Development and Testing of the Collaboration in the Clinical Learning Environment Tool

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Professional Development
• Clinical Learning Environments

Background:

• Collaboration is crucial in clinical learning environments for student development.
• Previous efforts to operationalize collaboration in these settings have been limited.
• Input from staff nurses and nursing faculty was essential for tool development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a psychometrically sound tool to measure collaboration in the clinical learning environment.
• To address the need for operationalizing the construct of collaboration in nursing education.
• To create a reliable instrument for evaluating the quality of clinical learning experiences.

Main Methods:

• The study employed DeVellis's 8-step methodology for tool development.
• A 24-item instrument, the Collaboration in the Clinical Learning Environment (CCLE) tool, was developed.
• Psychometric testing included reliability analysis and exploratory factor analysis.

Main Results:

• The CCLE tool demonstrated high internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha of .96.
• Exploratory factor analysis supported the instrument's underlying structure.
• Content expert review and concurrent validity testing further validated the tool.

Conclusions:

• The Collaboration in the Clinical Learning Environment (CCLE) tool is a reliable and valid instrument.
• This tool successfully operationalizes the construct of collaboration in clinical nursing education.
• Findings have implications for enhancing nursing education, practice, and theoretical frameworks.