The Turkish Version of The Mentor Behavior Scale: Validity and Reliability Study

Abstract

Purpose: The mentorship application has an important place for student nurses in learning new skills, in providing compliance with new behaviors, in obtaining new attitudes, in the establishment of connections between application and theory, in providing for psychological and social support and in guidance. It was aimed to research the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Mentor Behavior Scale. Methods: It was designed methodologically. It was applied at a nursing faculty in Turkey, which engages in the peer mentorship application. A total of 547 students, who are mentees, participated in the mentorship application study. Data were collected with the “Student Introductory Questionnaire Form”, the “Mentor Behavior Scale” and the “Peer Mentor Assessment Scale”. The language, scope, criterion and structural validity, invariability and internal consistency reliability analyses were made for providing validity and reliability. Results: The translation to Turkish and back translation to English of the Mentor Behavior Scale were made for language validity. The Scope Validity Index values varied between 0.80-1.00. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was made for structural validity, and it was found that the model data fit was rather high. The Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient of Reliability was found to be α=0.937. The Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficients of Reliability for the sub-dimensions of mentorship relationship structure, participation-relationship, autonomous support and adequacy support were obtained at α=0.976, α=0.957, α=0.860 and α=0.960, respectively. A positive and significant fit was observed according to the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient in the test-retest analysis. Conclusions: The Turkish version of the Mentor Behavior Scale is a valid and reliable tool for the evaluation of mentors by mentees.