Academic Achievement Test for Anatomy of the Neck: Validity and Reliability Analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Anatomy
• Assessment Tools

Background:

• Neck anatomy is crucial but challenging for medical/dental students.
• Validated assessment tools for neck anatomy knowledge are scarce.
• Existing assessments may not fully capture academic achievement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Neck Anatomy Academic Achievement Test (NA-AAT) in Turkish.
• To create a reliable instrument for assessing neck anatomy knowledge and clinical reasoning.
• To address the need for validated assessment tools in anatomy education.

Main Methods:

• Generated 53 items, including two-tier and scenario-based questions.
• Evaluated content and language validity with experts.
• Administered a 39-item pilot test to 347 students, followed by item analysis.
• Assessed internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha, KR-20) and inter-rater reliability (Fleiss' kappa).

Main Results:

• The test demonstrated strong content validity (CVR=0.938, CVI=0.923).
• Final 24-item NA-AAT showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.846, KR-20=0.795).
• Scenario-based items achieved excellent inter-rater agreement (Fleiss' κ=0.993).

Conclusions:

• The NA-AAT is a valid and reliable tool for assessing neck anatomy knowledge and reasoning.
• This instrument can aid educators in evaluating learning outcomes and curriculum design.
• The NA-AAT supports the improvement of anatomy education and identification of deficiencies.