Can we measure participation in communities of practice? Development and validation of a tool to measure belongingness as a proxy for participation in undergraduate clinical learning.

Problem

Participation in communities of practice is postulated as a key mechanism for work-based learning, however the use of both terms in educational discourse is highly variable – ranging from technical to vernacular. Belongingness is a related single concept that is easier to define and measure, representing the bond that holds clinical teams together. As such, it is likely to represent an important component of effective communities of practice. Development of a tool that objectively measures belongingness may be useful in adding rigour to discussions regarding work-placed learning, with the ability to compare clinical placements and other learning environments.

Approach

After identifying relevant material from the literature a draft belongingness assessment tool was developed, based on previously published work. This was piloted on 181 undergraduate medical students and the results subjected to factor analysis. The final version was then used to identify whether differences exist between different clinical teaching environments.

Findings

This tool had internal and external validity, with Cronbach’s alpha =0.940, and detected statistically significant differences between primary and secondary care teaching environments.

Consequences

Statistically significant differences in student belongingness exist between primary and secondary care learning environments. The belongingness scale described in this study is a valid tool for the study of undergraduate medical students, with potential to investigate how varying student experiences of Communities of Practice influence teaching and learning outcomes. This has potential applications in the monitoring of undergraduate and postgraduate training placements, quantifying the strength and effectiveness of student- teacher relationships, in a way that is not currently possible.