Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nursing students often encounter ethical dilemmas throughout their professional training, which can pose challenges to their development. These dilemmas may lead to questioning professional values, hesitation during clinical practice, and even emotional fatigue. Therefore, reliable and valid tools are essential to assess and enhance their ethical decision-making abilities. METHODS: Conducted as a methodological study, this research involved 233 nursing students from Manisa Celal Bayar University during November and December 2024. Data collection tools included the Ethical Decision-Making Competence Scale and the Inclination to Ethical Values Scale. Structural validity was analyzed using principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, while internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: The scale demonstrated acceptable model fit indices [χ2 (129) = 234.701, χ2/df = 3.295, GFI = 0.841, CFI = 0.900, IFI = 0.901, RMSEA = 0.096 (0.087-0.105)], with all factor loadings exceeding 0.4 and achieving statistical significance. Cronbach's alpha values for the four dimensions were 0.865, 0.867, 0.868, and 0.886, indicating strong internal consistency. Furthermore, the test-retest analysis confirmed the scale's stability over time, validating its use for repeated measurements. CONCLUSION: Given its psychometric strengths, this tool can be effectively employed in future studies focusing on ethical decision-making competencies in nursing education. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.