Development and initial validation of an instrument measuring the perceived importance of core competencies for clinical nurse educators in Korea: a methodological study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop an instrument to assess the perceived importance of core competencies for clinical nurse educators (CNEs) in Korea, defined here as hospital-based nurse educators under the Korean Nursing Act, and to provide initial evidence of its content validity, internal structure, and reliability. METHODS: A preliminary 44-item pool, developed from international nurse educator frameworks and the literature, was refined by 8 experts through a 2-round modified Delphi process. A nationwide sample of 263 CNEs then rated the perceived importance of each item. Dimensionality was examined using parallel analysis and exploratory factor analysis based on polychoric correlations; the refined model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with the weighted least squares mean- and variance-adjusted estimator, composite reliability (CR), average variance extracted (AVE), Fornell-Larcker and heterotrait-monotrait discriminant validity, and alternative models. RESULTS: Content validity was high (scale-level content validity index=0.986). Parallel analysis supported a 5-factor structure; 9 weak or redundant items were removed, consolidating the 8 domains into 5 factors comprising 35 items. The CFA model showed good fit (comparative fit index=0.977, Tucker-Lewis index=0.975, root mean square error of approximation=0.048, standardized root mean square residual=0.053; standardized loadings, 0.669-0.934). Internal consistency was high (Cronbach's α=0.873-0.913; categorical McDonald's ω=0.871-0.916), and convergent validity was supported (CR=0.91-0.95; AVE>0.50). Three factors were highly correlated; a second-order model fit well, and the general factor explained most of the reliable variance (ω_h=0.83). CONCLUSION: The 35-item instrument provided initial evidence of content validity, internal structure, and reliability for assessing the perceived importance of CNE competencies. These findings represent initial, rather than definitive, validity evidence and require cross-validation in an independent sample.