Evaluation of Task Characteristics Measurement for Job Design in Simulated Nursing Practice

Background: Task design is considered essential to the effective testing of individual clinical competencies in simulated clinical nursing practice. The present study is a response to the need to measure task characteristics of job design in simulated clinical nursing practice, as such research is lacking. Objectives: The aims of this study were to explore the reliability and factorial validity of the five-factor measurement of task characteristics in simulated nursing practice, as well as to test and verify the relationships that comprise the latent factor structure of the task characteristics construct. Designs: This is a quantitative and correlational study. Methods: Participants were 223 nursing students who completed objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). The Task Characteristics Measurement Scale was used to examine students' perceptions of task evaluation as related to that examination. The second-order factor model of the Task Characteristics Measurement Scale was tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) techniques. We also analyzed the correlations among the subdimensions of the Task Characteristics Measurement Scale through structural equation modeling approach. Results: The Task Characteristics Measurement Scale of clinical nursing tasks was found to have suitable reliability and internal validity. All five dimensions had high internal consistency coefficients. CFA of the second-order model conclusively demonstrated good factorial validity (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.074). In addition, a test of the correlations of the five dimensions of task characteristics, which comprise the structural model of the variables, indicated good fit of the data. Overall, task variety, task autonomy, task identity, and task significance explained 29.5% of the variance of feedback from job. Conclusion: The findings supported the Task Characteristics Measurement Scale as a reliable and valid instrument for nursing students tested in a simulated clinical setting. This model provides nursing educators with a means to assess the task design of clinical examinations, allowing them to redesign or improve the test task characteristics.