Development and construct validation of the Korean Competence Scale (KSC)

A comprehensive Korean competence scale (KCS) designed for Korean older adults, was developed and its construct validity evaluated. KCS assesses their higher levels of functional competence than activities of daily livings (ADL), necessary for independence in the home and community. The internal structure of the scale was tested using an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis with two elderly Korean sample groups. As expected, the exploratory factor analysis result demonstrated a three-factor solution comprised of the following three domains: instrumental self-maintenance, intellectual activity, and social role. The confirmatory factor analysis results showed that an acceptable solution could be estimated for a second-order factor model comprised of these factors. These findings provide evidence for the construct validity of the instrument and have implications for future research on factorial invariance.