Measurement Invariance of English and Amharic Language Versions of the Multi-group Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) in Ethiopian Context

Abstract

This study aimed to examine measurement invariance (configural, metric, scalar and residual) of English and Amharic language versions of the Multi-group Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) on a sample of Ethiopian public university students (n = 286, for the English and n = 343 for the Amharic versions). After establishing a baseline model of the scale using CFA, we assessed the four levels of measurement invariance, applying more stringent and increasingly restrictive multi-group confirmatory factor analyses. We used chi-square differences and alternative fit indices to determine model fit. In the configural invariance testing of the arrangement across groups, the parameters were freely estimated in each group. For the metric, scalar, and residual, the parameters were tested with the imposition of the equality constraints. The partial invariance model finally yielded ∆CFI = .003, ∆RMSEA = -.002 and ∆SRMR = 0. The results, in general, showed that the national identity scale in the English and Amharic language versions showed measurement invariance. The tool in the Amharic version was reliable and valid to measure the national identity construct among public university students. We hope that this work will encourage researchers to further examine this topic, aiming at upholding togetherness and peaceful coexistence. Besides, the present study’s result can be taken as an integral part of the knowledge domain of social identity, adding a methodological body of literature to the field.