Elementary school epilepsy survey (ESES): a new measure of elementary school students' knowledge and attitudes about epilepsy

Abstract

Objective: No peer-reviewed, published, psychometrically tested scales are available to assess elementary school students' general knowledge and attitudes about epilepsy. Such a scale is needed for evaluation of the effectiveness of classroom education programs. The purpose of this work was to develop and validate a brief, reliable scale for grades 4-6 to assess students' knowledge and attitudes about epilepsy and persons diagnosed with epilepsy.

Methods: Development of the 22-item Elementary School Epilepsy Survey (ESES) followed standard protocol for scale development. It includes a 12-item Knowledge subscale and a 10-item Attitudes subscale. The ESES was administered during regular classroom time given and repeated 1 week later. No educational intervention took place.

Results: Mean age of the 155 students was 11 years (range 9.8-13.9): grade 4, 56 students; grade 5, 36; and grade 6, 63 students. The ESES Total scale and Attitudes subscale had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.72 and 0.81, respectively). As expected, the Knowledge subscale had low internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.50). Test-retest scores indicated good reliability and strong discriminant validity, with significant increases noted in all ESES scores with increasing age and in those who knew someone with epilepsy.

Conclusion: The ESES detects developmental and experiential trends in students' knowledge and attitude about epilepsy. It has good internal consistency and test-retest reliability.