PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE OCCUPATIONALTHERAPY PSYCHOSOCIAL ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING (OTPAL) IN STUDENTS AGE 6-9 IN IRAN

Background: In order to establish an evidence informed practice, occupational therapists need to have valid and reliable assessment tools. This particularly is important to explore the psychometric characteristics of tools in... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
In order to establish an evidence informed practice, occupational therapists need to have valid and reliable assessment tools. This particularly is important to explore the psychometric characteristics of tools in variety of cultures. OTPAL is based on the Model Of Human Occupation (MOHO) and suitable to be used in school setting. The aim of the current research was to measure validity and reliability of the OTPAL in Iran.
Method:
A group of 212 children age 6 to 9 years were selected using random categorical method. The Persian Psycho-social Inventory Questionnaire (KIST) and Child Occupational Self-Assessment (COSA) were used as parallel to the OTPAL.
Results:
The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the total score of OTPAl was 0.96 and for the three subscales were 0.90 to 0.83.The result of exploratory factor analysis showed three factors that were different from the original structure of the scale. Positive and significant correlation between the total score and the subscale of the OTPAL and with the score of both mother’s and teacher’s KIST forms revealed the internal and concurrent validity.
Conclusion:
Overall, this scale is appropriate for assessing the psycho-social aspects of learning in children in school settings.
Application to Practice:
OTPAL can be applied in practice as a valid and reliable outcome measure.

References
Khadivjam, S. (2013) Psychometric properties of Occupational Therapy Psychosocial Assessment of Learning. Unpublished MA Thesis. Tehran University. Kish