Educational testing validity and reliability in pharmacy and medical education literature

Am J Pharm Educ. 2013 Dec 16;77(10):213. doi: 10.5688/ajpe7710213.

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate and compare the reliability and validity of educational testing reported in pharmacy education journals to medical education literature.

Methods: Descriptions of validity evidence sources (content, construct, criterion, and reliability) were extracted from articles that reported educational testing of learners' knowledge, skills, and/or abilities. Using educational testing, the findings of 108 pharmacy education articles were compared to the findings of 198 medical education articles.

Results: For pharmacy educational testing, 14 articles (13%) reported more than 1 validity evidence source while 83 articles (77%) reported 1 validity evidence source and 11 articles (10%) did not have evidence. Among validity evidence sources, content validity was reported most frequently. Compared with pharmacy education literature, more medical education articles reported both validity and reliability (59%; p<0.001).

Conclusion: While there were more scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) articles in pharmacy education compared to medical education, validity, and reliability reporting were limited in the pharmacy education literature.

Keywords: educational testing; medical education; pharmacy education; validity evidence.

MeSH terms

  • Education, Medical / standards*
  • Education, Pharmacy / standards*
  • Educational Measurement*
  • Learning
  • Periodicals as Topic
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Teaching