Academic Inspiration: Development and validation of an instrument in higher education

Abstract

Introduction. Inspiration is a concept that is used in different disciplines; however, there is no instrument that measures its impact in the academic sphere. In this sense, the present study aims to develop and validate a measurement instrument for academic inspiration (AIS). Method. A total of 7,871 university students from different careers from a private university in Lima, Peru participated. Statistical techniques were used for latent variables and the rec-ommendations of the standards for educational and psychological tests proposed by American Educational Research Association et al. (2014) were followed for their construction. Results. The AIS is representative and relevant in the content of its items (Aiken's V >.70). In relation to its internal structure, it is organized into three factors, which are consistent with the theoretical proposal, and it was verified by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with ex-cellent adjustment indices (CFI =.98, RMSEA =.08, WRMR = 2.44). Furthermore, this structure is invariant according to gender and is conceptually related to variables such as satis-faction (r ≥.80) and academic commitment (r ≥.59). Discussion and Conclusion. The AIS is a measurement instrument that has evidence of va-lidity, factorial invariance, and good reliability of its scores. Therefore, it can be used in fu-ture studies in the academic context.