Psychometric testing of the Persian version of the Belongingness Scale - Clinical Placement Experience

Background: Belongingness has been identified both as a fundamental human need and as a prerequisite for nursing students' clinical learning. Belongingness has also been associated with students' academic achievement, retention, self-esteem, self-directed learning, and self-efficacy. The Belongingness Scale - Clinical Placement Experience is a valid and reliable measure of nursing students' belongingness scores; however, a Persian version of this scale is not currently available. Aim: This study aimed to translate the Belongingness Scale - Clinical Placement Experience into Persian, to evaluate its psychometric properties, and to measure the belongingness experiences of Iranian nursing students. Methods: Following translation and initial validity and reliability testing of the scale, 300 nursing students from three universities in Iran completed the survey. Further psychometric testing was undertaken followed by analysis of descriptive statistics. Results: Based on the results of confirmatory factor analysis two items were removed from the scale. The mean score of Persian version of the Belongingness Scale - Clinical Placement Experience was 3.21 (0.57). The whole scale had a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92). The alpha coefficients of the subscales of "self-esteem", "connectedness", and "efficacy" were 0.85, 0.86, and 0.80 respectively. Conclusion: Similar to previous versions of the Belongingness Scale - Clinical Placement Experience, the Persian version demonstrated strong psychometric properties with strong validity and reliability, indicating its utility and appropriateness when measuring Iranian nursing students' belongingness experiences. Further testing with other cohorts would strengthen these results. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.