Accuracy of Athletic Training Student Performance Factors for Determining BOC Exam First-Time Pass Outcomes
Open Access
- Author:
- Hobson, Zachary
- Graduate Program:
- Kinesiology
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- March 22, 2019
- Committee Members:
- Giampietro Luciano Vairo, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Sayers John Miller, III, Committee Member
Danielle Symons Downs, Committee Member - Keywords:
- BOC exam
Accreditation standards
Athletic training education
BOC exam predictors
Athletic training admission variables
Athletic training student performance factors - Abstract:
- Athletic training (AT) programs are required to maintain a three-year aggregate first-time pass rate of 70% on the Board of Certification (BOC) exam. Currently, there are no uniform entrance-to-major criteria for AT programs to employ when attempting to identify students poised for such success. Various academic variables have been previously identified as single and combined predictors of first-time success; however, these investigations reflect prior versions of the credentialing examination based on what are now obsolete editions of the professional practice analysis. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of AT student performance factors as indicators of successfully passing the current version of the BOC exam on a first attempt. An additional aim was to determine the utility of a unique composite score that may serve as a potential all-inclusive metric lending to establishing admission criteria for AT programs. Per pilot data, we hypothesized that cumulative grade point average (GPA) upon admission to an AT program would be the most accurate secondary admissions criterion, as determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Additionally, we sought to identify the threshold indicative of success for each variable of interest using the index of union method. Cumulative GPA upon graduation provided fair accuracy in predicting first-time success on the BOC exam; however, SAT outcomes provided excellent accuracy. Although not the most accurate of all variables, the unique composite score may represent an all-inclusive indicator of success. Program administrators and AT educators may use these outcomes to shape their related programmatic operations.