Construction and validation of a multilingual diagnostic instrument for neuromyths and their origins

Abstract

This study presents the development of a comprehensive neuromyth identification tool designed to be valid, reliable, and multilingual, including French, English, Turkish, Greek, Kazakh, Arabic, Malay, and Chinese. By incorporating languages from diverse geographic regions, the tool aims to increase the accessibility and relevance of neuromyth research, allowing for more comprehensive and generalizable findings. The primary research question guiding this study was: "What structural properties should a valid and reliable instrument have to effectively identify teachers' primary neuromyth beliefs and the origins of these beliefs?" A mixed-methods approach was used, integrating both quantitative and qualitative methods to ensure the robustness of the instrument. The development process unfolded in four key stages: (1) a thorough literature review to identify existing neuromyths and relevant survey instruments, (2) the design of the initial questionnaire, (3) pilot testing to evaluate and refine the instrument, and (4) language adaptation to ensure cultural and linguistic appropriateness in the target languages. The resulting neuromyth identification tool has been rigorously tested for its structural properties, such as validity and reliability, across different linguistic and cultural contexts.

Keywords

• Neuromyths
• Learning and teaching
• Neuroscience
• Teacher training
• Assessment tool

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