Psychometric Properties of the Simulation Thinking Rubric to Measure Higher Order Thinking in Undergraduate Nursing Students

• Higher order thinking (HOT), such as critical thinking, clinical judgment, and clinical reasoning, in undergraduate nursing students is developmental over the course of a nursing program.
• The simulation based on learning language model asserts HOT can be assessed by language functions.
• The Simulation Thinking Rubric (STR) is a newly developed instrument that was developed to assess a nursing student's cognitive developmental stage of higher HOT.
• The psychometric properties of the STR show promise but needs modification and retesting.

BackgroundThere is progress in the development of simulation-based instruments that measure the effectiveness of high-fidelity simulation (HFS) as an educational strategy. However, there are few psychometrically sound instruments that can quantify learning in HFS. This study sought to test the psychometric properties of the Simulation Thinking Rubric (STR). The purpose of the STR was to assess higher order thinking during HFS in undergraduate (bachelor of science in nursing [BSN]) nursing students.MethodUsing a nonexperimental design, a convenience sample of 22 first semester junior year and 22 fourth semester senior year BSN students allowed six raters to review their previously recorded scenario to score the STR.ResultsThe content validity index average was a 0.92. Cronbach's coefficient alpha was an acceptable but weak 0.74. The analysis of variance F test showed that the fourth semester BSN nursing students (mean = 4.11; standard deviation = 1.12) were rated higher on the STR than the first semester BSN students (mean = 3.20; standard deviation = 0.74).ConclusionAlthough the psychometric testing of the STR did not show strong evidence of internal consistency reliability between raters, work in this area is important. A revision and more testing of the STR are warranted with a focus on interrater agreement procedures and internal consistency reliability.