The use of video in addressing anxiety prior to viva voce exams

Traditionally, viva voce or oral exams are used as a complement to written exams in a wide rangeof disciplines. While vivas are acknowledged as giving a unique insight into students’ abilities,they tend to give rise to a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty for students. Although Davis andKarunathilake (2005) note that there is no evidence concerning whether vivas are more stressfulthan other types of exam, studies across disciplines suggest that vivas are indeed anxiety provok-ing. For example, Arndt, Guly and McManus (1986, 277), investigating medical vivas, found “adisproportionately high degree of anxiety in candidates, the level being substantially higher thana typical selection interview.” Similarly, Pearce and Lee (2009), discussing vivas in marketingeducation, found that many students noted pre-viva anxiety concerns, as did Sayce (2007) forbusiness students. Arndt