Journal of Advances in Medical Education & Professionalism

Psychometric properties of the communication skills attitude scale (CSAS) measure in a sample of Iranian medical students

AFSANEH YAKHFOROSHHA; MANDANA SHIRAZI; NASER YOUSEFZADEH; AMIN GHANBARNEJAD; MOHAMMADALI CHERAGHI; RITA MOJTAHEDZADEH; BEHROOZ MAHMOODI-BAKHTIARI; SEYED AMIR HOSSEIN EMAMI

Volume 6, Issue 1 , January 2018, , Pages 14-21

https://doi.org/10.30476/jamp.2018.43343

Abstract

Introduction: Communication skill (CS) has been regarded as one of thefundamental competencies for medical and other health care professionals.Student’s attitude toward learning ... Read More Introduction: Communication skill (CS) has been regarded as one of thefundamental competencies for medical and other health care professionals.Student’s attitude toward learning CS is a key factor in designing educationalinterventions. The original CSAS, as positive and negative subscales, wasdeveloped in the UK; however, there is no scale to measure these attitudesin Iran. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric characteristicof the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS), in an Iranian contextand to understand if it is a valid tool to assess attitude toward learningcommunication skills among health care professionals.Methods: Psychometric characteristics of the CSAS were assessed byusing a cross-sectional design. In the current study, 410 medical studentswere selected using stratified sampling framework. The face validity of thescale was estimated through students and experts’ opinion. Content validityof CSAS was assessed qualitatively and quantitatively. Reliability wasexamined through two methods including Chronbach’s alpha coefficient andIntra class Correlation of Coefficient (ICC). Construct validity of CSAS wasassessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and explanatory factoranalysis (PCA) followed by varimax rotation. Convergent and discriminantvalidity of the scale was measured through Spearman correlation. Statisticalanalysis was performed using SPSS 19 and EQS, 6.1.Results: The internal consistency and reproducibility of the total CSASscore were 0.84 (Cronbach’s alpha) and 0.81, which demonstrates anacceptable reliability of the questionnaire. The item-level contentvalidity index (I-CVI) and the scale-level content validity index (S-CVI/Ave) demonstrated appropriate results: 0.97 and 0.94, respectively. Anexploratory factor analysis (EFA) on the 25 items of the CSAS revealed4-factor structure that all together explained %55 of the variance. Resultsof the confirmatory factor analysis indicated an acceptable goodness-offitbetween the model and the observed data. [χ2/df=2.36, ComparativeFit Index (CFI)=0.95, the GFI=0.96, Root Mean Square Error ofApproximation (RMSEA)=0.05].Conclusion: The Persian version of CSAS is a multidimensional, validand reliable tool for assessing attitudes towards communication skillamong medical students.Keywords: Communication skills, Attitude, Psychometrics

Developing an instrument to measure effective factors on clinical learning

IDEH DADGARAN; MANDANA SHIRAZI; AEEN MOHAMMADI; ALI RAVARI

Volume 4, Issue 3 , July 2016, , Pages 122-129

Abstract

Introduction: Although nursing students spend a large partof their learning period in the clinical environment, clinicallearning has not been perceived by its nature yet. To develop ... Read More Introduction: Although nursing students spend a large partof their learning period in the clinical environment, clinicallearning has not been perceived by its nature yet. To develop aninstrument to measure effective factors on clinical learning innursing students.Methods: This is a mixed methods study performed in 2 steps.First, the researchers defined “clinical learning” in nursingstudents through qualitative content analysis and designeditems of the questionnaire based on semi-structured individualinterviews with nursing students. Then, as the second step,psychometric properties of the questionnaire were evaluated usingthe face validity, content validity, construct validity, and internalconsistency evaluated on 227 students from fourth or highersemesters. All the interviews were recorded and transcribed, andthen, they were analyzed using Max Qualitative Data Analysisand all of qualitative data were analyzed using SPSS 14.Results: To do the study, we constructed the preliminaryquestionnaire containing 102 expressions. After determinationof face and content validities by qualitative and quantitativeapproaches, the expressions of the questionnaire were reduced to45. To determine the construct validity, exploratory factor analysiswas applied. The results indicated that the maximum variancepercentage (40.55%) was defined by the first 3 factors while therest of the total variance percentage (59.45%) was determinedby the other 42 factors. Results of exploratory factor analysis ofthis questionnaire indicated the presence of 3 instructor-staff,students, and educational related factors. Finally, 41 expressionswere kept in 3 factor groups. The α-Cronbach coefficient (0.93)confirmed the high internal consistency of the questionnaire.Conclusion: Results indicated that the prepared questionnairewas an efficient instrument in the study of the effective factors onclinical learning as viewed by nursing students since it involves41 expressions and properties such as instrument design based onperception and experiences of the nursing students about effectivefactors on clinical learning, definition of facilitator and preventivefactors of the clinical learning, simple scoring, suitable validityand reliability, and applicability in different occasions.Keywords: Learning; Clinical; Teaching; Nursing student

Improving continuing medical education by enhancing interactivity: lessons from Iran

SEYED ALIAKBAR FAGHIHI; HAMID REZA KHANKEH; SEYED JALIL HOSSEINI; SEYED KAMRAN SOLTANI ARABSHAHI; ZAHRA FAGHIH; SAGAR V. PARIKH; MANDANA SHIRAZI

Volume 4, Issue 2 , April 2016, , Pages 54-63

Abstract

Introduction: Continuing Medical Education (CME) has beenconsidered as a lifelong commitment for doctors to provide theoptimal care for patients. Despite a long history of creating ... Read More

Health students’ expectations of the ideal educational environment: a qualitative research

TEAMUR AGHAMOLAEI; MANDANA SHIRAZI; IDEH DADGARAN; HOOMAN SHAHSAVARI; AMIN GHANBARNEJAD

Volume 2, Issue 4 , October 2014, , Pages 151-157

Abstract

Introduction: Educational environment is an important determinant ofstudents’ behavior and its elements are associated with academic achievement and course satisfaction. The aim of ... Read More

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Author = MANDANA SHIRAZI

Psychometric properties of the communication skills attitude scale (CSAS) measure in a sample of Iranian medical students

Abstract

Developing an instrument to measure effective factors on clinical learning

Abstract

Improving continuing medical education by enhancing interactivity: lessons from Iran

Abstract

Health students’ expectations of the ideal educational environment: a qualitative research

Abstract