Measuring design thinking competence in Taiwanese nursing students: a cross-cultural instrument adaptation

Abstract

Abstract Background Design thinking (DT) competence, a creative problem-solving ability, has been investigated extensively among college students in various professional fields within the western cultures. No instrument, however, is available for assessing DT competence in nursing students, particularly, those in non-western cultures. Objective To adapt and validate the use of Creative Synthesis Inventory (CSI) assessing the four components (i.e., visualization, discovery, prototyping, and evaluation) of DT competence in nursing students in Taiwan. Design Cross-sectional, mixed methodological design combining qualitative and quantitative strategies. Participants A 19-item CSI was administered to a total of 520 nursing students from two campuses of a science and technology university in Taiwan. The data collection was conducted between September 2020 and June 2022. Methods The cross-cultural adaptation and validation of CSI-Taiwan was done in two phases: Phase I included content validity check, translation, and cross-cultural adaptation. Phase II involved pilot testing and psychometric evaluation. Results A first-order confirmatory factor analysis validated the four-component structure, namely visualization, discovery, prototyping, and evaluation, of an 18-item CSI-Taiwan (model fit indices: χ2/df = 3.953, NNFI = 0.942, CFI = 0.956, TLI = 0.947, SRMR = 0.035, and RMSEA = 0.075). A second-order confirmatory factor analysis further indicated that the four components converged on a unitary construct of DT competence (model fit indices: χ2/df = 4.082, NNFI = 0.935, CFI = 0.949, TLI = 0.940, SRMR = 0.040, and RMSEA = 0.080). Moreover, the CSI-Taiwan also demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity. Together these results validated the construct of DT competence and its components as theorized. Conclusions The CSI-Taiwan was a reliable and valid self-report instrument to be used by Taiwanese nursing students.