Relative and Absolute Reliability of the Professionalism in Physical Therapy Core Values Self-Assessment Tool

Area of Science:

• Physical Therapy Education
• Professionalism Assessment
• Psychometric Properties

Background:

• Developing professional behaviors is crucial for Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students.
• The American Physical Therapy Association's Professionalism in Physical Therapy Core Values Self-Assessment (PPTCV-SA) tool aids in this development.
• Limited research exists on the psychometric properties of the PPTCV-SA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish the relative reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient) and absolute reliability (standard error of measurement, minimal detectable change) of the PPTCV-SA.
• To provide data for educators and researchers on the tool's measurement precision.
• To validate the PPTCV-SA for assessing changes in DPT student professionalism.

Main Methods:

• Administered the PPTCV-SA to 29 first-year DPT students on two occasions, two weeks apart.
• Utilized paired t-tests to assess score stability between test administrations.
• Calculated intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for relative reliability.
• Determined standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimal detectable change (MDC95) for absolute reliability.

Main Results:

• Paired t-tests revealed non-significant score differences between administrations for most subscales.
• Significant differences were noted in Altruism (p=0.01), Excellence (p=0.05), and Social Responsibility (p=0.02).
• ICCs indicated moderate-to-good test-retest reliability across all subscales.
• SEMs ranged from 0.30 to 0.62, and MDC95 values ranged from 0.83 to 1.71.

Conclusions:

• The PPTCV-SA demonstrates acceptable to good test-retest reliability for DPT students.
• The established SEM and MDC values provide benchmarks for detecting meaningful changes in professionalism.
• These findings support the use of the PPTCV-SA in educational and clinical settings to evaluate professionalism development.