Development of Indigenous Malay Work-based Personality Inventory using the Malay Personality Taxonomy: A Preliminary Finding

Abstract

Background: The expression of personality in work context may differ in general context and the transportation of western-based personality measures to non-western cultures have been found problematic in terms of their psychometric soundness. Objective: This research was conducted with the aim to develop an indigenous work-based personality inventory using the indigenously explored Malay personality taxonomy (Nefarious, Emotionality, Virtues, Indulgence, eXtraversion, and Accommodative factors; abbreviated as NEVIXA). Methods: The test was developed using American Psychological Association (APA) Standards of Educational and Psychological Testing’s (2014) four main phases of test development: (1) Test conceptualization, (2) Test construction, (3) Test tryout and item analysis, and (4) Test validation. This preliminary finding, however, discussed results up to Phase 3 of the test development—test tryout and item analysis phase. Results: Item response theory (IRT) analysis using Samejima’s graded response model (GRM) of IRT for polytomous items recorded a total of 286 items (143 English items and 143 Malay items) with appropriate item discrimination index and reliability values, namely, the Cronbach alphas and Equivalence coefficients. Conclusion: Further efforts are needed to validate the items for a full development of an indigenous work-based personality test that can be used for work-related applications. Keywords: test development, work-based personality, psycholexical approach, Malay personality taxonomy, item response theory