Resumen de The development and validation of a measurement instrument for assessing empathy and cultural diversity in a Spanish context

Francisco H. Machancoses, Fernando David Rubio Alcalá, Patricia Flor Arasil

• The Everyday Multicultural Competencies/Revised Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy (EMC/RSEE) assesses various dimensions related to intercultural interactions, including cultural openness, awareness of racism, empathy, resentment, and anxiety. The adaptation and validation of the EMC/RSEE in a Spanish sample will provide a valuable tool for researchers and practitioners interested in measuring intercultural competence in Spain, particularly in formal educational settings. A total of 533 multilingual students, all native Spanish, participated in this study, recruited from various Spanish universities ranging in age from 18 to 55 years (M = 22.47; SD = 4.59). The internal consistency and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics v.29 and EQS 6.4. The internal consistency indices for each dimension are similar to those reported in Finck et al. The 5-factor model proposed by them falls short of the desired threshold in SEM fit indices, and a second-order two-factor model is also inadequate too. Rather than a single scale with 5 dimensions, it appears that we are dealing with two scales: a ‘Cultural and Empathic Engagement’ scale with a positive orientation towards different cultures, and a ‘Cultural Tension and Self-Efficacy Concerns’ scale with a more negative orientation.