Adequacy of an English Version of the Kuwait University Anxiety Scale Based on Back Translation and Testing Bilingual Subjects

Abstract

An English version, a translation of the Kuwait University Anxiety Scale written originally in Arabic, was prepared. Several cycles of translation and back translation were carried out. Bilingual Arab college students, studying English language and literature ( N = 74) responded to the two versions of this scale in counterbalanced order. The correlation between the two forms was .96 denoting high cross-language equivalence. The nonsignificant mean difference for total scores between the two versions was an indication that they functioned as equivalent stimuli. Thus, the English version of the scale is highly recommended for use with English-speaking subjects.