Developing and validating the Chinese Spiritual Intelligence Scale with a sample of higher education students in Hong Kong

Developing and validating the Chinese Spiritual Intelligence Scale with a sample of higher education students in Hong Kong

• Chan, Wing Yan Arita The Chinese University of Hong Kong

ProQuest Information & Learning

2018

• B Human Behaviour
  • BD Mental Health
• Q Philosophy of Education, Educational System & School At Different Levels
  • QE Post-Secondary Education

Chinese Spiritual Intelligence Scale Higher Education Students Test Development Test Validity Psychometrics Higher Education Spirituality Test Construction

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Post-Secondary Education

Hong Kong university students have shown various psychological health problems. Spiritual intelligence (SI) has been found to have a positive correlation with mental well-being. However, a reliable measure to assess SI in Hong Kong students is lacking. The present study, which comprised three phases, aimed to develop a scale of SI that could meet the characteristics of Hong Kong university students. Phase 1 aimed to explore the meaning of SI in Hong Kong and to develop the preliminary scale of SI. Twenty-eight participants, with or without religion, were interviewed about their understanding of SI. Adopting comparative and inductive techniques, eight categories of SI were revealed: Social Harmony and Influence, Morality, Personal Life Meaning, Emotional Competence, Connection to Higher Power, Existential Thinking, Reflection on Truth and Self, and Practice. A 62-item Chinese Spiritual Intelligence Scale (CSIS) was developed based on these categories. Phase 2 aimed to finalize the items of the CSIS and determine its factor structure. Two hundred and nineteen university students completed the CSIS. Several exploratory factor analyses led to a 29-item six-factor model for CSIS and the model was evaluated in Phase 3. Another sample of 283 Hong Kong university students completed the revised version of CSIS, together with other questionnaires on life meaning, metapersonal self-construal, life satisfaction, mental health, mood states, and emotional intelligence. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to determine whether the 29-item six-factor model fit the current sample. As high correlations were shown among some of the six factors, a four-factor model was proposed. The EFA result supported a 23-item four-factor model and the CFA further validated the model. The full scale of CSIS and its four subscales had good internal reliability. The CSIS was also positively correlated with measures of life meaning, metapersonal self-construal, life satisfaction, mental health, positive mood, and emotional intelligence, indicating reasonable construct validity for the CSIS. The regression analysis showed that SI was a unique predictor for mental well-being, life satisfaction, and positive mood. The CSIS is the first measure developed to assess SI in Hong Kong university students. The analysis in the present study supported the internal reliability, construct validity, and model fit of the CSIS. However, future studies are needed to further validate the scale or examine whether modification of the scale is needed.

EdD

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong

• English

Dissertation Theses

• 04194217

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/b772d46b

2018-05-10