BACKGROUND & AIMS:
:This article describes a protocol that was employed to validate the content of the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) using two separate practice analyses. The protocol consisted of the following phases: (1) the careful definition of the domain of knowledge and skills required for successful entry-level dental hygiene practice, (2) the conduct of a survey to gather information regarding the judgments of practicing dental hygienists on the important knowledge, abilities, and skills required of entry-level dental hygiene practice, (3) the analysis of the survey data, (4) the integration of the survey findings with the examination content using a two-dimensional matrix, (5) development of the updated specifications of the examination based on the practice analysis data, and (6) implementation of the updated specifications for subsequent item and test development. Survey data from 1,284 and 1,388 full-time practicing dental hygienists for the 2002 and 2009 practice analyses, respectively, were analyzed. A two-dimensional matrix was used to map the content of the examination to the practice of dental hygiene based on the practice analysis data. The mapping showed that the distribution of items in the content specifications reflected actual dental hygiene practice. Thus, the adequacy of the content validity of the NBDHE was confirmed.
背景与目标:
:本文介绍了一种协议,该协议使用两次单独的实践分析来验证美国国家牙科牙齿卫生检查(NBDHE)的内容。该协议包括以下几个阶段:(1)仔细定义成功的入门级牙齿卫生实践所需的知识和技能范围,(2)进行调查以收集有关在实践中对牙齿卫生师进行判断的信息入门级牙齿卫生实践所需的重要知识,能力和技能,(3)调查数据的分析,(4)使用二维矩阵将调查结果与检查内容相结合,(5)根据实践分析数据开发更新的考试规范,以及(6)实施更新的规范以用于后续项目和测试开发。分析了分别来自2002年和2009年的1,284名和1,388名全职牙科保健师的调查数据。基于实践分析数据,使用二维矩阵将检查内容映射到牙齿卫生实践。该映射图显示,内容规范中的项目分布反映了实际的牙齿卫生习惯。因此,证实了NBDHE的内容有效性的充分性。