Psychometric properties of the proactive attitude scale in students at the University of Hong Kong.

The 15-item Proactive Attitude Scale is defined as a unidimensional measure of belief in one's ability to effect positive life changes. The current study tested the scale's unidimensionality assumption with confirmatory factor analysis on a mixed sample of 157 fourth-year Bachelor of Education (n=30) and first year Masters of Education (n=121) students from The University of Hong Kong. 49 were men and 108 women, with a median age of 31 yr. The confirmatory factor analysis showed that a two-factor congeneric model fit the data significantly better than the unidimensional model. The two factors were characterized as reflecting proactive attitude and independent mindedness, respectively. The moderate correlation between these factors clearly defined them as reflecting distinct constructs, making untenable the scale's unidimensionality assumption.