Lifelong Learning Scale (Short Form): Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version
Elena Lo Piccolo, Marco Giovanni Mariani, Gerardo Petruzziello
The challenges and instability of the current labour market require a proactive approach, constantly aimed at updating one’s skills to safeguard one’s employability. Lifelong learning reflects this approach, being essential for exerting one’s potential in the labour market. This study aimed to perform a translation and adaptation of the Lifelong Learning Scale (in the short 7-item version) into Italian. To assess the internal validity, we evaluated the psychometric characteristics of the scale with 198 workers employed in the hospitality industry in Italy. An adaptation with the back-to-back translation method made it possible to evaluate the factorial structure of the scale at the confirmatory level and the internal consistency for internal validity, and the relationship with perceived employability allowed us to test external validity. A confirmatory factor analysis validated the factor structure with acceptable internal consistency indices. The significant relationship of the Lifelong Learning Scale with perceived employability corroborated the external validity. The results provide encouraging evidence about the validity of this scale, suggesting its effectiveness in research and intervention in the Italian context.
Keywords
Lifelong learning, Employability, Measurement tool, Psychometric Properties, Instrument validation.
