Construct validation of the readiness for interprofessional learning scale: a Rasch and factor analysis.

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Psychometrics
• Interprofessional Collaboration

Background:

• Interprofessional education (IPE) is crucial for healthcare efficiency and collaboration.
• Pre-existing attitudes can hinder IPE, necessitating reliable measurement tools.
• The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) is commonly used to assess student perspectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To refine the original 19-item RIPLS using statistical analysis.
• To validate a revised RIPLS for measuring healthcare students' readiness for interprofessional learning.
• To identify and potentially remove items that do not fit the proposed structure.

Main Methods:

• Principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was performed on data from 418 Australian undergraduate healthcare students.
• Rasch model analyses were subsequently applied to the RIPLS data.
• Item fit and scale dimensionality were evaluated using both PCA and Rasch modeling.

Main Results:

• Initial PCA yielded a four-factor solution, differing from the original three-factor structure.
• Rasch analyses confirmed a four-factor structure but identified two misfitting items.
• The revised 17-item, four-factor RIPLS demonstrated good fit to the Rasch model, reliability, and dimensionality.

Conclusions:

• A refined 17-item, four-factor RIPLS is recommended for assessing healthcare students' readiness for interprofessional learning.
• Two items from the original RIPLS were identified as not fitting the revised structure and should be considered for removal.
• Further refinement of the RIPLS is suggested to enhance its psychometric properties and utility in IPE research.