extended · article · 2026

CONTENT VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE FUNCTIONAL ABILITIES ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT FOR PUPILS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Nur Liyana Mohd Nazli; Sau Cheong Loh; Yan-Li Siaw; William P. Fisher Jr.

Functional abilities encompass adaptive skills essential for developing independence in daily tasks, with rapid acquisition occurring during early childhood. Assessing these abilities is crucial in education programs to ensure timely interventions for learners with additional support needs. Even though international functional assessment tools are available, there are few validated instruments for Malaysian primary school pupils with special educational needs. Therefore, this study evaluates the content validity and reliability of a newly developed functional abilities assessment instrument for Malaysian primary school pupils with special educational needs. A multidisciplinary panel of experts reviewed the instrument for fairness, relevance, clarity, and ease of understanding. The Scale-Level Content Validity Index (S-CVI) results demonstrated strong agreement among experts. Some items w...