Psychometric Qualities of the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory–Short Form for Malaysian Undergraduate Students

The present study examined the factorial structure, reliability, and concurrent validity of the 5-item Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory–Short Form (PFAI–SF) based on 396 Malaysian undergraduates’ responses to the PFAI–SF and a 12-item self-rated creativity scale. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the hypothetical one-factor model was not fit to the data. A modified model with an error covariance between items 1 and 2 was satisfactory instead. On an exploratory basis, item 2 was removed and the one-factor model with four items also showed good model fit. Moreover, both five-item and four-item models showed good internal consistency and concurrent validity. The latter was supported by the negative relationship between PFAI–SF and creativity scores. Overall, the present study provides empirical evidence to the usability of the PFAI–SF in the Malaysian context. Future researchers are encouraged to extend the scope of the investigation by exploring solutions to the suitability of item 2.