Background: The concept of agency is now regarded practically as a mantra in the human and social sciences (Durham, 2008). Besides that, the notion that children are not only objects of social structures and processes, but also active participants in their construction and determination, is now well-established in the literature, ranking the concept of agency among the most important theoretical contributions of the last two decades (Oswell, 2013; Prout & James, 1990). The purpose of this study was to develop a new quantitative measure of children's agency in Palestine. The study involves the creation of a new instrument (War Child Agency Assessment Scale, Palestinian version - WCAAS-Pal) to examine and assess children's agentic actions within their living environments and everyday lives from a socioecological and culturally and contextually aware perspective. Methods: The first sample (A) was composed of 1166 Palestinian children aged 9 to 14 years (m = 11.58). Children were recruited in different primary and lower secondary school locations covering three governorates in West Bank (Nablus, Jericho, and Bethlehem) and Jerusalem. Approximately 50% of participants were boys (n = 586). The exploration of the War Child Agency Assessment Scale - Palestinian version’s (WCAAS-Pal) measurement model, followed standard procedures for validating quantitative self-reports (Matsunaga, 2010; Mertler & Reinhart, 2016). This means that we evaluated the model of measurement of WCAAS-Pal using a sequential exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability analysis and test of convergent validity All phases of the research were conducted following the ethical guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association, 2013). Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Milano-Bicocca (Protocol N. 368). Findings: The results of the EFA suggested a baseline model of measurement composed of seven dimensions of agency in Palestinian children: National Identity, Freedom of movement, Living and political environment, Religion and spirituality, Play and leisure, Social Aspect and Education. Further assessment via CFA revealed a strong psychometric structure: .2(188)=564.4, p<.001, NNFI=.845, CFI= 874, RMSEA =.041, SRMR=.043. Both reliability and convergent analysis supported the adoption of the WCAAS-Pal as a robust quantitative tool. In addition, the model of measurement resulted to be invariant in both cohorts of girls and boys. Interpretation: The WCAAS-Pal invites us to investigate the possible function of agency in shielding children from traumas and buffering their mental health when exposed to war events and highly violent situations. WCAAS in its customized versions can be used to support research on the agency's involvement in protecting children's mental health during and after conflicts, depending on the culture, geographical location, and historical moment where the study would be conducted. WCAAS may have demonstrated its ability to capture influential cultural and context-specific features, recognizing the complex and multifaceted character of the idea of agency.
Veronese, G., El-Essawi, H., Cavazzoni, F., Pepe, A. (2022). Factor Structure and psychometric proprieties of the War Child Agency Assessment Scale, Palestinian version (WCAAS-Pal) in a large sample of Palestinian children. Intervento presentato a: Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance 12 conference, Ramallah.
Factor Structure and psychometric proprieties of the War Child Agency Assessment Scale, Palestinian version (WCAAS-Pal) in a large sample of Palestinian children
Veronese, G;Cavazzoni F;Pepe, A
2022
Abstract
Background: The concept of agency is now regarded practically as a mantra in the human and social sciences (Durham, 2008). Besides that, the notion that children are not only objects of social structures and processes, but also active participants in their construction and determination, is now well-established in the literature, ranking the concept of agency among the most important theoretical contributions of the last two decades (Oswell, 2013; Prout & James, 1990). The purpose of this study was to develop a new quantitative measure of children's agency in Palestine. The study involves the creation of a new instrument (War Child Agency Assessment Scale, Palestinian version - WCAAS-Pal) to examine and assess children's agentic actions within their living environments and everyday lives from a socioecological and culturally and contextually aware perspective. Methods: The first sample (A) was composed of 1166 Palestinian children aged 9 to 14 years (m = 11.58). Children were recruited in different primary and lower secondary school locations covering three governorates in West Bank (Nablus, Jericho, and Bethlehem) and Jerusalem. Approximately 50% of participants were boys (n = 586). The exploration of the War Child Agency Assessment Scale - Palestinian version’s (WCAAS-Pal) measurement model, followed standard procedures for validating quantitative self-reports (Matsunaga, 2010; Mertler & Reinhart, 2016). This means that we evaluated the model of measurement of WCAAS-Pal using a sequential exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability analysis and test of convergent validity All phases of the research were conducted following the ethical guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association, 2013). Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Milano-Bicocca (Protocol N. 368). Findings: The results of the EFA suggested a baseline model of measurement composed of seven dimensions of agency in Palestinian children: National Identity, Freedom of movement, Living and political environment, Religion and spirituality, Play and leisure, Social Aspect and Education. Further assessment via CFA revealed a strong psychometric structure: .2(188)=564.4, p<.001, NNFI=.845, CFI= 874, RMSEA =.041, SRMR=.043. Both reliability and convergent analysis supported the adoption of the WCAAS-Pal as a robust quantitative tool. In addition, the model of measurement resulted to be invariant in both cohorts of girls and boys. Interpretation: The WCAAS-Pal invites us to investigate the possible function of agency in shielding children from traumas and buffering their mental health when exposed to war events and highly violent situations. WCAAS in its customized versions can be used to support research on the agency's involvement in protecting children's mental health during and after conflicts, depending on the culture, geographical location, and historical moment where the study would be conducted. WCAAS may have demonstrated its ability to capture influential cultural and context-specific features, recognizing the complex and multifaceted character of the idea of agency.
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