Face Validity Assessment of Malaysian Teachers’ Global Competency Instrument using Face Validity Index Analysis from Potential Test-takers’ Perspective

In the VUCA era (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous), global competency is a key proficiency that teachers must possess to produce students who can think openly, act responsibly, and interact across cultural boundaries. Developing an instrument to measure the level of global competency among teachers in Malaysia requires validity, particularly from non-expert groups such as potential test-takers. This study reported the findings of a quantitative survey design to evaluate the face validity of the global competency instrument by ten teachers who represented the target population of potential test takers. The clarity and comprehensibility of the items were assessed using a four-point Likert scale and analyzed with the face validity index (FVI) through the calculation of item-level FVI (I-FVI), scale-level FVI average (S-FVI/Ave), and scale-level FVI universal agreement (S-FVI/UA). A total of 68 items achieved an I-FVI value of ? 0.83, while the remaining eight items recorded values between 0.70 and 0.80. The overall S-FVI/Ave and S-FVI/UA values were 0.97 and 0.84, respectively, indicating a good level of clarity and comprehensibility of the items. This study emphasized the crucial role of face validity in ensuring the clarity, comprehensibility, and usability of an instrument by end-users. The systematic use of the FVI approach enhances transparency and precision in evaluating perceptions of item clarity and comprehensibility, hence supporting the recommendation of FVI as a fundamental procedure in instrument development studies, before proceeding to more complex stages of content and construct validity. It also underlines the importance of face validity evaluation from the perspective of potential test takers.