Development and validation of pharmacology concept inventory for concept‐based learning : leveraging theory, expert insights, and student perspectives

Tools

Netere, Adeladlew K. and Hughes, Tony and Babey, Anna‐Marie and Guilding, Clare and Restini, Carolina and Hawes, Martin and Kelly, John P. and Djouma, Elvan and Koenig, Jennifer and McLaughlin, Jacqueline E. and Olafuyi, Olusola and Fernandes, Lynette B. and Mifsud, Janet and Sills, Graeme J. and van Houwelingen, Anneke H. and Tucker, Steven J. and Liang, Willmann and Aronsson, Patrik and Khan, Farhan Ahmad and Hinton, Tina and Hernandez, Mark and Cormier, Lindsay and Kelly‐Laubscher, Roisin and Caetano Crowley, Fabiana A. and Santiago, Marina Junqueira and Cunningham, Margaret and Richardson, Jennelle Durnett and Karpa, Kelly and White, Paul J. (2026) Development and validation of pharmacology concept inventory for concept‐based learning : leveraging theory, expert insights, and student perspectives. Pharmacology Research & Perspectives, 14 (2). e70237. ISSN 2052-1707 (https://doi.org/10.1002/prp2.70237)

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Abstract

Misconceptions in pharmacology can undermine learning and compromise both clinical and scientific reasoning, yet few validated tools exist to identify them. Consequently, we developed and validated the Pharmacology Concept Inventory (PCI), which can be used to identify misconceptions, assess learning gains, and evaluate teaching effectiveness. This PCI was designed based on the IUPHAR-Education Section (IUPHAR-Ed) Core Concepts of Pharmacology Project, addressing eight core concepts: drug efficacy, drug-target interaction, steady-state concentration, structure–activity relationship, drug tolerance, drug bioavailability, volume of distribution, and drug clearance. A triangulated design strategy integrated theoretical frameworks, expert review, and student perspectives. Experts examined quality, content validity, and cognitive alignment. The pilot PCI was then administered to a student cohort to evaluate its psychometric properties, providing preliminary evidence for further refinement. Item-level content validity indices ranged from 0.67 to 1.00, with a scale-level average of 0.93. Seventy students completed the pilot survey, leading to the exclusion of items with low discrimination and reliability. Items on drug-target interaction were removed due to consistently poor performance. The final PCI included 26 items covering seven concepts, with strong discrimination indices (0.36–0.75) and difficulty indices (0.26–0.71). Internal consistency was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91), and concept-level reliability ranged from 0.64 to 0.85. The PCI provides strong evidence for identifying misconceptions and assessing learning outcomes through a pre–post-test approach. Although the PCI currently addresses only a subset of concepts, continued refinements informed by surveys and interviews will enhance its utility and expand its scope for concept-based learning and curriculum evaluation.

ORCID iDs

Netere, Adeladlew K., Hughes, Tony, Babey, Anna‐Marie, Guilding, Clare, Restini, Carolina, Hawes, Martin, Kelly, John P., Djouma, Elvan, Koenig, Jennifer, McLaughlin, Jacqueline E., Olafuyi, Olusola, Fernandes, Lynette B., Mifsud, Janet, Sills, Graeme J., van Houwelingen, Anneke H., Tucker, Steven J., Liang, Willmann, Aronsson, Patrik, Khan, Farhan Ahmad, Hinton, Tina, Hernandez, Mark, Cormier, Lindsay, Kelly‐Laubscher, Roisin, Caetano Crowley, Fabiana A., Santiago, Marina Junqueira, Cunningham, Margaret ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6454-8671, Richardson, Jennelle Durnett, Karpa, Kelly and White, Paul J.;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)