Factor Structure of the Chinese Virtues Questionnaire

Abstract

Objectives: The present study examined the factorial invariance and functional equivalence of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) among the Chinese. Methods: A total of 839 undergraduate students completed the 240-item Simplified Chinese version of the VIA-IS online. Another 40 students participated in qualitative interviews to examine the meaning and function of the items in Chinese culture. Results: A total of 144 items were removed from the original version questionnaire (240-item) because of low item-loading and lack of cultural validity. A Chinese Virtues Questionnaire-96 (CVQ-96) in simplified Chinese containing 96 items (4 items per strength) was adopted. Three subscales (interpersonal, vitality, and cautiousness) were developed after exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Conclusion: A theoretically meaningful 3-factor model of virtue, comparable to some virtue structures proposed in previous studies conducted in Western countries, was obtained. The inventories being developed can facilitate positive social work assessment and intervention.

Three-Dimensional Model of Strengths: Examination of Invariance Across Gender, Age, Education Levels, and Marriage Status

“…Vandenberg and Lance (2000) propose that establishing the measurement equivalence or measurement invariance primarily is required to guarantee similar latent constructs across groups so that meaningful comparisons can be performed. It should be noted that, although different scholars adopted different labels to name their factors (Duan et al 2012;Ho et al 2016;McGrath 2015), the three dimensions of strengths are essentially the same. Temperance strength reflects "an intrapersonal strength that describes people who persist in achieving goals and exhibit self-control", which reflects the individual orientation of strengths that are consistent with conscientiousness (Duan et al 2012) and self-control (McGrath 2015); intellectual strength means "the curiosity and zest for creativity of an individual" that are reflected by vitality (Duan et al 2012) and inquisitiveness (McGrath 2015); and interpersonal strengths reflects "the love, concern, and gratitude of a person toward others", which is consistent with the relationship of Duan et al (2012) and caring of McGrath (2015).…”

“…the issue of variant factor structures of the VIA inventory in different cultures and countries (Ho et al 2014a, b), including two-to five-factor models in 14 different studies (Azañedo et al 2014;Brdar and Kashdan 2010;Khumalo et al 2008;Macdonald et al 2008;Park and Peterson 2010;Peterson and Park 2004;Peterson and Seligman 2004;Ruch et al 2010;Shryack et al 2010;Singh and Choubisa 2010). Recently, Duan et al (2012) adopted the combined emic-etic approach to select items with functional equivalence and conceptual equivalence in the quantitative and qualitative analyses, which resulted in a three-dimensional strengths model (i.e., relationship, vitality, and conscientiousness). The follow-up studies have demonstrated sound psychometric properties of the revised questionnaire (Duan et al 2013;Zhang et al 2014).…”

“…A brief instrument with good psychometric characteristics is thus required to measure the three kinds of strengths for clinical populations (Duan et al 2012(Duan et al , 2013. Accordingly, they created a 12-item Brief Strengths Scale (BSS) (Ho et al 2016) for assessing temperance strength, intellectual strength, and interpersonal strengths.…”

Integrating psychological and cultural perspectives on virtue: The hierarchical structure of character strengths

“…Shryack et al (2010) tested several different models and concluded that the threefactor model was most reliable in a sample of twins from Minnesota administered the VIA-IS. In two studies administering the Chinese Virtues Questionnaire, a variant of the VIA-IS developed specifically for use in mainland China, a three-factor structure emerged labeled interpersonal, which is consistent with Caring; vitality, which closely parallels the Inquisitiveness component; and cautiousness, which is consistent with Self-Control (Duan, Ho, Bai, & Tang, 2013;Duan et al, 2012). In every study included in this article as well as in the work by Shryack et al and Duan et al, the Caring component Notes: The x-y notation indicates the number of components retained and the location of the component within that solution.…”

Role of Virtues and Perceived Life Stress in Affecting Psychological Symptoms Among Chinese College Students

“…26,27 Sample items include "I am a person who is full of gratitude" (relationship), "I am a true life-long learner" (vitality), and "I will control my emotions" (conscientiousness). The respondents were asked to rate the extent to which each item could describe them on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (very much unlike me) to 5 (very much like me).…”