Scale Development Methodology Research Articles

A novel approach to measure perceived customer centricity in the passenger airline industry: Index development and validation

This study addresses a significant gap in current research by developing and validating a comprehensive index for measuring perceived customer centricity in the passenger airline industry. The index was derived using a rigorous scale development methodology based on three surveys with a total of 963 participants. The process involved construct definition, item generation, and item validation through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The final measurement index comprises 19 items across four dimensions (Customer Care & Experience, Communication & Product, Sustainability, and Value) and demonstrates strong discriminant and convergent validity, providing a reliable tool for assessing customer perceptions. Therefore, this research introduces the first validated measure of perceived customer centricity specifically designed for the airline industry and offers practical insights for airline managers, enabling them to identify specific areas where customer perceptions fall short and to make targeted improvements. Additionally, the index serves as an alternative to the industry-wide adopted Net Promoter Score (NPS). It extends current literature by providing an industry-specific scale and offers a practical instrument for enhancing customer-centric strategies in real-world applications, thereby fostering long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. Additionally, it provides empirical evidence of the multidimensional nature of customer centricity and offers a validated tool that can be applied in future research to explore customer perceptions and their impact on airline performance, thus satisfying both practical and academic needs.

Technology paternalism: Development and validation of a measurement scale

AbstractAs technologies become smarter, they tend to protect their users, much like parents protect their children. However, caring too much about a user can lead to technology paternalism, a construct that is becoming increasingly relevant with the advent of smart technologies. Nonetheless, very little is known about what technology paternalism is or how it can be measured. The authors applied established procedures from scale development methodology followed by quantitative measurement to present and validate a three‐factor scale (limiting, overruling, and welfare). The approach offers first empirical evidence linking technology paternalism to associated concepts, showing that it correlates as expected with established constructs in the literature on technology acceptance. This study contributes to the literature by uncovering a construct of interest to a critical discussion of technology paternalism and by providing a measurement tool that can be used by researchers, policy makers, and managers.

Construction of a Scale to Measure Correlates of Adoption of Sustainable Domains in On-Farm Testing Interventions

The study was conducted in 2023 with an aim to identify SRDs and develop a reliable scale for adoption correlates within these domains. The development of the scale follows a systematic Likert scale development methodology involving identification of SRDs of OFT interventions, delineation of different dimensions of each correlate of adoption, dimension analysis and selection, and its standardisation by reliability and validity assessment. The final scale comprises 32 dimensions under seven adoption correlates, selected via exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and item discrimination index calculation. The scale demonstrated strong content, construct, and convergent validity, with an average variance extracted (AVE) value of 0.69 and composite reliability (CR) score of 0.97. It also exhibited high internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.97 and a split-half reliability coefficient of 0.963. The standardized scale is effective for measuring factors related to the adoption of improved technologies and practices, providing a valuable tool for researchers in various fields. The administration of the developed scale and the subsequent correlation analysis revealed significant relationships, with human resource correlates showing the highest correlation (r = 0.895), followed closely by technological (r = 0.872) and economic correlates (r = 0.87), underscoring the critical factors influencing farmers’ adoption behaviour.

A measurement instrument for the “ten principles of good BPM”

PurposeThe ten principles of good business process management (BPM) support organizations in planning and scoping the organizations' BPM approach. Derived from literature and expert panels, the principles received much attention both in research and practice. This article develops a measurement instrument to operationalize the principles and to support organizations in measuring the degree to which they incorporate the principles in their BPM approach, that way advancing their BPM capabilities.Design/methodology/approachThe authors applied the scale-development methodology, because this methodology is an established approach consisting of various techniques to develop measurement instruments. First, the authors used established techniques to develop such an instrument. Then, the authors assessed the validity and reliability of the developed instrument through a field survey with 345 participants.FindingsThe authors developed a valid and reliable measurement instrument for the ten principles of good BPM. The field survey's results reveal that the measurement instrument meets all required methodological standards. The instrument, thus, can be applied to help process owners and managers to evaluate their BPM approach and plan future actions based on potential shortcomings. Future research can both use and further develop the instrument, which serves as a conceptualization of the principles.Originality/valueThis study is the first to provide a measurement instrument for assessing an organizations' BPM practice against the ten principles of good BPM, which have become established as a much-considered and widely-used source of reference both in academia and practice. The authors also discuss how the instrument compares to and distinguishes from existing approaches to qualify BPM approaches, thus communicating the significance of the instrument.

Development of a scale to measure fishers’ attitude towards responsible fishing

The right to fish carries along with it an obligation to do fishing responsibly which is the fundamental principle of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (FAO-CCRF). There exist challenges in implementation of responsible fishing practices globally and hence appropriate communication, knowledge mobilisation and education across stakeholders are to be encouraged to achieve effective fisheries management systems. Understanding the attitude of fishers is important in achieving the goal of conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources. Attitude act as the determinant of converting covert behaviour into overt action. It is rooted in motivation, which provides a meaningful background for individuals’ overt behaviour. Perspective of fishers with respect to sustainable fishery systems is an important aspect to be studied in fishery governance. To measure this psychological construct, we need to use, standardised scales. There is no standardised scale available for measuring attitude of fishers towards responsible fishing. This paper discusses the development of Responsible Fishing Attitude (RFA) scale using Likert type scale development methodology. Conceptual dimensions of responsible fishing were delineated for attitude statement generation. The final Likert scale was having 13 statements with moderately high reliability and validity and can be administered to respondents on a 5-point continuum. Keywords: Fishery extension, Likert scale, Responsible fishing, Scale development

Development and Validation of Ecotourism Smartphone Application Scale (ESAS) and General Experience Scale (GES)

The proliferation of mobile technology has significantly changed non-traditional tourism types such as the ecotourism sector and thus significantly impacted visitors’ experience at tourism sites. However, there is a lack of instrumentation to assess the visitors’ experience with mobile technology and the general experience of the visitors at ecotourism sites. This research aims at establishing and validating the instruments to measure the visitors’ experience with and without mobile technology. A standard psychometric scale development methodology was utilised to develop and validate the scales. Three hundred participants responded to the online advertisement and participated in this research. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS. Findings from Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) revealed the multi-factor attributes of visitors’ experience with the smartphone app and general experience for the ecotourism site. The Ecotourism Smartphone Application (ESAS) yielded five factors: App Ease of Use, Mobile App Usability, App Utilitarian Value, App loyalty, and App Meaningful Experience; whilst General Experience Scale (GES) yielded two factors: Learning and Satisfaction. These two scales can measure the overall visitor experience at ecotourism sites that use and do not use mobile technology.

Behavioural biases affecting investors’ decision-making process: a scale development approach

PurposeThe advocates of behavioural finance have denounced the existing literature on investors’ rationality in the decision-making process and questioned the existence of efficient markets and rational investors. Although diversified research has been conducted in the area of behavioural finance, yet there is a need of further explorations into the field as the available knowledge base is confined to one or a few behavioural biases confronted by investors while making investment decisions. Hence, this study aims to develop a comprehensive, reliable and valid scale to measure the behavioural biases affecting investors’ decision-making process.Design/methodology/approachTo develop a comprehensive, reliable and valid scale for measuring the behavioural biases affecting investors’ decision-making process, rigorous multi-stage scale development methodology has been followed. Stage one started with an extensive review of the literature followed by interviews from experienced stockbrokers to clarify construct and getting novel insights about dimensions of behavioural biases. In stage two, 52 items measuring the dimensions of behavioural biases were generated and got evaluated from panel of judges. Pilot testing was done in the third stage which gave a set of 39 items. Finally, in fourth stage, data were collected from 332 individual equity investors on a 7-point Likert scale using the snowball sampling technique.FindingsThe results of the study highlighted that behavioural biases is a multidimensional phenomenon that significantly affects investors’ decisions and has different dimensions, namely, Availability Bias, Representativeness Bias, Overconfidence Bias, Market Factors, Herding, Anchoring, Mental Accounting, Regret Aversion, Gamblers’ Fallacy and Loss Aversion. The present research has developed a comprehensive, reliable and valid scale for measuring behavioural biases affecting equity investors’ decision-making process.Originality/valueBehavioural finance is an emerging area in the field of research particularly in the Indian context which needs further exploration. The present research concentrates on rendering an empirically tested scale to the researchers for measuring the behavioural biases and its impact on investor’s decision-making. Such an instrument can contribute to making progress in the area of behavioural finance and other research studies may also find it useful to achieve their goals.

RELIABLE AND VALID MEASUREMENT SCALES FOR DETERMINANTS OF THE WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT KNOWLEDGE

Before any acquired knowledge is used or adds value to the receiving project (members), it must be accepted by its recipients, leading to an increase in their positive attitudes towards, and intended use of, the acquired knowledge. To be willing to accept knowledge, the receiving project’s team members must perceive it to have value and be easy to use. The focus of this exploratory paper is to develop and empirically test relevant sub-dimensions of perceived value and ease-of-use. The sub- dimensions were identified through a literature review, and measurement scales were developed empirically by applying a well-established scale development methodology.

An Application of the Three-Step Test-Interview (TSTI) in the Validation of the Relational Depth Frequency Scale

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the utility of a new qualitative scale development methodology—Three-Step Test-Interview (TSTI)—in its first application in the validation of a psychotherapy scale: The Relational Depth Frequency Scale (RDFS). The TSTI is a cognitive pretesting method designed to uncover potential problems in scale construction. The RDFS is a six-item unidimensional scale of in-depth therapeutic relating, designed for use in large-scale outcome studies. Following the creation of an item pool and “expert ratings,” a purposive sample of four therapists and four clients (five females, three males, mean age: 49 years) was recruited to take part in the TSTI with the view to refine the original 36-item RDFS prior to psychometric exploration. Structured observations pointed to problems in test-takers’ patterns of responses in relation to theoretical knowledge of the relational depth construct. Issues uncovered and addressed included some misinterpretations of instructions and items, redundant content, double-barreled items, and test-takers’ reactions to intimate content wording. The method supported the refinement of the RDFS including amendment to its instructions and the removal of problematic items. TSTI results produced knowledge on the scale which could not be captured with statistical methods.

Identification of facilitators of sustainability innovation adoption by hoteliers of India

Purpose This study aims to unfold the factors which influence the sustainability innovation (SUSINNOV) adoption initiatives taken by the hoteliers in India. Also, an empirical approach has been used to develop a scale entitled “sustainability innovation adoption scale”. Design/methodology/approach Churchill’s (1979) scale development methodology has been used in the current study. An exhaustive literature review was done for item generation. For scale refinement, an empirical study was conducted on managers of hotels in India to understand the sustainability initiatives taken by them. Structural equation modelling has been implemented to know about the causal effects between the various unobserved variables. Findings A scale to measure factors influencing SUSINNOV adoption by hoteliers has been developed and validated empirically. The findings highlight that there are three major factors which influence SUSINNOV adoption: diffusion of innovation (DIT) within the industry, environmental marketing strategy adopted by organisations and sustainability initiatives taken by companies and customers. Moreover, current study also attempts to highlight that DIT has a significant positive influence on environmental marketing system. Research limitations/implications This study has multiple implications for hotel industry practitioners as well as academicians. The present three-dimensional conceptual model can be used for novel causes by implementing the sustainability initiatives in the hotel industry which can result in socially acceptable, economically viable and environment-friendly practices. An important contribution of the current study is that it proposes a theoretical model and develops a scale which will enrich the innovation adoption theories. Managers can use this scale to evaluate the status of SUSINNOV adoptions in their business practices. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first temporal and spatial study which tries to make a scale by including a holistic view of the facilitators of sustainable innovation adoption in the hotel industry.

Smart policing service quality: conceptualisation, development and validation

PurposeThis study evaluates a multidimensional hierarchical scale of smart policing service quality.Design/methodology/approachQualitative and quantitative analysis tools were used to develop a smart policing service quality scale based on the integrative psychometric scale development methodology. A multidimensional hierarchical structure was proposed for smart policing service quality; a group of preliminary items selected from literature was used for the qualitative analysis. For data collection, users of smart policing services were selected through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) research centre. Several statistical methods were employed to verify reliability and validity of the construct and nomological validity of the proposed scale.FindingsA smart policing service quality scale of 23 items was developed based on a hierarchical factor model structure. Nomological testing indicated that overall smart policing service quality is positive and significant, thus contributing to user satisfaction, intention to continue using the system and enhanced quality of life.Practical implicationsThis study enables managers to evaluate types of policing quality and effectively implement strategies to address security and sustainability issues that exist currently in smart services.Originality/valuePrevious studies on policing service quality have not sufficiently addressed the role of smart policing service quality; the nature of discussion in this area is primarily based around concepts. The development of the smart policing service quality scale provides a measurement tool for researchers to use to enhance the understanding of smart policing service quality.

Psychological antecedents of apparel-buying intention for young Indian online shoppers

Purpose This paper aims to determine a scale for measuring psychological factors of apparel-buying intention for young Indian online shoppers. Design/methodology/approach Churchill’s three-stage systematic scale-development methodology is used to develop a psychometric scale. Items were generated and selected in Phase I, followed by scale refinement in Phase II and scale validation in Phase III. Findings The final scientifically validated scale has 36 item scales that measure 10 psychological factors of apparel online-buying intention for online shoppers, from which “perceived value” emerged as the most significant factor. Research limitations/implications This scale is a sector-specific scale that cannot be generalized to other sectors; therefore, further iterations/customizations should be made in future studies for applicability in other sectors. Practical implications This reliable and valid scale will help marketing managers to understand online shopper behavior and formulate effective strategies for online shoppers. Originality/value This paper, to the author’s knowledge, is the first attempt to develop a validated tool to measure the psychological factors of apparel-buying intention for young Indian online shoppers. This scale encompasses all important touch-points in measuring psychological factors influencing online buyer behavior for apparel products.

What makes a tool appropriate to assess patient-reported outcomes of periodontal disease?

Context:Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have become primary or secondary outcome measure in clinical trials and epidemiological studies in Medicine and Dentistry in general and Periodontology in particular. PROs are patients' self-perceptions about consequences of a disease or its treatment. They can be used to measure the impact of the disease or the effect of its treatment. There are insufficient data in Periodontology related to scale development methodology although, recently, there is an increase in the number of published studies utilizing such tools in major journals.Aim:This paper is an overview of the development methodology of new PRO tools to study the impact of periodontal disease.Materials and Methods:The iterative process begins with a research question. A well-constructed a priori hypothesis enables validity assessment by hypothesis testing. The qualitative steps in item generation include literature review, focus group discussion, and key informant interviews. Expert paneling, content validity index, and pretesting are done to refine and sequence the items. Test–retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, and internal consistency reliability are assessed. The tool is administered in a representative sample to test construct validity by factor analysis.Conclusion:The steps involved in developing a subjective perception scale are complicated and should be followed to establish the essential psychometric properties. The use of existing tool, if it fulfills the research objective, is recommended after cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric testing.

Resident perceptions of social–ecological resilience and the sustainability of community-based tourism development in the Commonwealth of Dominica

Despite major investments in community-based tourism to diversify economies, reduce poverty and improve life quality in the Caribbean, little is known about what conditions lead to resilience and sustainability. Sustainability from a resilience theory perspective is the likelihood an existing system of resource use will persist indefinitely without a decline in social and natural resource bases. Undertaking activities to enhance resilience and sustainability improves a system's ability to persevere, adapt and learn to meet challenges from unanticipated economic, political or natural events. This study investigated six communities in the Commonwealth of Dominica, all part of a seven-year community tourism program, and examined residents' perceptions of the social, institutional, economic and ecological resilience of their community, and therefore the resilience and sustainability of community tourism development. It used a new scale using eight steps suggested by Devellis' scale development methodology. Data indicated moderate to low resilience in all four domains across the communities. This suggests that communities should invest in strengthening social bonds, developing capacity in local institutions, in diversifying the tourism product and controlling infrastructure development. Indicators measuring trust, networks, local control, flexible governance, leakage prevention and controlled infrastructure development emerged as important in assessing social–ecological resilience and sustainability.

Introduction to the Human Scale Development Methodology Improved by Bucciarelli-Alessi's Innovative Methodological Procedure

The present work represents an effort to improve and innovate Manfred Max-Neef’s Human Scale Development methodology. More specifically, the innovative aspects conceived and applied by the authors concern: 1) the creation of an original procedure (question - discussion - key words - definition of the key words) to be followed in order to fill in the grids of the Consolidated Negative Matrix, of the Consolidated Positive Matrix, of the Negative Synthesis Matrix, and of the Positive Synthesis Matrix; 2) the addiction of the axiological category of sustainability to the traditional following nine categories: subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, participation, idleness, creation, identity and freedom. In particular, concerning the point No. 1, it is important to stress that the original procedure here presented to fill in the grids of the Matrixes makes the innovative Human Scale Development methodology able to be used a) for getting comparable data, b) for developing a new index for measuring social well-being as well as the efficiency of local social policies, and c) for introducing the Human Scale Development into the scientific fields of the Experimental Economics (field experiments) and of Agent-based computational Economics (ACE). Finally, this work represents a practical tool to be used both to explain how the Human Scale Development methodology works, and to teach the seminar coordinators about how to conducting the workshops based on the Human Scale Development itself.

Developing an interpretability scale for motion imagery

The motion imagery community would benefit from standard measures for assessing image interpretability. The National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale (NIIRS) has served as a community standard for still imagery, but no comparable scale exists for motion imagery. Several considerations unique to motion imagery indicate that the standard methodology employed in the past for NIIRS development may not be applicable or, at a minimum, requires modifications. The dynamic nature of motion imagery introduces a number of factors that do not affect the perceived interpretability of still imagery—namely target motion and camera motion. We conducted a series of evaluations to understand and quantify the effects of critical factors. This paper presents key findings about the relationship of perceived interpretability to ground sample distance, target motion, camera motion, and frame rate. Based on these findings, we modified the scale development methodology and validated the approach. The methodology adapts the standard NIIRS development procedures to the softcopy exploitation environment and focuses on image interpretation tasks that target the dynamic nature of motion imagery. This paper describes the proposed methodology, presents the findings from a methodology assessment evaluation, and offers recommendations for the full development of a scale for motion imagery.

MMPI Scale Development Methodology Reconsidered

Levitt's (1978) critique of my earlier suggestions regarding MMPI scale development methodology (Clopton, 1978b) correctly noted that scales have been developed by a variety of methods in addition to empirical scale construction, but two of Levitt's other criticisms were mistaken. After Levitt's criticisms are considered, some additional suggestions are provided regarding the empirical development of new MMPI scales.

A Note on "MMPI Scale Development Methodology"

Clopton's recent article (1978) in JPA calls attention to methodological problems in the construction of special inventories from the MMPI pool, but overlooks the major problem. It stems from the theoretical correlation between psychopathology and the construct to be measured by the special inventory. This contamination renders the usual validity demonstration questionable. It is pointed out that there is a good number of special inventories that are not subject to the methodological problems noted by Clopton.