough. - Peer assessors have a lack of authority compared to lecturers and might not be accepted. - Hard to maintain conditions of a compulsory examination. | Reduced obligation | - Peer-assessed students might not take the OSCE seriously enough. - Peer assessors have a lack of authority compared to lecturers and might not be accepted. |
Reduced professionalism | - Peer assessors might not be as objective as doctors/professionals. - Relaxed atmosphere misleads peer-assessed/assessor relationship. | Reduced professionalism | - Peer-assessed students are more likely to know peer assessors from another or a negative situation. - Peer assessors are less professional. -Lack of objectivity | |
Benignity | - Peer assessors might be more benign as they often know the peer-assessed students personally. | Benignity | - Peer assessors might be more benign as they often know the peer-assessed students personally. | |
- Strictness | – | Strictness | - Peer assessors might be stricter. | |
For peer assessors: | not mentioned | not mentioned | ||
For peer-assessed: | Little experience as assessor | - Peer assessors might have less experience in lecturing. - Peer assessors are less self-confident. | Little experience as assessor | - Peer assessors might have less experience in lecturing. - Peer assessors do not have a doctor’s/professional’s speciality. |
Reduced medical skills | - Peer assessors have little clinical experience. - Peer assessors have less clinical skill than lecturers and cannot give such good advice. | Reduced medical skills | - Peer assessors have little clinical experience. - Peer assessors do not know physical examination in reality. - Peer assessors may be less experienced than peer-assessed students (e.g. who have previous paramedic training) - Peer assessors cannot estimate clinical relevance. | |
Reduced value of feedback | - Peer assessors’ feedback might be less relevant technically. - Lecturers give feedback of higher quality. | Reduced value of feedback | - Doctors/professionals have better knowledge of what is important in the future. | |
Less clinical/medical knowledge | – | Less clinical/medical knowledge | -Peer assessors have a lack of medical knowledge. - Peer assessors spread ignorance. | |
Personal relationship | – | Personal relationship | - Peer-assessed students may disgrace themselves because they know the peer assessor. - Setting might be awkward. | |