Assessing Collaborative Learning Profiles in Nursing and Medical Students: Preliminary Development and Exploratory Validation of the Attitudes Toward Collaborative Learning Scale.

AIMS: To develop and preliminarily validate the Attitudes Toward Collaborative Learning Scale (ATCLS) and characterize profiles of collaborative learning attitudes among nursing and medical students. DESIGN: An exploratory cross-sectional quantitative study. REVIEW METHODS: Participants completed the ATCLS. Reliability and construct validity were evaluated using internal consistency and confirmatory factor analysis. Separate hierarchical and K-means cluster analyses were conducted for nursing and medical students. One-way analysis of variance with Games-Howell post hoc comparisons characterized differences among clusters identified separately within each discipline. DATA SOURCES: Data were collected from 199 nursing and 50 medical students at two universities in Central Taiwan between October 2018 and August 2020. RESULTS: Distinct patterns of collaborative learning attitudes were observed across the separately identified nursing and medical student profiles. The Learning from Peer Interaction dimension demonstrated stronger measurement properties than the Task Engagement dimension. Cluster differences further characterized heterogeneity in collaborative learning attitudes within each discipline. CONCLUSION: The findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the development and exploratory validation of the scale and suggest heterogeneity in collaborative learning attitudes. The profiles require further validation in larger and more diverse samples. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Recognizing variability in collaborative learning attitudes may help nurse and medical educators tailor strategies to support collaborative and interprofessional learning. IMPACT: Collaborative learning attitudes were heterogeneous within nursing and medical student groups, supporting a profile-based perspective rather than assuming uniform attitudes toward collaborative learning. REPORTING METHOD: This study adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines. NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Patients or members of the public were not involved because participants were university students.