Development and validation of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Assessment Questionnaire (SoTLAQ) among health professions educators

Abstract

Abstract

BACKGROUND: With the increasing recognition of the role of the scholarship of teaching and learning in enhancing educational quality and fostering the professional growth of health professions educators, the availability of a rigorously validated instrument to measure their awareness, attitudes, and experiences has become essential. This study aimed to design and validate a questionnaire to assess the awareness, attitudes, and experiences of faculty members involved in health professions education regarding their involvement in scholarship of teaching and learning activities. METHODS: This exploratory mixed-methods research was conducted in accordance with the AMEE Guide No. 87 framework, a structured approach for instrument development and validation, to develop and validate the Scholarship of Teaching Assessment Questionnaire (SOTLAQ). Participants were recruited from faculty members at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Iran, using purposive sampling for the qualitative phase and convenience sampling for the quantitative phase. The initial item pool was generated from a literature review, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group discussion. The extracted codes were assessed through expert panel deliberations involving six experts in the scholarship of teaching. Eight experts assessed content validity, while face validity was evaluated through cognitive interviews with five faculty members to ensure item clarity and transparency. Construct validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis, and reliability was determined by calculating Cronbach's alpha based on responses from 165 faculty members. RESULTS: From the semi-structured interviews (176 codes), the literature review (37 codes), and the focus group (21 codes), a total of 30 merged codes were initially identified. Following the expert panel review, a 24-item questionnaire was finalized. The content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR) exceeded 0.75. Exploratory factor analysis identified five factors, including "perceived awareness," "perceived skills," "perceived motivation and support," "perceived enablers and drivers," and "perceived barriers and challenges," which explained 63.3% of the variance. The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.906. CONCLUSION: The SoTLAQ questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for assessing key dimensions that affect faculty engagement in the scholarship of teaching activities. This questionnaire may be useful in planning educational interventions, empowerment programs, and policymaking in the field of medical education. However, further validation in diverse institutional settings and different countries is recommended before its widespread use.