Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Runco idea behavior scale in Chinese college students

This study aimed to revise the updated Chinese version of the Runco Ideation Behavior Scale (RIBS) and evaluate its reliability and validity among college students in Chinese Mainland. A total of 689 students completed the RIBS along with the College Students' Metacognitive Ability Scale and Creative Self-efficacy Scale as criterion measures. 488 of these participants were retested after an 8-week interval for test-retest reliability analysis while data from 825 primary and secondary school students were used for robustness analysis. EFA and CFA results indicated that 7 items with poor psychometric properties were eliminated, resulting in a 16-item revised RIBS with a stable two-factor structure (Openness-divergence, Premature closure) that was consistent with the original scale; the bifactor model of this structure showed excellent model fit (SRMR = 0.042, CFI = 0.937, TLI = 0.913, RMSEA = 0.074). Multi-group CFA confirmed strict measurement invariance (configural, metric, scalar) of the 16-item RIBS across gender, ethnicity, and only-child status. The revised scale exhibited high internal consistency (Cronbach's α: total scale = 0.910, subscales = 0.840–0.901) and acceptable 8-week test-retest reliability (ICC: 0.651–0.685). Significant positive correlations were observed between the revised RIBS's total and subscale scores and metacognitive ability, as well as creative self-efficacy and TTCT task, supporting good criterion-related validity. A supplementary sensitivity analysis with an expanded sample of 825 students (7–17 years) further verified the structural stability of the scale across different age and educational stages. The updated Chinese version of the RIBS demonstrates satisfactory psychometric properties among Chinese students and can be used to assess their everyday creativity.