Development of the imagination-creativity process scale in design

Abstract

In this study, the undergraduate students’ Imagination–Creativity Process Scale (ICPS) in design was developed with reference to the Imagination–Creativity Process in design (Wang & Ho, 2021), and the scale reliability and validity were tested. Two samples of undergraduate students participated in test development, one for item revision and the other for validation. Sample 1 and 2 consisted of 285 and 488 students, respectively. Five to ten items were created for each scale dimension, resulting in a total of 31 items scored using a five-point Likert scale. A multidimensional Rasch partial-credit model was employed to verify the content and structural validity, generalizability, substantive validity, interpretive validity, and external validity of the scale. 30 items were retained for the final version of ICPS in design. The person separation reliabilities were 0.84, 0.83, 0.86, and 0.83, respectively for the four dimensions of the scale: (1) ideation and analysis, (2) generation and revision, (3) implementation and evaluation, and (4) communication and optimization. The results indicated that the ICPS had good model–data fit and was suitable for measuring undergraduate students’ Imagination–Creativity Process in design. Recommendations for future studies were proposed regarding the development and application of the ICPS in design.