School participant empowerment scale: Assessment of level of empowerment within the school environment

Abstract

Two hundred eleven teachers in public schools rated 68 beliefs about what makes them feel empowered in schools. The items were factor analyzed revealing six dimensions or subscales: (a) Decision Making, (b) Professional Growth, (c) Status, (d) Self-Efficacy, (e) Autonomy, and (f) Impact. A 38-item School Participant Empowerment Scale (SPES) was constructed by selecting marker items for each of the six dimensions. Obtained internal consistency estimates of reliability for the total scale was.94, and ranged from.81 to.89 for the six factor scales. Evidence of discriminant validity also was discussed. © 1992, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.