A validation study of the Korean version of the Minnesota Self-Determination Scales (K-MSDS) for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Abstract

It has been reported that self-determination is closely associated with desirable transition outcomes of an individual. There are, however, few Korean self-determination measures reporting the technical characteristics and merits of the measures. The purpose of this study is to examine the reliability and validity of a Korean version of the Minnesota Self-Determination Scales (Abery, Smith, Stancliffe, & Elkin 2000). Participants were forty adults with intellectual disabilities who resided in the three group homes and one residential institution in a city of South Korea. A Korean version of the Minnesota Self-Determination Scales (K-MSDS) was translated and back-translated by the investigator and associated research team members for the study. The K-MSDS was administered to the participants in an interview format. Nine culturally inappropriate items were identified and modified by the investigator. Investigation of the test-retest reliability, internal consistency reliability, and criterion-related concurrent validity were the focus of this study. The test-retest reliability results indicated that the K-MSDS had strong correlations ranging from .842 to .943 (Pearson’s r). The K-MSDS had strong internal consistency ranging from .967 to 993 (Cronbach’s α). Correlations for the criterionrelated concurrent validity were computed between the K-MSDS and a Korean version of Arc’s Self-Determination Scale (K-SDS). The results indicated that there were acceptable correlations between the K-SDS and the K-MSDS ranging from .509 to .514 (Pearson’s r). However, the test-retest reliability and criterion-related concurrent validity within a few domains of the K-MSDS were low.