Clinical learning environment, supervision and nurse teacher scale (CLES+T): Psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version.

Background: Clinical learning environment plays a vital role in nursing clinical education. The Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher (CLES+T) scale is a reliable and valid instrument to evaluate the quality of the clinical learning process in international nursing education contexts.

Objectives: To validate the Chinese version of the CLES+T scale that is in line with the Chinese culture and educational context.

Design: A cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Data were collected from nursing students in six provinces in different parts of China between September and October 2018.

Participants: Six hundred and ninety-four nursing students participated in this study.

Methods: Purposeful sampling was used, and students completed online survey to explore the structure of the CLES+T scale. Internal consistency reliability was tested on the total scale and its sub-dimensions using Cronbach's alpha.

Results: An exploratory factorial analysis identified a three-component solution, with 11 items, and explained 60.01% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the factor structure. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the scale was 0.82, and those of the three subscales were 0.79, 0.71, and 0.70.

Conclusions: The unique, stable and relatively concise Chinese version of CLES+T scale instrument could be a useful instrument for using as an assessment scale in Chinese-speaking countries.