Toward a reliable and valid measure of institutional mission and values perception: the DePaul values inventory

Across three studies, the development of a reliable and valid measure of perceptions by students of an urban, private, faith-based teaching university's mission and values was assessed. Study 1 presented scale construction and reliability of the DePaul Values Inventory (DeVI) with undergraduates (n = 111), yielding a final 22-item rating scale with four subscales. Study 2 supported the psychometric structure of the DeVI through a confirmatory factor analysis (n = 292). Study 3 assessed the DeVI's discriminant validity by correlating scores with social desirability and personal values surveys (n = 106). Overall, the DeVI was determined to be a reliable and valid measure of students' perceptions of an institution's mission and values, regardless of student gender, and independent of one's personal values even controlling for social approval tendencies. Future studies should examine the DeVI and its applicability for other similar institutions of higher learning.