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Qualitative and Quantitative Validation of Tools with Rating Scales Aimed at Assessing the Quality of University Service-Learning
Published on: August 29, 2025
Assessing psychometric properties of scales: a case study
Andrea P Marshall1, Murray J Fisher, Jillian Brammer
1Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. amarshall@nursing.usyd.edu.au
Journal of Advanced Nursing
|July 5, 2007
Summary
This study found The Nursing Students' Attitudes and Awareness of Research and Development within Nursing Scale has a different factor structure in nursing students than in registered nurses. Further testing is needed to ensure its validity as a research instrument.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Research
- Educational Measurement
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Instrument validity is crucial for reliable data collection in research.
- Re-evaluating construct validity is essential when using instruments in new populations or after modifications.
- Ensuring measurement tools accurately reflect intended constructs is paramount in scientific inquiry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the construct validity of The Nursing Students' Attitudes and Awareness of Research and Development within Nursing Scale.
- To assess the factor structure of the scale in undergraduate nursing students.
- To compare the scale's factor structure in students to its original structure in registered nurses.
Main Methods:
- A survey design was employed in September 2004.
- The study included a sample of 615 undergraduate nursing students.
- Maximum Likelihood Factor Analysis and Principal Axis Factoring were used to analyze the data.
Main Results:
- The factor structure of the scale in nursing students differed significantly from the original structure.
- Factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure for the scale.
- One factor comprised 16 items reflecting a positive attitude towards nursing research, while the other included 14 items indicating a negative attitude.
Conclusions:
- The identified two-factor structure suggests the scale requires further refinement and validation.
- This study underscores the importance of systematically assessing construct validity for research instruments.
- Researchers must ensure the suitability of data collection instruments through rigorous testing.
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