ESTABLISHING CONTENT VALIDITY OF THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS VIOLENCE QUESTIONNAIRE (ATVQ) FOR JUVENILES IN MALAYSIAN PROBATION HOSTELS

Abstract

Attitudes towards violence are recognised as an important psychological construct in understanding aggressive behaviour and evaluating rehabilitation outcomes among juveniles. Reliable assessment of this construct is essential, particularly when instruments are adapted for use in different cultural and institutional settings. Before a questionnaire can be administered in empirical research, evidence should first be established to demonstrate that its content is relevant and appropriate for the intended context. This study aimed to establish the content validity of the Attitude Towards Violence Questionnaire (ATVQ) adopted for juveniles residing in Malaysian probation hostels. The questionnaire was adapted from two established instruments, namely the Attitudes Toward Violence Scale (ATV) and the Attitudes Toward Interpersonal Peer Violence Scale (ATIPV), while retaining all original items. A panel of nine experts with expertise in psychology, juvenile rehabilitation, counselling, psychometric assessment, and behavioural intervention evaluated seven content validation statements using a five-point rating scale. Content validity was determined using the Item-level Content Validity Index (I-CVI), the Scale-level Content Validity Index based on the Average method (S-CVI/Ave), and the Scale-level Content Validity Index based on Universal Agreement (S-CVI/UA). The findings showed that the questionnaire achieved an S-CVI/Ave of 0.81, indicating satisfactory overall content validity. Individual item agreement ranged from 0.56 to 1.00, while the S-CVI/UA was 0.14. Although several items received comparatively lower agreement, the overall findings suggest that the questionnaire demonstrates acceptable content validity for subsequent psychometric evaluation. The study provides preliminary evidence supporting the use of the ATVQ in future research involving juveniles residing in Malaysian probation hostels and offers an initial methodological foundation for further reliability and construct validation.