Examining the psychometric properties and factor structure of the intellectual humility scale in Iranian adults (مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)

چکیده

Background: Intellectual humility, as one of the important components of personality, plays a decisive role in decision-making, learning, and social interactions. Despite its importance, there are still limited valid tools for measuring this construct across the cultural context of Iran. Aims: The present study aimed to explore the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Intellectual Humility Scale of Alfano et al. (2017) among Iranian adults. Methods: The study was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population included all adults in West Azerbaijan province in 2024. A sample of 573 people (19 to 72 years old) was selected using the Cochrane formula and a cluster-random sampling method. The instruments used included the Intellectual modesty Scale (Alfano et al., 2017), the Honesty-Humility subscale of the Hexagon-60 questionnaire (Ashton and Lee, 2009), Openness to Experience from the Big Five (Costa and McCrae, 1992), and the Need for Cognition Questionnaire (Cacioppo and Petty, 1982). Data analysis was undertaken using SPSS-22 and LISREL 8.80. For factor structure analysis, the sample was split into two parts; Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed on the first part, while Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed on the second part. Results: In the exploratory factor analysis, four factors of “open-mindedness”, “intellectual humility”, “corrigibility”, and “engagement” were identified, which were consistent with the theoretical structure of the scale. The CFA results confirmed the favorable fit of the model (fit indices are reported). Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability coefficients were higher than 0.70 and the average variance extracted (AVE) was higher than 0.50. Also, the McDonald's omega coefficient for the dimensions was obtained between 0.71 and 0.84. The scale indicated a significant positive correlation with honesty-humility, need for cognition and openness to experience at the 0.01 level, reflecting its convergent and concurrent validity. Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that the Intellectual Humility Scale has good validity and reliability across the Iranian adult community and can be used as a valid tool in psychological research. However, the limitations of the study include focusing on one province and the self-report nature of the tools. It is suggested that future studies be conducted across more diverse communities and via multimodal methods.