Development of a Reflective Ability Scale for Clinical Nurses

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Professional Development
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Reflective ability is crucial for enhancing nursing practice and individual professional growth.
• Assessing reflective ability accurately is essential for targeted professional development in nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a reliable scale for assessing the reflective ability of clinical nurses.
• To provide a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring nurses' capacity for reflection.

Main Methods:

• A 33-item anonymous self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 1,872 nurses.
• Scale development involved item analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).
• Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha; criterion-related validity was evaluated against the Professional Identity Scale of Nurses.

Main Results:

• A 19-item, 3-factor scale (Recall, Reflect, Expand Nursing Practice) demonstrated acceptable fit indices in CFA.
• High reliability was confirmed with Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from 0.885 to 0.962.
• A significant positive correlation (0.506, P < 0.01) was found between the new scale and the Professional Identity Scale of Nurses.

Conclusions:

• A 19-item, 3-factor scale for assessing reflective ability in nurses was successfully developed and validated.
• The scale exhibits strong construct validity, reliability, and criterion-related validity.
• This instrument can be effectively utilized to measure and enhance nurses' reflective capacity, thereby improving nursing practice.