[Validation of the Italian Clinical Learning Environment Instrument (SVIAT):study protocol].

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Clinical Learning Environments
• Instrument Validation

Background:

• Clinical learning environments significantly impact nursing students' education and skill development.
• Existing tools for assessing clinical learning environments lack the specificity to identify those that foster significant learning.
• There is a need for a validated instrument tailored to the Italian context to evaluate the quality of clinical learning environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Italian Clinical Learning Environment Instrument (SVIAT) for assessing the capability of clinical learning environments to promote clinical learning.
• To describe nursing students' perceptions of their clinical learning environments based on course site and tutorial models.
• To provide a reliable tool for evaluating and improving clinical education settings.

Main Methods:

• A three-phase study involving instrument development, pilot testing, and psychometric validation.
• Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis will be used to confirm the underlying construct.
• A large sample of over 8,000 nursing students is expected to participate.

Main Results:

• The study anticipates a robust validation of the SVIAT with high internal consistency and reliability (test-retest and inter-rater).
• The instrument is expected to demonstrate predictive ability in discriminating effective learning environments.
• Analysis will confirm the instrument's construct validity through factor analysis.

Conclusions:

• The validated SVIAT will be a valuable tool for evaluating clinical learning environments in nursing education.
• Findings will help identify and promote clinical settings that optimize nursing student learning.
• The study protocol outlines a rigorous approach to ensuring the instrument's reliability and validity.