Investigation of validity and reliability of ascent to competence scale

INVESTIGATION OF VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF ASCENT TO COMPETENCE SCALE This methodological study; was performed in order to determine the validity and reliability of the Ascent to Competence Scale developed by Michelle Mc Coy and her colleagues (2011) as adapted to Turkish society. The research was carried out by face to face interview between November 2016 and September 2017 with 504 students studying at Ege University Faculty of Nursing. The data were collected using the Ascent to Competence Scale. Language validity, content validity and construct validity were used in evaluation of the validity of research data, and internal consistency and test retest analysis were used in evaluation of the reliability of the data. Turkish translation and back translation was mad efor the language validity the Ascent to Competence Scale and ten experts were consulted to ensure content validity of the scale. The Content Validity Index was found to be .972. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Rasch Analysis was used to define Construct Validity. In this analysis, it was found that conformity indices in the Ascent to Competence Scale were x^2=2781,29, χ2/sd=3,09, AGFI=0,94, GFI=0,91, RMSA=0,08, SRMR=0,05. The conformity values of all the items of the scale were found within the expected limits of the Rasch model. The Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient was found to be .955 for the scale. The Pearson Moments Multiplication Correlation Coefficient was examined to assess the stability of the scale over time in test retest analysis carried out at an interval of three weeks. In this analysis a high level positive significant correlation,was determined (r = .70). In conclusion, the Ascent to Competence Scale has a similar construction to the original scale and is a valid and reliable measuring instrument forTurkish society. Keywords: Competence; Scale; Validity; Reliability;