Establishment and test of the reliability and validity of the nursing students′ observation ability scale during nursing probation

Objective To develop the nursing students′observation ability scale during nursing probation, and to test the reliability and validity of the scale. Methods The scale was established on the basis of literature review and consultation from May to June 2016. A total of 143 nursing students were selected in the investigation using convenience sampling method. The reliability and validity was tested with Cronbach′s coefficient, factor analysis and content validity index. Results The final scale contained 25 items. The internal consistency reliabilities of knowledge, beliefs, and behavior quality in the scale were 0.815, 0.831 and 0.762, respectively, with the content coefficients of 0.837, 0.921 and 0.813. Factor analysis showed that the scale had good construct validity with a common explaining variance more than 0.4. Conclusions The scale has a better reliability and validity, and can be taken as an effective tool for evaluating the nursing students′observation ability during nursing probation. Key words: Observation ability; Scale; Nursing probation; Reliability; Validity