Development and psychometric testing of the belongingness scale–clinical placement experience: an international comparative study

Description/Abstract

Aim: this paper reports the development and psychometric testing of the Belongingness Scale–Clinical Placement Experience, an instrument designed to measure the extent to which nursing students experience belongingness related to their clinical placements.

Background: the need to belong is a global concept that exerts a powerful influence on cognitive processes, emotional patterns, behavioural responses, health and well-being. Diminished belongingness impedes students’ motivation to learn. Measuring belongingness specific to the clinical environment and comparing different cohorts requires valid and reliable instruments.

Method: scales for measuring belongingness were identified following a critical review of the literature. From these a new 34-item instrument was developed. During 2006 the instrument was tested with students (n = 362) from two Australian universities and one university in the south of England. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation was used to determine construct validity and Cronbach's coefficient alpha determined the scale's internal consistency reliability.

Results: differences in belongingness scores were statistically significant, with the British cohort scoring higher than either of the Australian sites. The scale demonstrated high internal consistency (alpha 0.92). Principal component analysis yielded a three-component structure termed Esteem, Connectedness and Efficacy and each subscale demonstrated high internal consistency: 0.9; 0.82; 0.8 respectively.

Conclusion: the scale was reliable and valid for the three cohorts. Results indicated that the instrument is capable of differentiating between respondents and cohorts. Further research in different contexts would be valuable in taking this work forward.