Description

The Questionnaire of Primary Schoolteachers’ Knowledge about Asthma (QPSKA-36) is a structured assessment instrument designed to evaluate primary schoolteachers’ knowledge of childhood asthma and its management within the school environment.

The questionnaire consists of 36 statements covering four major areas of asthma-related knowledge. Specifically, 19 statements address general knowledge about asthma and its causes, 9 focus on asthma management through medication and physical exercise, 5 assess teachers’ knowledge regarding the role of the school in managing the condition, and 3 concern the management of asthma attacks occurring during the school day.

Participants respond by identifying each statement as correct or incorrect, allowing their knowledge across different aspects of childhood asthma to be systematically assessed.

Objective

The primary objective of the QPSKA-36 is to assess teachers’ level of knowledge and preparedness regarding childhood asthma, particularly in situations that may arise during the school day.

The questionnaire examines four main areas: general knowledge about the nature of asthma, treatment and physical exercise, management of asthma attacks, and the role of the school in supporting children with asthma.

The instrument can also help identify knowledge gaps and training needs among teachers, providing useful information for the development of educational initiatives intended to strengthen their preparedness for managing asthma-related situations at school.

Scoring

Scoring is based on the number or percentage of correct responses provided by participants. Correct answers can be aggregated and analyzed either as an overall measure of asthma-related knowledge or separately according to the thematic areas covered by the questionnaire.

Higher numbers or percentages of correct responses indicate greater knowledge of childhood asthma and its management.

Subscale or domain-level analysis may also be useful for identifying specific areas in which teachers demonstrate stronger knowledge or require additional education and training.

Validity

The available source does not report specific quantitative indices of validity. However, it states that the development and adaptation of the questionnaire were informed by international research and that its application across different cultural and linguistic contexts contributes to its content-related relevance.

When the questionnaire is translated or adapted for a new population, further evaluation of its validity within the target educational and cultural context may therefore be appropriate.

Reliability

The available material does not provide specific reliability coefficients, such as Cronbach’s alpha.

According to the source, reliability may be investigated through statistical assessment of the consistency of responses or through repeated administration of the questionnaire to a sample of teachers. Appropriate reliability procedures should be selected according to the response format and objectives of the study.

Data Analysis and Use

Data obtained from the QPSKA-36 can be analyzed using quantitative statistical methods. Analysis may include calculating the number and percentage of correct responses, both overall and within individual knowledge domains.

Knowledge scores may also be compared across groups of teachers with different characteristics, such as professional experience, previous experience with students who have asthma, or previous asthma-related training.

The results can be used to identify educational needs, support teacher training, and contribute to the improvement of school policies and practices concerning the health and safety of students with asthma.

Applications

The QPSKA-36 can be used in educational and health-related research, particularly in studies examining teachers’ knowledge and preparedness for supporting children with asthma.

It may also provide useful information for planning teacher education and school health initiatives. By identifying areas of insufficient knowledge, the questionnaire can support the development of targeted training programs aimed at improving teachers’ preparedness for asthma-related situations during the school day.

References

Bevis M, Taylor B. What do school teachers know about asthma? Archives of Disease in Childhood. 1990;65:622-625.

Madsen LP, Storm K, Johansen A. Danish primary schoolteachers’ knowledge about asthma: Results of a questionnaire. Acta Paediatrica. 1992;81:413-416.

Tse KLY, Yu TSY. Knowledge of asthma and its management: A study in primary schoolteachers in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Practitioner. 2002;24:4-14.

Georgiadi M. Childhood asthma in schools: What do teachers know about it? Presentation at the 1st Panhellenic Conference of Health Psychology; 2004.