RASCH MEASUREMENT ANALYSIS IN INSTRUMENT EVALUATION FOR THE BRIEF INDEX OF SELF- ACTUALIZATION

The Brief Index of Self-actualization is a 44-item instrument developed by Sumerlin and Bundrick (1996) based on Maslow s model of self-actualization. This instrument has been translated from English to Malay. An analysis of the 44 items was conducted to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the instrument prior to administration to the sample of this study among academically talented students in Malaysia. The pilot study was conducted using 74 16-year-old academic high achieving students. The analysis enabled identification of the construct reliability measured in this study. Some of the items have been identified as misfit and these items in particular were proposed for reanalysis before being discarded. Findings of this study suggest that academically talented students do experience self-actualization but there is still room for improvement on their self-identity. The implication of this study expands the development of knowledge on self-actualization of academically talented high achieving students. Further exploratory studies may focus on the seven aspects of the self-actualization index in order to deductively increase the consistency of Maslow s theory and model. Therefore, the findings may contribute by providing new knowledge on the type of experiences and changes students undergo as they develop.