Beyond Factorial Validity: A Cross-National Rasch and Differential Item Functioning Analysis of University Students’ Perceptions of the Learning Environment Across One Indonesian and One Chinese University

This study aimed to validate a multidimensional learning environment instrument and examine its cross-national measurement properties among university students from one Indonesian university and one Chinese university. A cross sectional study was conducted involving 480 undergraduate students, comprising 240 students from each participating institution. The instrument was evaluated using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MGCFA), Rasch measurement analysis, and Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analysis. The findings supported four factor structure comprising Active Learning and Peer Collaboration, Instructional Support and Academic Justice, Physical Learning Environment and External Support, and Psychological Safety and Sense of Belonging. MGCFA was used to examine measurement equivalence across the two institutional groups, while Rasch analysis demonstrated satisfactory reliability, separation, and item functioning. Nevertheless, several items exhibited DIF between students from the Indonesian and Chinese universities, suggesting that some items may be interpreted differently within distinct educational contexts. These findings highlight the importance of integrating construct level validation and item level analysis to establish more rigorous and context sensitive measurement approaches for cross national studies of student learning environments.