Psychometric qualities of the Educational Identity Processes Scale (EIPS)

Autor: Christiaens, Annabelle, Nelemans, Stefanie, de Moor, Lisanne, Erentaite, Rasa, Vosylis, Rimantas, Branje, Susan, Leerstoel Branje, Adolescent development: Characteristics and determinants
Přispěvatelé: Frontiers Media S.A., Developmental Psychology, Leerstoel Branje, Adolescent development: Characteristics and determinants
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in psychology 2022, 13, 1 pdf (15 p.).
Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1. Frontiers Media S.A.
Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 1. Frontiers Media S.A.
Frontiers in Psychology, 13:861220. Frontiers Media S.A.
ISSN: 1664-1078
1664-0640
Popis: Identity development concerns finding a clear and coherent sense of self (Erikson, 1965) and can be captured by a formative cycle and a maintenance cycle (Luyckx et al., 2008; Marcia, 1966; Waterman, 1993). Within the formative cycle, adolescents start to develop their identity with the process of exploration in-breadth, characterized by trying-out alternatives before selecting one, followed by the process commitment making, characterized by selecting an alternative. Once adolescents are committed to an alternative, the maintenance cycle starts with the processes exploration in-depth, characterized by actively comparing and reflecting on present commitments with alternative options, and identification with commitments, characterized by integrating commitments with one’s beliefs, goals, and values. When adolescents deem their commitment unsatisfactory, they start to engage in the process of reconsideration, characterized by efforts to change present commitments by searching and try-out other alternatives (Crocetti et al., 2008). Therefore, exploration in-breadth and reconsideration are comparable processes that tap into the same behavior of searching for possible new commitments, but differ because of the context that is created by either the absence or presence of commitments, respectively (Crocetti et al., 2008). Finally, exploration processes have a two-sided nature, with one side capturing active, reflective components of identity development that are associated with adaptive outcomes while the other side captures passive, ruminative components that are associated with maladaptive outcomes (e.g., Luyckx et al., 2008). To control for the dual nature of identity exploration, the dimension self-doubt is included in process models of identity, which characterizes the experiences of worry and doubt that hinder commitment processes (Porfeli et al., 2011). Measures that are based on these identity processes have offered important insight on identity development (for a review see Meeus, 2011). However, existing measures often assess these processes in an abstract and general manner and are therefore unable to capture real-life, context-specific aspects of identity development (Branje et al., 2021; Waterman, 2015). For educational identity development, school transition phases, such as the transition to secondary education when leaving primary school or the change from lower to higher secondary education, could influence the relevance of certain identity processes compared to other moments when adolescents do not have an option to change their school and related commitments (Kalakoski & Nurmi, 1998). As these institutional normative transition moments get closer, adolescents are encouraged to explore a range of viable educational options and to reflect on what they want in life in vivid and concrete ways to make informed decisions about their future. After the transition, adolescents will encounter several experiences in their newly selected school environment that can be used to evaluate their commitments, such as the fit with the level of education or the amount of interest or enjoyment they derive from their new courses. Therefore, by taking the school context into account, and especially focusing on the changes in the relevance of identity processes around the school transition, educational identity can be examined in a manner that is meaningful and connected to real-life behaviors. To encourage concrete and context-specific identity research in the educational domain, we developed a questionnaire with two versions to capture the specific identity processes that occur before and after the school transition takes place: the Educational Identity Processes Scale (EIPS). This questionnaire was built on theoretical identity models and is strongly inspired by previous identity measures (e.g., Dimensions of Identity development scale [DIDS], Luyckx et al., 2008; Identity Status Theory, Marcia, 1966; Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale [U-MICS], Crocetti et al., 2008) as well as suggestions for improvements from Waterman (2015) and Porfeli et al. (Vocational Identity Status Assessment [VISA], 2011). Specifically, we developed a pre-transition questionnaire to capture identity development with future-oriented processes that focus on the goal of searching for and comparing a range of viable educational options to select a new school or type of education. In other words, the pre-transition questionnaire should capture the increased salience of the processes of commitment making and exploration in-breadth. Once adolescents have made the transition, commitment making and exploration in-breadth should become less salient since a commitment has been made in the form of a new school or type of education. Instead, after the school transition adolescents will evaluate their present commitments through hands-on experiences in their newly selected environment. Therefore, the post-transition questionnaire should capture context-relevant processes of in-depth exploration, identification with commitments, and identity reconsideration. In addition, some processes are relevant to assess both pre- and post-transition. Adolescents might already engage in early maintenance processes before the transition if commitments are made at an early stage, captured by future-oriented identification with commitment and in-depth exploration, while other adolescents might experience a higher degree of self-doubt before and/or after the transition that could hinder their identity development. Present Study In the present study, we aim to test the psychometric qualities of the EIPS. The first objective is to assess the factor structure, reliability, and internal consistency of the pre- and post-transition questionnaire. The second objective is to test the internal and convergent validity of the EIPS, by assessing whether the EIPS dimensions are meaningfully related to each other (i.e., internal validity) and with other constructs they should be related to (i.e., convergent validity) including other measures of the self (Berzonsky, 1989; Schwartz et al., 2012), wellbeing (Schwartz et al., 2011), parental expectations (Chatterjee & Sinha, 2013), and academic motivation (Kaplan & Flum, 2009). In general, previous research indicates that commitment behavior is positively associated with adaptive outcomes while experiences of uncertainty are associated with maladaptive outcomes (for a review see Crocetti, 2017). Exploration behavior, however, has been linked to both adaptive and maladaptive outcomes due to its more dual nature: Although exploration in-breadth and exploration in-depth are associated with openness, curiosity, and self-reflection, these processes have also been associated with emotional distress and self-rumination (Crocetti et al., 2010; Luyckx et al., 2008). Finally, the third objective is to assess whether the EIPS is time-invariant across two measurement waves six months apart. These three objectives will be tested separately for the pre- and post-transition version of the questionnaire in two independent longitudinal studies. Study 1: Pre-Transition Questionnaire. Study 1 will test the psychometric qualities of the pre-transition questionnaire among an early adolescent Dutch sample who are preparing for the transition from primary to secondary education (about 11-12 years old). We will test whether the identity dimensions are measured reliably and whether the items fit the conceptual model. We will further test associations between the dimensions, and associations with self-concept clarity, satisfaction with life and internalizing symptoms, parental reflected doubt, and intrinsic motivation. Finally, we will test whether the scale is measurement invariant across two measurement waves six months apart. Study 2: Post-Transition Questionnaire. Study 2 will test the psychometric qualities of the post-transition questionnaire among a mid-adolescent Lithuanian sample who made the transition from lower to higher secondary education (about 14-15 years old). We will test whether the identity dimensions are measured reliably and whether the items fit the conceptual model. We will further test associations between the dimensions, and associations with identity styles, satisfaction with life, parental reflected doubt, and mastery-approach goals. Finally, we will test whether the scale is measurement invariant across two measurement waves six months apart.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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