VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF A WATER LITERACY INSTRUMENT FOR LOWER SECONDARY STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

Water literacy is increasingly recognised as a crucial component of environmental sustainability, particularly in strengthening students’ understanding of water resources, pollution, and basic water treatment processes. Effective water literacy education depends on the availability of scientifically sound, contextually appropriate measurement instruments. In Malaysia, however, locally evaluated instruments for assessing water literacy among lower secondary students remain limited, particularly those aligned with water science and water management perspectives. This study reports an initial psychometric evaluation of a multidimensional water literacy instrument developed for Malaysian lower secondary students. The instrument was adapted from established water literacy studies and comprised 50 items across three domains: water knowledge (20 multiple-choice items), water attitudes (15 items), and water-related behaviours (15 items). Knowledge items assessed fundamental concepts related to water resources, water pollution, and basic water treatment, while attitude and behaviour items were measured using a five-point Likert scale. Content validity was examined through expert judgement from six subject-matter experts in water treatment, environmental chemistry, sustainable water infrastructure, environmental education, and secondary-level pedagogy, using item- and scale-level Content Validity Index (CVI). A pilot study involving 30 Malaysian lower secondary students was conducted to assess internal consistency reliability. The findings demonstrated high overall content validity (S-CVI/Ave = 0.953). Reliability results indicated high internal consistency for the knowledge domain (KR-20 = 0.864), good reliability for attitudes (α = 0.805), and acceptable reliability for behaviours (α = 0.702). Overall, the results provide preliminary psychometric evidence supporting the instrument’s suitability for continued validation and use in assessing water literacy among Malaysian lower secondary students.

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