Development and validation of indigenous attitudes towards feminism scale

Abstract

This research aimed to construct and validate the Indigenous Attitudes Towards Feminism Scale (IATFS), a unique measure intended to gauge the attitudes of young adults towards feminism. The research utilised an exploratory sequential methodology consisting of two separate studies. The initial study comprised three Phases. During Phase A, qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with individuals (recruited through convenience sampling) aged 18 to 39 (M = 22.42, SD = 2.99) to create and refine items for the IATFS. Following expert evaluation, a set of items was revised to form a Likert-scale survey for self-reporting. Phase B focused on the psychometric cleaning of the items, while Phase C concentrated on establishing the psychometric properties of the scale through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) involving 380 young adults. The EFA revealed a two-factor structure, encompassing "Positive Attitudes Toward Feminism" and "Negative Attitudes Toward Feminism," demonstrating strong reliability (Cronbach's α = .81) and construct validity. The second study involved conducting confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with a different sample of 210 young adults. This scale serves as a valuable tool for assessing the attitudes of young adults towards feminism, enhancing our understanding of contemporary feminist beliefs and perspectives.