An Exploration of Doctor of Physical Therapy Students' Belongingness in Clinical Education: A Validation Study

The aim of this study was to adapt and validate the Belongingness Scale-Clinical Placement Experience (BES-CPE) for Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students in the United States.

Belongingness is vital to one's mental, emotional, and physical health. Research has shown that belongingness is positively correlated with students' academic performance and achievement. An absence of belongingness may hinder students' full participation in clinical experiences and compromise clinical achievement.

Respondents were current or former DPT students at least 18 years of age who had either completed the midterm evaluation of their final terminal full-time clinical education experience (TCE) in their DPT program or were no more than 1 year from the completion of their final TCE.

The BES-CPE was adapted for DPT students, and the scale was completed electronically by those who met the inclusion criteria. Principal component analysis with promax rotation and Cronbach's α were used to determine construct validity and reliability.

One hundred fifty-nine respondents completed all items on the BES-CPE and demographic survey. A 3-component structure was identified (esteem, connectedness, and efficacy), which was aligned to the original BES-CPE scale. One item was discarded, and the final version of the BES-CPE for DPT students is a 33-item scale with satisfactory internal consistency.

This study adapted and provided evidence for validity of the first known scale to measure belongingness in DPT students during their clinical education experiences (CEEs) in the United States. The 33-item BES-CPE provided valid and reliable measures of belongingness in DPT students during CEEs that can be used to provide a better understanding of the student experience in the clinical learning environment.