Exploratory Factor Analysis: Evaluating the Validity and Reliability of the Middle Leader Competency Model

Abstract

Competency model is a tool designed for assessing the quality standards of effective educational leaders in school. However, the validity and reliability of the competency model using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) has not been studied extensively. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the usability of the competency model of middle leaders in primary school in Malaysia through EFA. This study employed a qualitative approach using a survey method with the use of a questionnaire as the instrument of the study. The study instrument contains four constructs namely Leadership, Instructional, Governance and Self-Emotion with a total of 90 items collectively. A total of 179 respondents participated in this pilot study. The validity and reliability of the instrument were obtained through descriptive analysis of Cronbach\'s Alpha reliability and EFA using SPSS software. The overall analysis showed that 68 items met the appropriateness of EFA with a KMO value of more than 0.6, and the value of Bartlett\'s test is significant, eigenvalue is greater than 1.0 at percentage of variance greater than 60 percent. The remaining 22 items were dropped. The value of Cronbach\'s Alpha coefficient is more than 0.70 for all four main constructs of the study. The findings show that the research instrument has high validity and reliability and has the potential to be used as a guide in the development of middle leader competency in schools. Furthermore, the findings are also able to make a positive impact to achieve the fifth shift in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 aspirations