Developing School Institutionalization Scale: A Study on Validity and Reliability (Form for Private Schools)

Abstract

Problem Statement: As institutionalization is requisite in all organizations,so it is in all schools. lnstitutionalization enables schools to operate in linewith their objectives and managerial processes (planning, decisionmaking, organizing, directing, coordination and evaluation) moreeffectively. The spread of private schools introduced competition to theeducation sector. As natural consequence of heightened competition, itbecame requirement for schools to be more efficient and effective.Purpose of Study: The purpose of the present research is to develop, as wellas perform, validity and reliability analyses of the Schoollnstitutionalization Scale (SIS), which can be employed to evaluate theinstitutionalization of private schools.Methods: The research population consists of private schools in the citycenter of Gaziantep, and the study group is composed of seven randomlyselected private schools (223 teachers). Based on relevant literature, anitem pool has been prepared. The content validity of the scale has beenestablished by consulting field experts. The construct validity of the scalehas been set through factor analysis.Findings and Results: The scale consists of total of 45 items and six factors.The general reliability coefficient of the scale is Cronbach Alpha of .96,which is rather high. Reliability coefficients calculated with the CronbachAlpha vary in all sub-scales between .74 and .94. Considering the fact thatthe projected level of reliability for all measurement tools in research is .70,it can be stated that the scale’s level of reliability for all its sub-dimensions is sufficient. The sub-dimensions of the scale have been named as CulturalStrength, Specialization, Social Responsibility, Adaptability, Formalizingand Consistency. Explained variance is at an acceptable level with ratioof 62.82%. Accordingly, it can be asserted that each item hasdiscrimination index in detecting the institutionalization levels of theirschools.Conclusions and Recommendations: The School lnstitutionalization Scale ishighly reliable and possesses sufficient internal consistency. Hence, thefindings support the theory that the lnstitutionalization Scale hassufficient validity to detect the institutionalization levels of schools. It issuggested that future studies focus on developing and testing throughdifferent samplings the validity of the internal consistency of the scale.