A Cultural-Historical Approach to Survey Development: Assessing the Content and Construct Validity of the In-ter-dependence Scale

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Abstract

Themes of collectivism and interdependence are commonly found among racially/ethnically diverse students, whereas individualism and independence are believed to permeate higher education institutions and further reflect White culture and dominant social norms. In this paper, I employ cultural historical activity theory to guide scale development of a survey that measures enculturation towards independence and/or interdependence, the In/ter/dependence Scale, to investigate culture as a source of inequity in college. Using a sample of 762 students, I demonstrate the validity of the scale and I find individualism is tethered to Whiteness, the English language, and higher education attainment whereas collectivism is prevalent among non-White students, bi/multilingual households, and first-generation college students. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Author

• Na Lor, Teachers College, Columbia University