Assessing the Performance of the Italian Translations of Modified MEIM, EIS and FESM Scales to Measure Ethnic Identity: A Case Study

Abstract

Measuring the ethnic identity of linguistic minorities is a research problem which can be tackled departing from a clear operational definition of the construct. This paper will present the performance of the Italian translations of various scales widely used in the relevant literature, which have been modified for the aims of this study and used in research conducted in 2016 in the ArberesheMunicipalities of Piana degli Albanesi and Santa Cristina Gela (Province of Palermo). These scales consist of modifications of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), Ethnic Identity Scale (EIS) and Familial Ethnic Socialization Measure (FESM). The psychometric properties were analysed for all these scales in terms of reliability and unidimensionality, using Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT). The latter proved useful in suggesting further improvements regarding the scales.