Item Analysis of Core Theoretical Courses Exams for Midwifery Students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences

Theoretical courses exams are important tools for evaluating medical students’ capability in starting clinical training. Because of the importance of these courses in clinical training for midwifery students, the evaluation of quality of these tools is necessary. Therefore, in this study the validity of exam and the degree of correspondence between the questions and learning levels were evaluated. This descriptive study was done to evaluate the exams of 18 core theoretical midwifery courses. Data collection was done through check list. The content, face and criterion validity of the exams as well as the correspondence between learning expectancy level and questions based on Bloom category were evaluated by medical education experts. The validity and reliability of experts’ evaluations were confirmed in a pilot study. Data were analyzed by means of Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Spearman. The evaluation of 1013 questions (in 18 courses) showed that 92.38% of the questions had content validity and 80.45% had face validity. Also, eleven exams had criterion validity. The highest correspondence rate was 71.4% and more than 50% of the questions corresponded with learning expectancy level. In 61.11% of exams the relationship between the questions and the learning expectancy level was significant. According to this study, although the questions have been designed in a manner to evaluate the related content, in a significant number of exams the questions and learning expectancy level did not correspond. Also, some questions did not follow a standard structure. It is, therefore, necessary for the teachers to pay attention to these points.