Psychometric validation of the emotional creativity inventory in an Egyptian context

Abstract The study aimed to evaluate the factorial validity, internal consistency, and reliability of the Shortened Emotional Creativity Inventory (ECI-S) among Egyptian university students. A total of 1084 undergraduate and postgraduate students from several Egyptian universities completed the Egyptian Arabic version of the ECI-S through an online survey. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the three-factor structure comprising Preparedness, Novelty, and Authenticity. Reliability was assessed using McDonald’s omega coefficients, alongside item-total correlations. The results supported the hypothesized three-dimensional model, demonstrating acceptable model fit (CFI = 0.953, TLI = 0.949, SRMR = 0.067, and RMSEA = 0.012, with a 90% CI of [0.000, 0.028]). All items loaded significantly on their respective latent factors, providing evidence of factorial validity. McDonald’s omega coefficients indicated satisfactory internal consistency for each subscale and for the total score, supporting the reliability of the instrument. Moreover, substantial correlations between subdimensions and the overall emotional creativity score provided further evidence of structural coherence. These findings support the factorial validity and internal consistency of the Egyptian Arabic version of the ECI-S within the current sample. The evaluated scale offers researchers and practitioners a tool for investigating emotional creativity within the Egyptian university context.