Urdu Translation & Validation of Executive Skills Questionnaire-Revised: A Self-Report Tool of Executive Functioning

Abstract

Executive functions (EF) include skills such as working memory, inhibition and cognitive flexibility that are required for efficient functioning in all disciplines of life, be it personal, educational or professional. The assessment of EF skills using task-based instruments or self-report forms is a debatable topic in research arena. The current study focused on translation and psychometric analysis of a comprehensive yet short and freely available tool of EF skills; Executive Skills Questionnaire-Revised (Strait et al., 2019) in Urdu language. The study followed a rigorous tool translation procedure including forward and back translation. Data was collected from 294 undergraduate students; both boys (n=142) and girls (n=152) aged 18-21 years (M= 19.2, SD=0.98) enrolled in various public sector higher educational institutes of Lahore, Pakistan. Data collection was followed by analysis which included use of descriptive statistics to analyze demographic characteristics and calculation of Cronbach’s alpha of sub-scales to determine internal consistency. Item total correlation was then calculated. Analysis further included Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Results revealed the internal consistency of all sub-scales in acceptable range having Cronbach alpha value ranging from 0.72-0.80. CFA confirmed the 5-factor structure of the translated tool similar to the original tool. All fit indices were found to be excellent. Results revealed the ESQ-R Urdu as a valid and reliable tool to assess EF skills in student population.