association for the study and development of community the sense of community (sci) index revised:...

Association for the Study and Development of Community

The Sense of Community (SCI) The Sense of Community (SCI) Index Revised: The Reliability and Index Revised: The Reliability and

the Validity of the SCI-2the Validity of the SCI-2

David M. Chavis & Kien LeeAssociation for the Study and Development of Community

Joie AcostaRAND CorporationWashington, DC


Background• The 12-item SCI is theory based

• Short and easy to administer

• It has had adequate reliability and strong validity.

• Relations established with behaviors, community conditions, and psychological well being

• Has been used successfully cross culturally

Concerns

• Subscales have inconsistent reliability

• The true-false response set has limited variability.

• Its adequacy as a cross-cultural measure has been questioned.

• Not easily adaptable across settings

• Did not reflect more recent research findings



SCI-2• ASDC research team created SCI-2, which covered the

same attributes in the original theory, plus recent findings.

• SCI-2 has 24 items and a likert-like scale (0=not at all, 1=somewhat, 2=mostly, 3=completely).

• Original draft was piloted with 36 people in seven different cultural and organizational settings in Maryland and Hawaii.

• Pilot-test participants were asked to answer the questions with a certain setting in mind.

• Strong reliability was found. (.944, n=36)

• Some item statements were rephrased based on piloting study participant suggestions.


SCI-2 Items• Reinforcement of needs

– I get important needs of mine met because I am part of this community.

– Community members and I value the same things.– This community has been successful in getting the needs of its

members met.– Being a member of this community makes me feel good.– When I have a problem, I can talk about it with members of this

community.– People in this community have similar needs, priorities, and

goals.


SCI-2 Items (cont’d)• Membership

– I can trust people in this community.– I can recognize most of the members of this

community.– Most community members know me.– This community has symbols and expressions of

membership such as clothes, signs, art, architecture, logos, landmarks, and flags that people can recognize.

– I put a lot of time and effort into being part of this community.

– Being a member of this community is a part of my identity.


SCI-2 Items (cont’d)

• Influence– Fitting into this community is important to me.– This community can influence other communities.– I care about what other community members think of

me.– I have influence over what this community is like.– If there is a problem in this community, members can

get it solved.– This community has good leaders.


SCI-2 Items (cont’d)

• Shared emotional connection– It is very important to me to be a part of this

community.– I am with other community members a lot and enjoy

being with them.– I expect to be a part of this community for a long time.– Members of this community have shared important

events together, such as holidays, celebrations, or disasters.

– I feel hopeful about the future of this community.– Members of this community care about each other.


Testing of SCI-2• 1,800 immigrants and receiving community members in

19 geographic areas across Colorado state, selected using a a stratified snowball sampling method.

• Participants were given a $15 gift card.

• Trained and bilingual interviewers administered the questionnaire.

• Questionnaire was on optical scan form available in English and Spanish languages.

• Setting where immigrants and receiving community members most frequently interacted was the referent.


Sample

• A 88.5 % response rate (1,594 people [753 immigrants and 841 receiving community members]).

• Immigrants were primarily people who self-identified as Mexican or Hispanic/Latino and Spanish-speaking or bilingual; majority 34 years old and younger.

• Receiving community members were primarily people who self-identified as American and Hispanic/Latino; majority 35 years old and older.


Results

Common Immigrant-Receiving Community Settings

Immigrant

%

Receiving Community %

Workplace 41.2 35.0

Neighborhood 13.7 16.8

Difference between average SCI-2 score for immigrant and receiving community (38.8 vs. 37.4) (p < 0.05)


Reliability of SCI-2

Receiving Community

Immigrant

= .946 =.938

= .940


Validity of SCI-2

The validity of the SCI-2 was determined by its relationship to

• Life satisfaction

• Civic and political participation

• Cultural and community participation


Validity of SCI-2

Correlation with life satisfaction

.320 (p < .01 level, 2-tailed)

Correlation with civic and political participation


Correlation with cultural and social participation



Conclusion

• SCI-2 appears to be reliable and valid across cultures, languages, and settings.

• Where to download?

www.senseofcommunity.com

www.capablecommunity.com

[email protected]

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