Validity and Reliability of the Arabic Belongingness Scale-Clinical Placement Experience Among Nursing Students

Belongingness is a crucial psychological construct that profoundly affects nursing students' clinical learning experiences, motivation, and integration within healthcare teams. The Belongingness Scale-Clinical Placement Experience (BES-CPE) has been extensively verified across several contexts, however a validated Arabic version has not been available for application in Jordanian nursing education.

Translate, culturally adapt, and psychometrically assess the Arabic BES-CPE among undergraduate nursing students in Jordan.

A cross-sectional design was utilized. The sample included 404 second-, third- and fourth-year undergraduate nursing students. The BES-CPE underwent translation and adaptation through forward-backward translation methodology. Both item-level and scale-level content validity indices were calculated. Construct validity was evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with principal component analysis and Varimax rotation. Internal consistency was assessed via Cronbach's alpha. Group comparisons were performed using independent-samples t-tests and a one-way analysis of variance.

The CFA provided a less-than-satisfactory fit for the tested models. EFA identified a clean three-factor structure, accounting for 44.81% of the total variance, which is consistent with the original model. Some variation in item distribution was observed, leading to the renaming of two subscales better to reflect their content: Interpersonal Connection and Social Inclusion. The Efficacy subscale remained unchanged. The Arabic BES-CPE exhibited high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .92). Male students scored significantly higher than females on the overall BES-CPE scale and all subscales. Fourth-year students showed significantly higher Interpersonal Connection scores compared to second- and third-year students (p = .02).

The Arabic BES-CPE is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating nursing students' sense of belonging during clinical placements. It is culturally suitable and may facilitate the establishment of inclusive clinical learning environments in Arabic-speaking populations.