Abstract
The aim of this study was the development and validation of a progress test (PT) useful to evaluate the learning progress of occupational therapy students in order to allow the improvement of skill acquisition and the qualitative analysis of teaching and degree course organization. The PT was developed on the basis of didactic plans, teaching modules, and/or scientific-disciplinary sectors (SDS) common to all 12 degree courses in Italy. The reliability of the PT was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha (α) and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The efficacy and discrimination of the items were analysed using the facility index and point-biserial correlation (P-Bis), respectively. The PT was composed of 11 areas with a total of 190 items with 5 multiple-choice responses, one of which was correct. Six universities confirmed their participation in the study, and 734 students enrolled in one of the four course years were included in the study. The PT showed excellent internal consistency, with Cronbach’s α values of 0.95. However, areas 2 and 4 of the PT showed poor intercorrelation with the other areas, with Cronbach’s α values of 0.24 and 0.56. The results highlighted that the PT was quite difficult for occupational therapy students, who achieved a maximum score of 126 out of 190. Test-retest reliability showed ICC values between 0.90 and 1. The PT is a useful tool for the assessment of the learning progress of occupational therapy students, the qualitative analysis of teaching and degree course organization, and the acquisition and time-dependent maintenance of essential knowledge and skills to be evaluated.
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Panuccio, F., Galeoto, G., Tofani, M., Marquez, M.A., Celli, L., Berardi, A. (2022). Development and Validation of a Progress Test in Occupational Therapy Degree Courses: A Cross-Sectional Study. In: Uden, L., Liberona, D. (eds) Learning Technology for Education Challenges. LTEC 2022. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1595. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08890-2_18
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