Asian American Identity Scale – AAI
Measures ethnic and racial identity among Asian Americans across four dimensions: Connectedness, Family Focus, Interdependent Achievement, and Awareness of Racism.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Asian American Identity Scale – AAI was developed by Daphna Oyserman & Izumi Sakamoto (1997). It is designed to measure Asian American ethnic identity. The scale is intended for use with Asian American adults and adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 12 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Connectedness, Family Focus, Interdependent Achievement, Awareness of Racism.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Connectedness | 1,2,3,4 | 4 |
| Family Focus | 5,6,7 | 3 |
| Interdependent Achievement | 8,9,10 | 3 |
| Awareness of Racism | 11,12 | 2 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree).
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 1 to 5. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low agreement / identification: 1 – 2
- Moderate / neutral agreement: 3 – 3
- High agreement / identification: 4 – 5
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Overall alpha = .72 (Connectedness = .77, Family Focus = .64, Interdependent Achievement = .72, Awareness of Racism = .63).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.