Assessing Attitudes Toward Institutional Authority In Higher Education: Psychometric Validation of The Aai-A Among Honduran University Students

Attitudes toward institutional authority constitute a relevant psychoso- cial construct associated with normative compliance, behavioral regulation, and institutional coexistence. Although prior research has extensively examined this construct in adolescent and secondary school populations, limited evidence exists regarding its assessment within higher education contexts, particularly in Latin American settings. Furthermore, there is a need for culturally adapted and psy- chometrically validated instruments capable of reliably measuring these attitudes among university students. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Attitudes Toward Institutional Authority in Adolescence Scale (AAI-A) in a sample of Honduran university students. A quantitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive de- sign was employed. The sample consisted of 294 students aged 18 to 24 years, selected through convenience sampling. The instrument was administered indi- vidually through a digital format. Reliability analyses were conducted using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega coefficients, and an exploratory factor analysis was performed using the Maximum Likelihood method with promax ro- tation to examine factorial structure. Results indicated acceptable internal con- sistency (α = 0.7123; ω = 0.7282) and supported a stable bifactorial structure composed of positive attitudes toward institutional authority and positive atti- tudes toward rule transgression, although in a reduced version of the scale. De- scriptive findings revealed predominantly positive attitudes toward authority, alongside moderate tolerance toward rule-breaking behaviors. The study pro- vides evidence supporting the validity and reliability of the adapted instrument and contributes a culturally relevant tool for assessing attitudes toward institu- tional authority in higher education context