Gender Equality, Diversity, and Social Inclusion: Validation and Development of an Instrument for Higher Education

Gender Equality, Diversity, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) are critical in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals number 4 (Quality Education), number 5 (Gender Equality), and number 10 (Reduced Inequalities), impacting various aspects of society, organizations, and individual well-being. While GEDSI remains a pressing concern worldwide, this study aims to design an instrument for the GEDSI situationer tool for students, administrative staff, and faculty members. The instrument undergoes a thorough validation and development process utilizing a mixed-method design. First, the item is designed through Focus Group Interviews (FGIs) on GEDSI in a prominent state university in the Philippines. Through exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using survey responses from 374 students and PLS-SEM for 40 faculty and 51 administrative staff, the study found that the data met all four fit statistics cutoffs, including Cronbach Alpha (α) ≥ 0.9, excellent in most of the factors except for factor 1 of the Student Tool, which has a score of 0.78 (acceptable), item loadings, average variance extracted (AVE), and composite reliability results. The validated GEDSI Situationer Tool is a reliable instrument for assessing and addressing gender-related issues in the institution. This would help make evidence-based decisions and develop solutions to create a more inclusive and equitable environment.