Öğretmen Görüşüne Dayalı Pediatrik Ses Handikap İndeksinin Geliştirilmesi, Geçerlik ve Güvenirliğinin İncelenmesi

Abstract

It is known that children who have voice disorders are negatively effected in physical, functional, social, emotional and academic extents due to their voice problems. Self-assessment, which is one of the methods used in the evaluation of pediatric voice disorders, is very important and frequently used because it allows to determine the effect of the disorder on an individual's life. While the reports of parents and children are obtained in the pediatric voice related self-assessment measurements developed to date, there is no valid and reliable self-assessment tool in which teachers' opinion, who constitute another population that can observe the effects of the voice disorder on children, is gathered. The aim of this study is to develop a valid and reliable index that allows to evaluate; physical, functional and emotional effects of the voice disorder of nursery, kindergarten and primary school level children subjectively relying on teacher report. Content, criterion-related and construct validity is examined for the index developed within the scope of the study. For reliability, test re-test reliability and internal consistency were determined. After the opinions of five experts were obtained, the content validity ratio’s for the items were calculated and the items with a value less than 0.8 were modified or removed from the index and thus the final form of the draft index form was created. The content validity index for the total score of the draft index form was calculated as 0.903. Then the draft index form was applied to teachers of 214 children (51 with voice disorders and 163 with healthy voices) between the ages of 4-11. To determine the construct validity of the index; factor analysis was done and a 27-item final index form was created taking into account the results of the analyzes. Then, factor analysis was repeated and the factor loads of the items in the final form were determined. When known groups validity was examined in the final index form, a significant difference (p <0.001) was detected between the study and control groups. To determine the criterion-related validity of the final form of the index, Pediatric Voice Handicap Index (pVH) was filled by one of the parents of 214 children. The correlation between the final index form and pVHI was determined at a positive moderate level. Correlation coefficients between the test re-test scores for the sub-domains and the total score of the final index form were calculated in the range of 0.92-0.98. To determine internal consistency, stratified cronbach alpha values for sub-domains and total score of the final index form were obtained in the range of 0.94-0.98. The evidences gathered for the results obtained with the developed index’s (Teacher Reported Pediatric Voice Handicap Index) validity and reliability are sufficient and highly support the use of the index. It is believed that the use of the developed index in conjunction with other subjective tools, both in the initial evaluation and in the follow-up of the treatment results; will allow a better understanding of physical, functional and emotional effects of the pediatric voice disorder.