Development of an instrument to evaluate the knowledge of elementary teachers about venereal disease

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to assess the venereal disease knowledge of elementary school teachers. Procedure: Instructional objectives and an outline of factual information related to venereal diseases were developed from current health education textbooks, official publications by state and federal health agencies, and medical sources. Using the objectives as a guide, a pool of multiple-choice questions was written. The items were reviewed for content validity, accuracy, and clarity by a panel of health professionals. After revisions to meet panel recommendations, a preliminary instrument of 65 items was prepared. This preliminary instrument was administered to 100 elementary school teachers in the Brazos Valley area of Texas. An item analysis of the tests was performed to determine the item difficulty and discrimination index. The analysis indicated that 15 of the 65 items should be deleted. Twenty items were revised and combined with the remaining items to form the revised instrument. The revised form of the test was administered to 108 elementary teachers during the spring, 1974. Following an item analysis to determine the item difficulty and discrimination, it was determined that five of the items should be deleted.