Critical Thinking Transfer Practice Instrument: A Content Validity Calculation Steps Based on Expert Panel Evaluation

Abstract

Development of critical thinking instruments only focus on learning effectiveness, thus lacking the instrument measuring critical thinking transfer practice (CTTP) specific for medical undergraduates. This study aimed to develop an instrument that can measure CTTP amongst medical undergraduates in Malaysia with the primary focus on describing the steps for content validity calculation. A quantitative survey approach was applied through written questionnaire. Eight experts from public universities in Malaysia were selected through judgement sampling. The content validity calculation steps are presented in detail in form of content validity index (CVI) and modified Kappa coefficient (κ*) score. The validity test involved 216 items, representing six sub-constructs. Item-level CVI (I-CVI), κ* score and scale-level CVI (S-CVI) were calculated for evaluation criteria, namely, relevance, clarity and representativeness of each item. Results revealed that 213 out of 216 items were rated as appropriate (I-CVI ≥ 0.80) on all the evaluation criteria. From 213 items, 133 outstanding items were included in the instrument. After items deletion, the validity of the instrument improved. The study results may impact future development of critical thinking assessment in education. The instrument has the potential to be a CTTP psychometric measuring tool for medical undergraduates. The study will provides for others the knowledge of content validation process and procedures with emphasis on steps of content validity calculation. The study will also helps medical educators to better understand CTTP sub-constructs. These sub-constructs may help them to create better critical thinking pedagogies.