Abstract
The present study examined the Active Listening Attitude Scale (ALAS) validity and reliability in a sample of 3955 Greek educators. The sample was randomly split and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted in the even subsample to evaluate the scale’s construct validity. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed in the odd subsample to confirm the three-factor model identified by the EFA. The chi square test (χ2) of the model was significant (p < 0.05), due to the large sample size. The root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), the comparative fit index (CFI) and the goodness of fit index (GFI) values were 0.079, 0.969 and 0.960, respectively, further supporting the fit of the three-factor model. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to test internal consistency reliability and was satisfactory exceeding 0.72 for ALAS subscales. The intercorrelations of the three subscales were all positive and significant (p < 0.001), ranging from 0.20 to 0.42. Student’s t-tests and the computation of effect sizes revealed that women scored higher on Listening Skill and Conversation Opportunity, while principals and participants trained on mental health promotion scored higher on all three subscales. The analyses confirmed the three-factor model of ALAS and demonstrated its validity and reliability in measuring Greek teachers’ active listening attitudes.
Highlights
The basis of all human relationships is the establishment of good communication among individuals, which can be enhanced by the use of communication skills [1,2,3]
The Active Listening Attitude Scale (ALAS) manufacturers originally conducted an exploratory factor analysis on a 47-item scale, identifying three distinct factors consisting of 31 items, which accounted for the 81.2% of the variance [34]
Note: items in italics had reverse coding; loadings over 0.4 are in bold; the three dimensional nature of the scale was confirmed with the exception of the items “I’m talking longer than the other person in spite of my intention to listen to him/her”, “I can listen to the other person, even if he/she has a different opinion from mine” that were excluded and the item “I listen to others absent-mindedly” that was loaded on the factor Listening Attitude instead of the factor Listening Skill
Summary
The basis of all human relationships is the establishment of good communication among individuals, which can be enhanced by the use of communication skills [1,2,3]. Sci. 2017, 6, 28 the things said [8,9] It includes maintaining eye contact, using encouraging non-verbal gestures such as nodding or smiling, and not interrupting the speaker [3,10]. Active listening was developed as a counselors’ technique for effective listening to their clients, according to the person-centered approach, but later on was applied in non-therapeutic situations as a tool for better communication [12] in different support and assistance offering professions beyond psychology and counseling, e.g., in medical and nursing staff [13,14,15] and in business management executives [16,17]. There have been studies which have focused on the development of scales assessing active listening, mainly in management (e.g., [34]), product sales (e.g., [29]), and medical services (e.g., [13]) contexts
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