The Strategic Planning Attitude Scale: A Study of Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop a scale measuring attitudes toward strategic planning for primary and secondary school administrators. In the research, 498 school administrators (77 females, 421 males; 140 principles, 56 vice and 302 assistant administrators) consisted of the sampling group in three districts of Istanbul/Turkey according to the three different income levels. Study was completed at eight steps: (i) items were consisted, (ii) the study of content validation, (iii) the study of item-total point and item-remainder correlations, (iv) defining item-discrimination, (v) defining structure validation (a) exploratory factor analysis, (b) confirmatory factor analysis (vi) defining Cronbach Alpha coefficient, (vii) correlations between sub-scales and (viii) the level of confidence was explained with the method of test retest. Item-total point and item-remainder correlations of the scale were found to be statistically significant. Item discrimination index was significant at the level of p<.01 for all items and they were found significant for sub and top 27% group meanings. As a result of the exploratory factor analysis, it was observed that the scale had a five-factor structure. The subscales arc named as (i) Organizational Development, (i:) Distrust (iii) Productivity, (iv) Efficiency and (v) Resistance. Factor loadings of the sub-scales ranged from .41 to .87. Self value of scale was 20.33 and percent of variance explained was 58.11. Result of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the value of chi-square (X-2) and level of statically meaningful were enough for model suggested. Cronbach alpha coefficients of subscales ranged from .72 to .94 and for the total scale, it was .82. The test-retest coefficients ranged from .70 to .87. Findings showed that the scale had high internal consistency and validity in measuring the attitudes of school administrators towards strategic planning.