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The quality of the clinical learning environment plays a critical role in shaping medical students’ educational outcomes. The Undergraduate Clinical

Objectives: This study aimed to present the implementation of the computer-based Turkish National Neurology Board Examination (TNNBE) process, which was digitalized by the Turkish Board of Neurology (TBN) using an open-source learning management system to improve accessibility, and the feedback from candidates. Materials and methods: Neurology academics submitted items to the exam pool. From this pool, TBN members selected 79 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and 10 key feature problems (KFPs), each containing two to four items (totaling 30 questions), through 20 h of online meetings and discussions to ensure content validity. Standard setting was applied using the Nedelsky (MCQ) and Angoff (KFP) methods. Instructions and a sample exam were created and sent to candidates for piloting purposes. Sixty neurologists (35 females, 25 males; mean age: 30.6±1.48 years; range, 28 to 36 years) who fulfilled the eligibility criteria participated in the exam, which was conducted in December 2023 at one venue, under supervision, with online security measures such as individual passwords for login, question shuffling, and browser lockdown. The total exam time was 130 min, divided into MCQs followed by KFPs. Each question was worth 1 point, with a maximum of 100 points obtainable. The MCQ scores were calculated automatically by the learning management system, while KFP responses were downloaded and scored by two different board members, with a final consensus mark determined through discussion among all board members. The final score was the sum of MCQ and KFP scores. Candidates’ feedback was obtained via an online survey using a 9-point scale (1=strongly disagree/very bad; 9=strongly agree/very good). Results: Seven MCQs were omitted from the exam set due to various reasons. The mean scores were 47.73±6.61 for MCQs, 16.09±3.82 for KFPs, and 63.83±8.79 overall. Thirty (50.0%) candidates scored higher than the minimum acceptable level of performance (65/100) and passed the exam. The mean score percentage for the MCQ section (68.2%) was significantly higher than for the KFP section (53.1%; pConclusion: The computer-based TNNBE effectively streamlined the exam process and received positive feedback from candidates, particularly for its user interface and inclusion of KFPs. However, KFP scoring was still challenging due to the range and small differences in formulating the acceptable answers, which made it difficult to standardize scoring by machines. In addition, implementing computer-based exams, particularly in large-scale settings, require advanced technology and logistical planning, which can be costly and challenging to manage.

BACKGROUND Measurement invariance analysis is a critical step in evaluating the structural validity of measurement instruments, ensuring that a scale measures its intended constructs equally across different subgroups. Such analyses are essential before making subgroup comparisons. This study investigated the measurement invariance of the Self-Regulated Learning Perception Scale (SRLPS), a tool designed to assess self-regulated learning levels among medical students. The SRLPS consists of 4 categories: motivation and action to learning, planning and goal setting, strategies for learning and assessment, and lack of self-directedness. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 878 medical students spanning the first to final years. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) was employed to assess measurement invariance across genders and years of medical education, categorized as preclinical and clinical years. Invariance was evaluated by comparing model fit indices across successive stages of invariance testing. RESULTS The findings demonstrated that the SRLPS achieved full measurement invariance in both sexes, confirming its suitability for valid comparisons between male and female medical students, with ΔCFI ≤0.01. For year of medical education, configural invariance was established, indicating that the 4-factor structure of the SRLPS is consistent across preclinical and clinical students. However, only partial metric invariance was achieved, suggesting that factor loadings for some items differ between preclinical and clinical groups. CONCLUSIONS The measurement invariance should be evaluated before using a scale for subgroup comparison. The SRLPS can be used to make valid comparisons between male and female medical students, but cannot be used for comparison between preclinical and clinical year students.

Öz-düzenlemeli öğrenme, bireyin ortam koşullarına uyum sağlayarak kendi öğrenmesi için hedef belirleme, planlama, strateji geliştirme, bu stratejileri uygulama, uygulama aşamasında karşılaşılan olumsuzluklarla başa çıkma, uyum sağlama, süreci izleme, sonrasında da öz-değerlendirme yapması olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Öz-düzenlemeli öğrenme, öğrenmeyi öğrenmek olarak da tanımlanmakta ve öz düzenleme becerisi yüksek bireylerin akademik başarılarının da yüksek olduğu belirtilmektedir. Bu çalışmada, Türkiye’de öz-düzenlemeli öğrenmenin ele alındığı tezlerin genel eğilimlerinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmamız nitel desende tasarlanmış olup, veri analizi doküman incelemesi yoluyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. 2004-2022 yılları arasında Türkiye’de öz-düzenlemeli öğrenmeyle ilgili yazılan tezler araştırmacılar tarafından belirlenen temalar doğrultusunda tematik içerik analizi yöntemi ile incelenmiştir. 78’i (%60,5) yüksek lisans ve 51’i (%39,5) doktora tezi olmak üzere ilköğretimden lisansüstüne kadar tüm düzeylerden bireyler üzerinde yürütülen toplam 129 tez çalışmasına ulaşılmıştır. Dokuzu tez kapsamında geliştirilmiş ve ikisi tez kapsamında uyarlanmış ölçekler olmak üzere incelenen 104 tezde ölçeklerin kullanıldığı görülmüştür. Tezlerde en çok ele alınan beş başlık ise şu şekildedir: 1-çeşitli eğitim yöntemlerinin öz-düzenlemeli öğrenmeye etkisi, 2-öz-düzenlemeli öğrenme düzeyi/hazırbulunuşluğu belirleme, 3-öz-düzenlemeli öğrenmenin akademik başarıya etkisi, 4-öz-düzenlemeli öğrenme müdahalesinin öğrenciler üzerine etkisi, 5-öz-düzenlemeli öğrenmeye etki eden faktörler. Öz-düzenlemeli öğrenme, yaşam boyu öğrenmenin bir parçası olarak her yaşta bireylerde geliştirilmesi gereken bir beceri olarak karşımıza çıkmaktadır. Bu bağlamda tez araştırmalarının ilköğretimden lisansüstü düzeyine kadar tüm düzeylerde arttırılması önerilmektedir.

Background: Floods are the most frequent natural disasters with a significant share of their mortality. Preparedness is capable of decreasing the mortality of floods by at least 50%. This paper aims to present the psychometric properties of a scale developed to evaluate the behavior of preparedness to floods in Sudan and similar settings.Methods: In this methodological scale development study, experts assessed the content validity of the items of the developed scale. Data were collected from key persons of 413 households living in neighborhoods affected by the 2018 floods in Kassala City in Sudan. A pre-tested questionnaire of sociodemographic data and the Flood Preparedness Behavior Scale (FPBS) were distributed to the participants’ houses and recollected. Construct validity of the scale was checked using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Internal consistency of the scale was checked using Cronbach’s alpha. Test-retest reliability was assessed by Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Item analyses and tests of significance of the difference in the mean scores of the highest and lowest score groups were carried out to ensure discriminatory power of the scale items.Results: Experts agreed on the scale items. Construct validity of the scale was achieved using EFA by removing 34 items and retaining 25 items that were structured in three factors, named as: measures to be done before, during, and after a flood. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the construct obtained by EFA. The loadings of the items on their factors in both EFA and CFA were all > 0.3 with significant associations and acceptable fit indices obtained from CFA. The three factors were found to be reliable in terms of internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for all factors were > 0.7) and test-retest reliability coefficient. In item analysis, the corrected total item correlations for all the items were > 0.3, and significant differences in the means of the highest and lowest score groups indicated good item discrimination power.Conclusion: The developed 25 items scale is an instrument which produces valid and reliable measures of preparedness behavior for floods in Sudan and similar settings.

This study aimed to examine the effects of reverse items created with different strategies on psychometric properties and respondents’ scale scores. To this end, three versions of a 10-item scale in the research were developed: 10 positive items were integrated in the first form (Form-P) and five positive and five reverse items in the other two forms. The reverse items in the second and third forms were crafted using antonyms (Form-RA) and negations (Form-RN), respectively. Based on the research results, Form-P was unidimensional, while other forms were two-dimensional. Moreover, although reliability coefficients of all forms were obtained as above .80, the lowest one was acquired for Form-RN. There were strong-positive relationships between students’ scores in the three scale forms. However, the lowest one was estimated between Form-P and Form-RN. Finally, there was a significant difference between the students’ mean scores obtained from Form–RN and other two versions, but the effect size of the said difference was small. In conclusion, all these results indicate that different types of reverse items influence psychometric properties and respondents’ scale scores differently.

Bu araştırmada, çoktan seçmeli maddeler için uzmanlarca öngörülen ve ampirik olarak hesaplanan güçlük indekslerinin karşılaştırılması amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmanın katılımcıları; ölçme ve değerlendirme alanından 10 uzman ile Türkiye’de bir devlet üniversitesinin eğitim fakültesinde öğrenim gören 222 öğretmen adayından oluşmuştur. Çalışmanın verileri araştırmacılar tarafından geliştirilen ve çoktan seçmeli 25 madde içeren ölçme değerlendirme başarı testi ile toplanmıştır. Araştırma sonuçları, uzman kanılarına dayalı madde güçlükleri ile ampirik olarak hesaplanan güçlük indeksleri arasında .25 ile .71 arasında değişen pozitif yönlü korelasyonlar bulunduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Fakat elde edilen korelasyon katsayıları arasında uzmanların unvanlarına ya da daha önce ilgili dersi yürütüp yürütmemelerine bağlanabilecek net bir örüntü gözlenmemiştir.