Adaptation and pretesting of the College Persistence Questionnaire V3 (Short Form) for measuring intention to persist among Aboriginal Diploma of Nursing students

Abstract

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd Background Culturally appropriate health care delivery is essential to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal peoples. There is a shortage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses partly due to disproportionately high non-completion rates among tertiary sector students. The College Persistence Questionnaire V3 (Short Form) provides scales for gauging major predictors of retention. Objective To adapt an instrument for measuring intention to persist among Aboriginal Diploma of Nursing students. Design Instrument adaptation and pretesting. Participants A convenience sample of Aboriginal Diploma of Nursing students (N = 21) at a registered training organisation in Australia. Methods The instrument was mapped against the domain of interest and modified. Ten experts reviewed its content validity; its reading ease and educational grade reading level were assessed. Results The expert panel endorsed individual items as valid (item-level Content Validity Index 0.90–1.00) and scale-level validation was acceptable (average scale-level Content Validity Index = 0.98). The minimally-adapted instrument was ‘fairly easy’ to read and suitable for general adult audiences (Flesch Reading Ease score 71.3) and was below the United States 8th grade reading level (Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 6.7). Students took < 30 min to complete the questionnaire. All understood its purpose, found instructions clear, and questions easy to answer. Most rated its length ‘Just right’. Conclusion The College Persistence Questionnaire – Registered Training Organisation Version appears suitable for assessing factors influencing retention/attrition among Aboriginal Diploma of Nursing students. Piloting and psychometric evaluation is recommended.