Clinical Learning Evaluation Questionnaire: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Research
• Psychometrics
• Educational Assessment

Background:

• The Clinical Learning Evaluation Questionnaire (CLEQ) is a key tool for assessing clinical learning environments for medical students.
• Evaluating the CLEQ's underlying structure is crucial for its effective use in curriculum improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the construct validity and latent variables of the CLEQ using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM).
• To determine if the CLEQ can be reliably used for continuous improvement of medical education.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 185 third- and fourth-year medical students.
• Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with principal component analysis and varimax rotation was performed using SPSS and AMOS.
• Item reduction and model fit assessment were conducted based on modification indices and residual covariances.

Main Results:

• The original six-factor CLEQ structure did not achieve adequate model fit.
• A revised four-factor CLEQ model demonstrated good model fit (RMSEA=0.052, CFI=0.951) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.72–0.87).
• The four-factor model showed comparable reliability to the original six-factor structure.

Conclusions:

• The original six-factor structure of the CLEQ is not supported by this data.
• A four-factor structure of the CLEQ provides a valid and reliable measure for evaluating clinical learning environments.
• Further research should investigate the predictive validity and cross-institutional psychometric properties of the CLEQ.