Impact of AI-Based Research Training on Nursing Students

Readiness to use AI will be conceptualized as technical expertise, positive attitudes, and self-confidence in adopting AI tools for research and clinical tasks (29). It will be assessed using the Persian version of the Medical Artificial Intelligence Readiness Scale for Medical Students (MAIRS-MS), a validated 20-item, 4-domain tool (Cognition, Ability, Vision, Ethics) with 5-point Likert items (total score 20-100). Higher scores will indicate greater readiness. The instrument will have demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach's α ≥ 0.80) and structural validity in prior Iranian studies (24,25). Domain and total scores will be calculated for all participants.

Research literacy will be defined as the knowledge and skills in research methodology, study design, data collection, and analysis that will enable researchers to conduct valid studies (5). It will be measured using a researcher-developed 20-item true/false/don't-know questionnaire adapted from Brody et al. (27). Responses will be scored as correct if they match the statement's truth, with a total score of 0-20; higher scores will indicate greater research literacy. The questionnaire will be developed based on the literature, will undergo face and content validation by experts (CVI/CVR), and will be pilot-tested with 50-100 participants to assess item properties, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), and 10-14-day test-retest reliability. All participants will complete the questionnaire at each time point, and all data will be included in the intention-to-treat analysis.

Attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) will be characterized by an individual's beliefs and affective dispositions regarding the applications and implications of AI (26). The evaluation of this attitude will employ the AI Attitude Scale (AIAS-4), a unidimensional instrument consisting of four items, each rated on a scale from 1 to 10, thereby resulting in a total score that ranges from 4 to 40; higher scores indicate more favorable attitudes toward AI. In the absence of a Persian version of the psychometric AIAS-4, the scale will be translated and culturally adapted through a standard forward-backward translation process, supplemented by cognitive interviews with 10 nursing students, and reviewed by an expert panel. Content validity will be assessed through the Content Validity Index (CVI) and the Content Validity Ratio (CVR). The translated instrument will be pilot-tested with 20 participants, and internal consistency will be evaluated using Cronbach's alpha.