Academic Involution Scale for College Students in China (AISCSC)

Abstract

The Adolescent Assertiveness Assessment Scale (AAA-S), developed by de Lima et al. (2024), is a psychological scale designed to measure assertiveness skills in adolescents residing in Brazil. The initial phase of scale construction involved an exploratory qualitative study utilizing the focus group technique, guided by an established operational definition of assertiveness and its subclasses (Del Prette & Del Prette, 2017). This process initially yielded 80 items representing diverse assertiveness situations. Following administration to adolescents aged 12 to 15, the measure was refined into a final validated version consisting of 20 items. The published study demonstrated strong evidence for Content Validity and Semantic Validity, though the authors noted the need for subsequent research to establish reliability and factorial validity.

Keywords

Adolescent Assertiveness Assessment Scale (AAA-S), Assertiveness Skills, Semantic Validity, Adolescent Attitudes, Developmental Measures, Young People’s Perceptions.

Authors

de Lima, Sara Luize Pereira, Simeão, Shirley de Souza Silva, Silva, Washington Allysson Dantas, Galdino, Melyssa Kellyane Cavalcanti

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Adolescent Assertiveness Assessment Scale (AAA-S) is to accurately measure and quantify the level of assertiveness exhibited by adolescents. This assessment is intended for use in psychological research and clinical settings to identify specific behavioral patterns related to social communication and boundary setting during this critical developmental period.

The scale helps in identifying developmental needs and informing interventions aimed at enhancing effective social communication skills among young people aged 12 to 18.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological construct of Adolescent Assertiveness. This construct is defined as the ability of young people to express their feelings, opinions, and needs appropriately, while simultaneously respecting the rights and opinions of others, across various social and interpersonal contexts relevant to adolescence.

The development of the items was grounded in an operational definition of assertiveness and its subclasses, ensuring comprehensive coverage of assertive behaviors, including self-advocacy, conflict management, and the appropriate expression of emotions.

Validity

The initial validation study focused on establishing evidence for Content Validity and Semantic Validity.

Evidence for Content Validity was reported as robust. The total content validity coefficient (CVCt) was 0.97, indicating high relevance and coverage of the construct. Furthermore, the individual content validity coefficient (CVCi) was consistently greater than 0.80 across all items. The overall average validity across expert judges’ assessments ranged narrowly from 0.92 to 0.99, demonstrating strong consensus regarding the representativeness of the items.

Semantic Validity was also confirmed through the comprehensibility index, which reached 86.4%, suggesting that the items were clearly understood by the target population. A moderate positive correlation was found between the age of the adolescent respondents and their understanding level (r = 0.41, p = 0.05), indicating slight developmental differences in item comprehension.

Reliability

No specific reliability data, such as measures of internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach’s Alpha) or test-retest stability, were reported in the initial validation study published in 2024. The authors explicitly stated that future research is necessary to establish the psychometric reliability of the final 20-item scale for consistent measurement of adolescent assertiveness.

Factor Analysis

No factor analysis (e.g., Exploratory Factor Analysis or Confirmatory Factor Analysis) results were reported for the 20-item version of the AAA-S in the initial publication. Consequently, the underlying factor structure and dimensionality of the scale remain to be empirically verified in subsequent validation efforts.

Instrument

Test Type: Original Rating Scale

Format: The instrument consists of 20 items rated on a four-point Likert scale. The response options range from 1 (never or rarely) to 4 (always/almost always). The administration method is electronic.

Language Available: Portuguese (Original language of development, tested in Brazil).

Population Group: Adolescents

Age Group: Adolescence (12–18 years)

Population Details: The scale was validated using adolescent respondents in Brazil, spanning an age range of 12 to 18 years, though the initial testing phase involved those aged 12 to 15.

Test Methodology: Test Validity; Content Validity; Semantic Validity.

Keywords

Rating Scale, Likert scale, Psychometrics, Adolescent Development, Brazil, Semantic Validation, Assertiveness.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not available

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (de Lima, Sara Luize Pereira)

Correspondence Address: de Lima, Sara Luize Pereira: [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was published in 2024. The associated reference indicates that the work is distributed under a Creative Commons License (CC BY 4.0), which generally permits open access, sharing, and adaptation of the material, provided appropriate credit is given to the original authors. No specific fee information for use is provided.

Reference’s

de Lima, S. L. P., Simeão, S. d. S. S., Silva, W. A. D., & Galdino, M. K. C. (2024). Adolescent Assertiveness Assessment Scale: Evidence of content validity. Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa, 40, Article e40403.

Items of the Academic Involution Scale for College Students in China (AISCSC)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The following are the 20 items of the Adolescent Assertiveness Assessment Scale (AAA-S):

1. When my peers say something I do not agree with, I voice my opinion.

2. If I buy a new piece of clothing and find out at home that I do not like it, I come back to change it.

3. During a group outing, I can give my opinion about what we could do every day.

4. At school I have difficulty talking to the teacher.

5. In group situations I usually represent my group to make requests to the teacher.

6. I can argue when my parents ask me to do something I do not want to do.

7. I often get angry when my parents criticize my performance at school.

8. When someone says my taste in music is not good, I explain that we have different musical preferences.

9. When I like a classmate, I find it difficult to express my feelings.

10. I tend to be ironic with my colleagues.

11. I play games that lead to disappointing my friends.

12. I have difficulty maintaining friendships.

13. When I am unhappy in a relationship, I can take the initiative to end the relationship.

14. If I hurt a colleague, I apologize.

15. Even when I know I am in the wrong, I avoid admitting my mistake.

16. In situations where my colleagues do something I do not like, I often say how I feel.

17. If a classmate asks me to copy my notes during class, I borrow them even if it slows me down.

18. If I do not understand something the teacher has explained, I ask you to explain it again.

19. If I must go to a place but I do not know how to get there, I prefer to look for it myself rather than ask someone for help.

20. If some classmates make noise in class and I feel uncomfortable, I ask for silence.