The factorial validity of a behavioral acculturation questionnaire: evidence for the Bi-dimensional model

In the present study, a 10-item acculturation questionnaire focusing on behavior was developed and assessed for its factorial validity. Acculturation is measured using two separate subscales: one representing the relationships with the mainstream culture and the other representing the relationships with the heritage culture. An item pool consisting of 64 behavioral acculturation statements belonging to five broad content domains (language, culture, cultural activities, behavioral rules, social relationships) was generated. Based upon a sample of 306 Turkish and Moroccan immigrants living in Belgium, the best item referring to the mainstream culture and the best item referring to the heritage culture was selected for each domain. In this way the number of items was reduced to 10. By applying confirmatory factor analysis on the 10-item version, two almost unrelated factors (relationship with the mainstream culture and relationship with the heritage culture) were identified. Moreover, this structure was confirmed in a second sample of adult immigrants (N = 306) and a sample of immigrant adolescents (N = 283) of Turkish and Moroccan origin