Team-Based Learning Student Assessment Instrument (TBL-SAI) for measuring the effectiveness of TBL in a Saudi Medical School: Psychometric Analysis and differences by academic years

Abstract

Background Increasing the use of Team Based Learning (TBL) in health profession education reinforce the need to develop a proper instrument for measuring the applicability of this method. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of TBL-SAI and the mean score of instrument subscales by the different academic year of the students. Methods Across-sectional study was conducted at the University of Bisha, College of Medicine (UBCOM), Saudi Arabia. Medical students from second to fourth were included in the study. Participants were completed the TBL-SAI items to measure three subscales of accountability, preference for a lecture or TBL and satisfaction. Cronbach’s alpha, factor analysis, were checked the reliability and validity of the instrument. A principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was conducted on each subscale. ANOVA analyzed the TBL effectiveness related to the different years of medical school. Results Cronbach’s alpha was 0.798 and factor loading was greater than 0.40 for all the items, indicating the reliability and validity of the scale. In a PCA, accountability items generated two factors with loading >0.40, except items one and four. All preference and satisfaction items have factors loading > 0.40. Fourth-year students’ obtained significant highest mean scores for accountability (p=0.0.49), preferences (p=0.001) and satisfaction (p<0.001) compared to third and second years students. Conclusions TBL-SAI is a sound tool to measure the favor of TBL among medical students. Longitudinal studies are recommended to bring a clear picture of the effectiveness of TBL in UBCOM.