Development and validation of the Medical Second Language Anxiety Scale for Nurses (MSLAS-N).

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Psychometrics
• Healthcare Communication

Background:

• Non-native English-speaking nurses often experience significant anxiety communicating in English, potentially affecting patient care.
• Language proficiency is a critical factor in healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a reliable survey instrument to measure second language anxiety among nurses working in English-speaking medical environments.
• The study aimed to create the Multidimensional Second Language Anxiety Scale for Nurses (MSLAS-N).

Main Methods:

• Methodological research design involving a 24-item Likert scale survey (MSLAS-N) administered to 455 non-native English-speaking nurses in the Philippines.
• Utilized exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess structural validity and reliability.
• Tested five key constructs: communication anxiety with colleagues, medical terminology confidence, patient interactions, fear of negative evaluation, and perceived language proficiency.

Main Results:

• Exploratory factor analysis confirmed factorability (KMO=0.92, p<0.001).
• Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated a good model fit (CFI=0.99, TLI=0.99, RMSEA=0.070, SRMR=0.054), supporting the hypothesized five-factor structure.
• The MSLAS-N exhibited excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.94), strong construct reliability (CR=0.95), and acceptable average variance extracted (AVE=0.78).

Conclusions:

• The MSLAS-N is a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring second language anxiety in nurses.
• The findings offer valuable insights for healthcare professionals globally, aiding in workforce training, professional development, and addressing communication barriers.
• The scale is recommended for use in identifying and mitigating language-related anxiety among non-native English-speaking nurses.