Factor structure of the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) in a sample of university students from Chile

Abstract

Intercultural sensitivity is a relevant construct from the affective sphere, that allows the recognition, understanding, worth and legitimation of others in their differences. It permits individuals to access different ways of feeling, perceiving, and understanding the world, due to their coexistence in the same society. The objective of this study was to adapt and validate the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale ISS in a sample of university students from Chile. To meet this objective and adapt the scale to a non-English speaking culture, an ISS linguistic adaptation process was conducted. Subsequently, a cross-sectional design study was carried out, including 427 university students of both genders (49.8 % men and 50.2 % women), with an average age of 21.19 years (SD = 2.61). Three models were contrasted, the factor model with the best fit confirmed the structure of five correlated factors proposed by the original study. The evidence of validity of external criteria, which were analysed by means of bivariate correlations between the factors of the ISS instrument and the Modern Racism Scale, MRS, showed significant relationships which are theoretically acceptable. Finally, the level of factorial invariance was evaluated, showing that ISS’s factor structure is maintained invariant up to the level of scalar invariance, for the variables of ethnicity and sex. This research provided evidence of the psychometric quality of the adaptation of ISS, allowing its use in the Chilean context.