Development and validation of a measurement scale to assess nursing students’ readiness for the flipped classroom in Sri Lanka

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a scale to measure nursing students’ readiness for the flipped classroom in Sri Lanka. METHODS: A literature review provided the theoretical framework for developing the Nursing Students’ Readiness for Flipped Classroom (NSR-FC) questionnaire. Five content experts evaluated the NSR-FC, and content validity indices (CVI) were calculated. Cross-sectional surveys among 355 undergraduate nursing students from 3 state universities in Sri Lanka were carried out to assess the psychometric properties of the NSR-FC. Principal component analysis (PCA, n=265), internal consistency (using the Cronbach α coefficient, n=265), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, n=90) were done to test construct validity and reliability. RESULTS: Thirty-seven items were included in the NSR-FC for content validation, resulting in an average scale CVI of 0.94. Two items received item level CVI of less than 0.78. The factor structures of the 35 items were explored through PCA with orthogonal factor rotation, culminating in the identification of 5 factors. These factors were classified as technological readiness, environmental readiness, personal readiness, pedagogical readiness, and interpersonal readiness. The NSR-FC also showed an overall acceptable level of internal consistency (Cronbach α=0.9). CFA verified a 4-factor model (excluding the interpersonal readiness factor) and 20 items that achieved acceptable fit (standardized root mean square residual=0.08, root mean square error of approximation=0.08, comparative fit index=0.87, and χ(2)/degrees of freedom=1.57). CONCLUSION: The NSR-FC, as a 4-factor model, is an acceptable measurement scale for assessing nursing students’ readiness for the flipped classroom in terms of its construct validity and reliability.