Abstract
This study develops a new scale to measure Chinese university students’ social responsibility—Chinese university students’ social responsibility scale (CUSSRS). The scale is developed in a sample of 646 university students, which includes 274 males and 372 females, the average age of the students is 19.6 (SD = 1.3). The findings from the exploratory factor analysis (N = 325) provide evidence for a 4-factor solution, which together explains 59.7% of the total item variance. A confirmatory factor analysis (N = 321) suggests that the model fits better in a different sample. The CUSSRS includes 17 items and shows better internal consistency of 0.87, the internal consistency of the subscales range from 0.71 to 0.83, and the 2-week test-retest reliability is 0.79. It shows better validity, and can be used as a useful instrument for measuring Chinese university students’ social responsibility. Furthermore, the CUSSRS might contribute to the comparative study of social responsibility in different social and cultural contexts.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural equation models. Newbury Park: Sage.
Byrne, B. M. (1994). Structural equation modeling with EQS and EQS/windows. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Costello, A. B., & Osborne, J. W. (2005). Best practices in exploratory factor analysis: Four recommendations for getting the most from your analysis. Practical Assessment Research & Evaluation, 10, 1–7.
Council for the advancement of standards in higher education. (2003). CAS standards for leadership development program. Washington: Council for the advancement standards for higher education.
Fabrigar, L. R., Wegener, D. T., MacCallum, R. C., & Strahan, E. J. (1999). Evaluating the use of exploratory factor analysis in psychological research. Psychological Methods, 4, 272–299.
Hou, J. T., Wen, Z. L., & Cheng, Z. J. (2004). Structural equation model and its applications. Beijing: Educational Science Press.
Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2000). Millennial rising: The next generation. New York: Vintage Books USA.
Hoyle, R. H., Fejfar, M. C., & Miller, J. D. (2000). Confirmatory analysis. In H. E. A. Tinsley & S. D. Brown (Eds.), Handbook of applied multivariate statistics and mathematical modeling. San Diego: Academic Press.
Huang, X. T., & Tan, X. H. (2008). On the theoretical construction of middle school student of responsibility. Psychological Science, 31(1), 11–15.
Liu, Y., & Tan, X. H. (2008). A study on the structure and characteristics of the middle school students’ social responsibility. Chinese Journal of Special Education, 5, 78–81.
Sax, L. J. (2004). Citizenship development, and the American college student. New Dir. Inst. Res., 122, 65–80.
Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 25, 1–65.
Shek, D. T. L. (2010). Nurturing holistic development of university students in Hong Kong: Where are we and where should we go. The Scientific World Journal: TSW child health & Human Development, 10, 563–575.
Shek, D. T. L., & Cheung, B. P. M. (2013). Developmental issues of university students in Hong Kong. Journal of Adolescence Medical Health, 25(4), 345–351.
Shek, D. T. L., & Wong, K. K. (2011). Do adolescent developmental issues disappear overnight? Reflections about holistic development in university students. The Scientific World Journal: TSW Child Health &þ Human Development, 11, 353–361.
Silva, L. D., Sanson, A., Smart, D., & Toumbourou, J. (2004). Civic responsibility among Australian adolescents: Testing two competing models. Journal of Community Psychology, 32(3), 229–255.
Singing, S., & Ader, J. A. (2001). Development of the student personal responsibility scale-10. Social Behavior and Personality, 29(4), 331–336.
Song, Y. (2003). The moral connotation and realization mechanism of responsibility formation. Journal of Nanjing University, 4, 89–93.
Starrett, R. S. (1996). Assessment of global social responsibility. Psychology Report, 78, 535–554.
Steg, L., Dreijerink, L., & Abrahamse, W. (2005). Factors influencing the acceptability of energy policies: A test of VBN theory. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25, 415–425.
Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., & Guagnano, G. A. (1998). A brief inventory of values. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 58(6), 984–1001.
Wang, Y. (2003). Investigation report of the contemporary college students’ responsibility concept. Youth Studies, 1, 17–22.
Xiao, B. (2009). A designing of the adolescent's social responsibility questionnaire. Changsha: Hunan normal university.
Funding
This study was funded by Humanities and Social Sciences Research Project of the Education Department of Heilongjiang Province (12544029).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Liu, B., Liu, Z. & Chen, L. Development of a social responsibility scale for Chinese university students. Curr Psychol 39, 115–120 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9743-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9743-0