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

Adeladlew K. Netere; Tony Hughes; Anna-Marie Babey; Clare Guilding; Carolina Restini; Martin Hawes; John P. Kelly; Elvan Djouma; Jennifer Koenig; Jacqueline E. McLaughlin; Olusola Olafuyi; Lynette B. Fernandes; Janet Mifsud; Graeme J. Sills; Anneke H. van Houwelingen; Steven J. Tucker; Willmann Liang; Patrik Aronsson; Farhan Ahmad Khan; Tina Hinton; Mark Hernandez; Lindsay Cormier; Roisin Kelly-Laubscher; Fabiana A. Caetano Crowley; Marina Junqueira Santiago; Margaret Cunningham; Jennelle Durnett Richardson; Kelly Karpa; Paul J. White

doi:10.1002/prp2.70237

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

Adeladlew K. Netere, Tony Hughes, Anna-Marie Babey, Clare Guilding, Carolina Restini, Martin Hawes, John P. Kelly, Elvan Djouma, Jennifer Koenig, Jacqueline E. McLaughlin, Olusola Olafuyi, Lynette B. Fernandes, Janet Mifsud, Graeme J. Sills, Anneke H. van Houwelingen, Steven J. Tucker, Willmann Liang, Patrik Aronsson, Farhan Ahmad Khan, Tina HintonMark Hernandez, Lindsay Cormier, Roisin Kelly-Laubscher, Fabiana A. Caetano Crowley, Marina Junqueira Santiago, Margaret Cunningham, Jennelle Durnett Richardson, Kelly Karpa, Paul J. White^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Macquarie Medical School

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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.

Original language	English
Article number	e70237
Pages (from-to)	1-15
Number of pages	15
Journal	Pharmacology Research and Perspectives
Volume	14
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/prp2.70237
Publication status	Published - Apr 2026

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2026. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

core concepts of pharmacology
development
pharmacology concept inventory
pilot study
validation

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Netere, A. K., Hughes, T., Babey, A.-M., Guilding, C., Restini, C., Hawes, M., Kelly, J. P., Djouma, E., Koenig, J., McLaughlin, J. E., Olafuyi, O., Fernandes, L. B., Mifsud, J., Sills, G. J., van Houwelingen, A. H., Tucker, S. J., Liang, W., Aronsson, P., Khan, F. A., ... White, P. J. (2026). Development and validation of pharmacology concept inventory for concept-based learning: leveraging theory, expert insights, and student perspectives. Pharmacology Research and Perspectives, 14(2), 1-15. Article e70237. https://doi.org/10.1002/prp2.70237

@article{4ec694a60d3d4f9a9966666cbb94edf6,

title = "Development and validation of pharmacology concept inventory for concept-based learning: leveraging theory, expert insights, and student perspectives",

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.",

keywords = "core concepts of pharmacology, development, pharmacology concept inventory, pilot study, validation",

author = "Netere, \{Adeladlew K.\} and Tony Hughes and Anna-Marie Babey and Clare Guilding and Carolina Restini and Martin Hawes and Kelly, \{John P.\} and Elvan Djouma and Jennifer Koenig and McLaughlin, \{Jacqueline E.\} and Olusola Olafuyi and Fernandes, \{Lynette B.\} and Janet Mifsud and Sills, \{Graeme J.\} and \{van Houwelingen\}, \{Anneke H.\} and Tucker, \{Steven J.\} and Willmann Liang and Patrik Aronsson and Khan, \{Farhan Ahmad\} and Tina Hinton and Mark Hernandez and Lindsay Cormier and Roisin Kelly-Laubscher and \{Caetano Crowley\}, \{Fabiana A.\} and Santiago, \{Marina Junqueira\} and Margaret Cunningham and Richardson, \{Jennelle Durnett\} and Kelly Karpa and White, \{Paul J.\}",

note = "Copyright the Author(s) 2026. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.",

year = "2026",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1002/prp2.70237",

language = "English",

volume = "14",

pages = "1--15",

journal = "Pharmacology Research and Perspectives",

issn = "2052-1707",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell, Wiley",

number = "2",

}

Netere, AK, Hughes, T, Babey, A-M, Guilding, C, Restini, C, Hawes, M, Kelly, JP, Djouma, E, Koenig, J, McLaughlin, JE, Olafuyi, O, Fernandes, LB, Mifsud, J, Sills, GJ, van Houwelingen, AH, Tucker, SJ, Liang, W, Aronsson, P, Khan, FA, Hinton, T, Hernandez, M, Cormier, L, Kelly-Laubscher, R, Caetano Crowley, FA, Santiago, MJ, Cunningham, M, Richardson, JD, Karpa, K & White, PJ 2026, 'Development and validation of pharmacology concept inventory for concept-based learning: leveraging theory, expert insights, and student perspectives', Pharmacology Research and Perspectives, vol. 14, no. 2, e70237, pp. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1002/prp2.70237

TY - JOUR

T1 - Development and validation of pharmacology concept inventory for concept-based learning

T2 - leveraging theory, expert insights, and student perspectives

AU - Netere, Adeladlew K.

AU - Hughes, Tony

AU - Babey, Anna-Marie

AU - Guilding, Clare

AU - Restini, Carolina

AU - Hawes, Martin

AU - Kelly, John P.

AU - Djouma, Elvan

AU - Koenig, Jennifer

AU - McLaughlin, Jacqueline E.

AU - Olafuyi, Olusola

AU - Fernandes, Lynette B.

AU - Mifsud, Janet

AU - Sills, Graeme J.

AU - van Houwelingen, Anneke H.

AU - Tucker, Steven J.

AU - Liang, Willmann

AU - Aronsson, Patrik

AU - Khan, Farhan Ahmad

AU - Hinton, Tina

AU - Hernandez, Mark

AU - Cormier, Lindsay

AU - Kelly-Laubscher, Roisin

AU - Caetano Crowley, Fabiana A.

AU - Santiago, Marina Junqueira

AU - Cunningham, Margaret

AU - Richardson, Jennelle Durnett

AU - Karpa, Kelly

AU - White, Paul J.

N1 - Copyright the Author(s) 2026. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

PY - 2026/4

Y1 - 2026/4

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

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KW - development

KW - pharmacology concept inventory

KW - pilot study

KW - validation

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105033844793

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ER -

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

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