Volume 12, Issue 8 (August 2025), Pages: 118-128
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Original Research Paper
Measurement invariance of the Arabic version of the WHOQOL-BREF among special education teachers
Author(s):
Mohamed Mohamedalhadi Hassan Suliman 1, Bander M. Almohayya 2, *
Affiliation(s):
1Psychology Department, College of Education, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia 2Department of Special Education, College of Education, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia
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* Corresponding Author.
Corresponding author's ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2798-8912
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.08.012
Abstract
This study aimed to validate the Arabic version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life: Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) using a convenience sample of 232 special education teachers. The scale’s psychometric properties were assessed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and measurement invariance testing. EFA supported a four-factor structure explaining 55.87% of the variance, and the scale demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = .923; McDonald’s omega = .921). Convergent validity was confirmed by a significant positive correlation with the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS), while discriminant validity was supported by a significant negative correlation with the Health and Suffering Scale (HSS; r = –0.539, p = .001). Additionally, the QOLS was negatively correlated with the HSS (r = –0.589, p = .001), reinforcing the validity of the chosen quality-of-life measures. CFA confirmed the four-factor model, and multi-group CFA showed measurement invariance across gender but not across educational levels. Model fit was slightly weaker for the bachelor’s group compared to the master’s and Ph.D. groups. The study concludes with a discussion of its limitations and implications.
© 2025 The Authors. Published by IASE.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Keywords
Quality of life, Arabic validation, WHOQOL-BREF, Psychometric analysis, Special education
Article history
Received 28 January 2025, Received in revised form 20 May 2025, Accepted 16 July 2025
Acknowledgment
No Acknowledgment.
Compliance with ethical standards
Ethical considerations
This study was approved by the Scientific Research Ethics Committee of the University of Hail. All participants were informed about the nature and purpose of the research and provided digital informed consent prior to participation. Participation was voluntary, and confidentiality and anonymity of responses were ensured throughout the study. The research complied with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Citation:
Suliman MMH and Almohayya BM (2025). Measurement invariance of the Arabic version of the WHOQOL-BREF among special education teachers. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(8): 118-128
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Figures
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Tables
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