Assessing the Dimensionality and Reliability of a Core Democratic Values Scale Among University Students: Evidence of a Five-Factor Model
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31154/isc12.v12i4.96.872-880Keywords:
democratic values, scale validation, university studentsAbstract
This study aimed to develop and validate a Core Democratic Values (CDV) Scale for university students within a faith-based academic context. Grounded in established civic education resources, the initial 40-item instrument was administered to 200 tertiary students enrolled on social science courses. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) revealed a five-factor structure-justice, patriotism, pursuit of happiness, equality, and diversity explaining 51.7% of the variance. Eight items were removed due to low cross-loading or low factor loading. The final 32-item scale demonstrated strong internal consistency (, with subscale alphas ranging from .700 to .870. The CDV Scale offers a culturally relevant, psychometrically sound tool for assessing democratic behaviors among university students. Administering this scale can support civic education efforts and foster democratic engagement in higher education. Confirmatory validation of this scale through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) can be conducted to assess measurement invariance in different populations and examine the predictive validity of the scale in relation to civic behavior and engagement.
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