Measuring Cultural Awareness in Nursing Students

TLDR

The study aimed to create a valid, reliable cultural awareness scale to assess outcomes of a multicultural awareness program for nursing faculty and students. The authors generated a 37‑item scale from literature, refined it with expert review to 36 items, administered it to 118 nursing students, and performed factor analysis to support construct validity. The scale demonstrated strong reliability (Cronbach’s alpha .91 in the initial sample and .82 in the combined sample) and content validity (index .88).

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recognizing the need for a valid and reliable way to measure outcomes of a program to promote multicultural awareness among nursing faculty and students, the authors developed a cultural awareness scale. In the first phase of the study, a scale consisting of 37 items was generated from a literature review on cultural awareness, sensitivity, and competence in nursing. A Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of .91 was obtained from a sample of 72 student nurses. In the second phase, the items were presented to a panel of experts in nursing and culture to determine content validity. A content validity index of .88 was calculated, and the total number of items on the scale was reduced to 36. The scale then was administered to 118 nursing students. Data from the two sampies then were combined, and factor analysis was conducted to support construct validity. Cronbach's alpha for the combined samples was .82.