Validating the creative self-efficacy student scale with a Taiwanese sample: An item response theory-based investigation

The aim of this study was to provide multiple pieces of validation evidence to support the use of the Creative Self-Efficacy (CSE) Student Scale using item response theory. A total of 1416 Taiwanese students (759 university students, 235 high school students and 422 junior high school students) participated in the present study. An item response model was used to analyze the dimensionality and gender differential item functioning (DIF) of the CSE Student Scale. The consistency of the item difficulty hierarchy of the responses provided by university students and non-university students was compared. A latent regression analysis was conducted to assess the effects of gender and educational level on students’ CSE scores. Additionally, the CSE Student Scale was related to two widely used creativity tests — the New Creative Thinking Test and the Daily Creative Life Experiences and Self-reported Creative Experience and Self-rated creative — to verify its criterion-related validity. The results supported the three-dimensional structure of the CSE Student Scale. The hierarchy of item difficulty was consistent across the different education levels, showing that the scale is appropriate for students from junior high school to university. The CSE scale provided gender DIF-free measurement. Female students’ CSE scores tended to be lower than those of male students. Additionally, a lower education level was associated with a higher CSE. In turn, the results from the criterion-related validation supported use of the CSE scale, which was related to performance on a divergent verbal thinking test, daily creative experiences, self-reported creative experiences and self-rated creative.