Abstract
Orientation: Self-leadership is considered to be essential for effective individual functioning in occupational and academic contexts. The revised self-leadership questionnaire (RSLQ) is widely utilised for measuring self-leadership, but its psychometric properties have not been established on a South African sample. By implication, important questions also exist about the theoretical structure of self-leadership in the South African context. Research purpose: The research aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and factorial validity of the revised self-leadership questionnaire on a South African sample. In doing so, the results of the research would also provide valuable insights into the latent factor structure of the self-leadership construct. Motivation for the study: On a practical level, the research sought internal validity evidence for the use of the RSLQ in the South African context. On a theoretical level, questions remain about the best conceptual representation of self-leadership as a construct. Research design, approach and method: The revised self-leadership questionnaire was administered to a non-probability sample of 375 South African young adults. The first and second-order factor structure underlying contemporary models of self-leadership using confirmatory factor analytic techniques was tested. Main findings: Results showed that the RSLQ measured self-leadership with suitable reliability and internal validity. All eight subscales had high internal consistency coefficients. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the first and second-order models conclusively demonstrated good factorial validity. Practical/managerial implications: The study found that the RSLQ has good measurement properties for a South African context. Academics, practitioners and managers are urged to use the measure in its present form for applications such as leadership development and promoting self-management. Contribution/value-addition: The study extends the body of psychometric evidence supporting the use of the revised self-leadership questionnaire in the South African milieu. The researchers have further indicated that self-leadership can be represented by a hierarchical latent factor structure, where a general factor drives more specific dimensions of self-leadership.
Highlights
Research problemThe bulk of studies on the measurement properties of the revised self-leadership questionnaire (RSLQ) were conducted in the USA, Europe and Asia; it was considered important that local validation of the measure precedes its use in a South African setting
Missing values In order to ensure that all cases formed part of the analyses, the researchers analysed the extent of missing values
Item analysis Item analysis using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) reliability procedure (IBM Corporation, 2011) was performed on the items of the revised self-leadership questionnaire
Summary
The bulk of studies on the measurement properties of the revised self-leadership questionnaire (RSLQ) were conducted in the USA, Europe and Asia (for a review, see Houghton et al, 2012); it was considered important that local validation of the measure precedes its use in a South African setting. The main research question of the study was : Is the revised self-leadership questionnaire a reliable and valid measure of self-leadership on a South African sample? The primary objective of this study was to test the reliability and construct and/or factorial validity of the RSLQ on a South African sample. Houghton and Neck (2002) found that a secondorder factor structure, where general self-leadership affects various more specific self-leadership facets, provided a more parsimonious fit to their research data. A secondorder model provides a view of self-leadership that is more ‘harmonious with self-leadership
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have