The Validation of the Danish Version of the Santa Barbara Sense of Direction Scale (SBSoDDK) and a Comparison of Performance on the SBSoD Across Samples with Different Nationalities

TL;DR

This study validated a Danish version of a self-report scale measuring sense of direction and found differences across nationalities, possibly due to cultural factors.

Contribution

The study provides validation of the Danish version of the SBSoD and compares performance across different national samples.

Findings

The Danish version of the SBSoD (SBSoDDK) showed good internal consistency and validity.

Performance on the SBSoD varied across nationalities, potentially reflecting cultural differences in spatial orientation.

The scale has a two-factor structure confirmed in the Danish sample.

Abstract

The Santa Barbara Sense of Direction scale (SBSoD) is a self-report scale that assesses the ability to orient oneself in the environment. With the current study, we validated the Danish version of the SBSoD (SBSoDDK) and compared performance on the SBSoD across samples with different nationalities. We collected data for a Danish sample consisting of 119 Danish university students and received data from studies validating other versions of the SBSoD using American, German, Japanese, Chinese, Turkish, and British samples. The internal consistency and convergent and discriminant validity of the SBSoDDK, which exhibited a two-factor structure, were affirmed, and differences in performance on the SBSoD across samples with different nationalities were identified and may be linked to cultural variations in the sense of direction. The current study has certain weaknesses, including using nationality as a proxy for culture and variations in the gender compositions of the samples. Future studies should focus on addressing the current study’s weaknesses and revising and further validating the SBSoD.

Figures