Analysis of the Orthodontic Exams in Department of Orthodontics of Shahid Beheshti Dental School

Abstract

Background: Exams are an inseparable part of education, and they are the main tool to evaluate the results of educational process. If based on scientific rules, exams can show the level of achievement to educational goals. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of orthodontic exams in Shahid Beheshti Dental School, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the quality of all written and multiple-choice questions (MCQ) exams of orthodontic department in 2014 - 2015 were evaluated in terms of content validity, structural rules, discrimination index, difficulty index, and taxonomy. To collect the data, the Millman checklist, content analysis table, and standard formula were used. SPSS software version 21 was used to analyze the data. T-test, chi square, and independent sample test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Our results showed that 86.55% of exams were in MCQ form and 13.5% in written form. Content validity was considered in 94.8% of exams. Standard structural rules were observed in 93.61% of questions. Discriminative index and difficulty index were estimated to be 41.6 and 68.8%, respectively. Also, 43.7% of questions were categorized as taxonomy I, 44.38% as taxonomy II, and 11.58% as taxonomy III. Conclusions: Exams held in Shahid Beheshti Dental School in the 2014 - 2015 academic year were acceptable considering their content validity, structural rules, and difficulty index. However, their discrimination index was low, and they were in poor conditions in terms of taxonomy.