Is School Absenteeism a Spectrum? Development and Validation of Japanese Futoko Spectrum Quotient (FSQ)1

Abstract

This study aimed to develop and validate a scale called the Futoko Spectrum Quotient (FSQ), which measures school absenteeism (futoko), as a method to achieve the early identification of at-risk students. We recruited 673 students and 119 futoko students from secondary schools and educational support centers. The results showed that the bifactor model had better fit, proposing a general (G) factor representing avoidance motivation and an orthogonal specific (S) factor representing psychological distress. We then examined the measurement invariance and continuity of the latent bifactor construct of the FSQ, correlations of the FSQ with external variables, and measurement reliability to validate the FSQ. Our findings highlight the need to focus on students’ mental state prior to the emergence of absence behaviors and the significance of the present scale in theory and practice.