A STUDY ON THE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE RESPECT SCALE

Abstract

Although respect is a core value that plays central role in variety kinds of human interrelationships and human life in general, it is a neglected topic in academic studies. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, we theoretically and conceptually discuss the concept of respect, and describe its dimensions. Second, the paper provides empirical evidence that cosmopolitan and communitarian aspects are two basic dimensions of respect. Quantitative method was used in the study. We conducted two separate studied for item development and initial score validation. The first one was conducted on 221 college students. After statistical analysis, 20 items with higher factor structure correlations and item-total correlations were chosen for the revised scale. The second study was conducted on 238 university students. The results revealed a six-factor structure. In a forced two factors solution, the factor loading of 17 items were loaded at .40 or above. 17 items accounted for 41.480 % of the variance, and there were no crossloading item. Factor loadings of the cosmopolitan and the communitarian dimensions were found between .606-.818, and .415.600 respectively. The alleged two dimensionality of the scale was also evident from the Scree Plot Test. Internal consistency reliability measured via Cronbach\'s Alpha was found .73 for total 17 items, and .87 and .62 for cosmopolitanism and the communitarianism factors respectively. Given the findings of this study, the Respect Scale (RS) can be considered as a valid and reliable instrument for the cosmopolitan and the communitarian respect attitudes. Recently, there has been an increasing interest toward applied philosophy in which philosophical theories and approaches are empirically examined and applied to practical questions. This paper can make some academic contributions to the existing literature in this regard