Development and initial validation of the short critical consciousness scale (CCS-S)

This paper reports the development and initial validation of the Short Critical Consciousness Scale (CCS-S), which measures critical consciousness via its three component parts: critical reflection, critical motivation, and critical action. In Study 1, we identified and extracted four subsets of items from the original Critical Consciousness Scale and from a validated critical motivation measure, creating the 14-item CCS-S while maintaining construct validity and the strong psychometric properties of the original sub-scales. In Study 2, we completed initial validation of the CCS-S with a larger-scale, independent sample (n = 4901; M-age = 14.69) and tested measurement invariance of the CCS-S across ethnic-racial, age, and gender groups. Measurement invariance was supported for each group. We conclude by considering implications and directions for future critical consciousness research, including recommendations for the use of the CCS-S in both research and applied settings.