Psychometric analysis of the Slovak version of the satisfaction with simulation experience scale (measurement invariance).

Background: Student satisfaction serves as a valuable education quality indicator, provides insights into areas that require improvement, and helps institutions enhance the overall educational experience. However, obtaining accurate and meaningful data requires the use of reliable and valid measurement methods and no such instrument designed to assess simulation satisfaction has previously been validated in Slovak language. The main aim of this study was to translate the Satisfaction with Simulation Experience scale into Slovak language and perform psychometric testing to examine psychometric properties of a proposed Slovak version for the first time. Additionally, for the first time, both the Slovak and English versions of the SSE scale were tested on medical students rather than nursing students.

Objective: The instrument was tested on 797 students in the Slovak and English program of General Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, evaluating their satisfaction with three newly implemented simulation scenarios which were added to the existing portfolio of simulation activities already integrated into the Biophysics, Physiology, and Microbiology courses.

Design: Our findings demonstrated high internal consistency across all subscales, as indicated by McDonald's omega and Cronbach's alpha values. Structural validity was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis, which provided robust evidence supporting the excellent fit of the three-factor SSE model. Additionally, measurement invariance analysis confirmed a strong model fit at each level, supporting partial measurement invariance across both student groups.

Results: These results confirm that the SSE scale functions similarly in both students in the Slovak and English program, supporting its cross-cultural applicability and robustness in measuring medical students' satisfaction with simulation experience.