The clinical learning environment and supervision instrument (CLES): Validity and reliability of the Dutch version (CLES+NL)

Background: The clinical learning environment and supervision scale (CLES) is a valid and reliable tool that was developed to assess the quality of nursing students' clinical placements. Objectives: To obtain a reliable and valid Dutch version of the CLES that is in line with the Flemish culture and educational context. Design: Scale validation study on data provided by a cross-sectional survey. Settings: 190 wards in 31 institutions for healthcare in Flanders, Belgium. Participants: 768 student nurses enrolled in the 3 year bachelor programme at University College Ghent, Faculty of Healthcare Vesalius. Methods: Face and content validation was followed by data collection. Factor analysis was performed using varimax rotation. Subsequently, internal consistency reliability was tested on the total scale and its subdimensions using Cronbach's alpha. Results: We gathered 768 questionnaires. Factor analysis revealed 5 subdimensions with an eigenvalue greater than 1, explaining 71.281% of the variance. The overall internal consistency and the consistency of the five subdimensions is high. Our data supports face, content and construct validity of the CLES. +. NL. Conclusions: The CLES. +. NL is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used to evaluate the quality of nursing wards as learning environments in Flanders.