Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026
10:39
Qualitative and Quantitative Validation of Tools with Rating Scales Aimed at Assessing the Quality of University Service-Learning
Published on: August 29, 2025
Developing and Validating a Context-Sensitive Scale of Excellence-Driven Behavior in Public Universities: A
Zhe Cui1, Chenxi Sun2, Xinan Zhao1
1School of Business Administration, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110169, China.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 26, 2026
Summary
This study developed and validated a new scale to measure excellence-driven behavior in Chinese public university faculty and staff. The scale demonstrates initial psychometric support for assessing this important construct.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Psychology
- Educational Measurement
Background:
- Quantitative behavioral research requires precise construct definition and validated measurement tools, particularly for new concepts in organizational contexts.
- Existing research lacks a psychometrically sound scale for excellence-driven behavior specific to faculty and staff in Chinese public universities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a reliable and valid scale to measure excellence-driven behavior among faculty and staff in Chinese public universities.
- To provide a robust instrument for future research on excellence-driven behavior in this specific population.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-methods measurement-development design integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches.
- Qualitative data collection via semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires using the Critical Incident Technique.
- Quantitative validation including item analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, reliability, and validity assessments.
Main Results:
- A two-dimensional scale structure emerged: Excellence-Driven Cognition and Learning, and Excellence-Driven Display.
- The scale demonstrated acceptable internal structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and preliminary criterion-related validity.
- Initial psychometric evidence supports the scale's utility for research on excellence-driven behavior in Chinese public universities.
Conclusions:
- The developed scale offers a psychometrically supported tool for measuring excellence-driven behavior in Chinese public university faculty and staff.
- Further research is recommended to establish temporal stability, measurement invariance, and empirical distinction from related constructs.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model
The Self-Evaluation Maintenance (SEM) model offers a psychological framework to understand how individuals’ self-esteem is influenced by the achievements of others, particularly those with whom they share close personal bonds. The SEM model operates when personal rather than social identity guides individuals. Central to this model is the notion that individuals have an inherent desire to preserve a favorable self-image, which is continuously shaped by interpersonal comparisons and...
01:29Reliability and Validity
Reliability and validity are two important considerations that must be made with any type of data collection. Reliability refers to the ability to consistently produce a given result. In the context of psychological research, this would mean that any instruments or tools used to collect data do so in consistent, reproducible ways.
01:29Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory
Attribution theory plays a crucial role in social psychology, helping to explain how individuals interpret the causes of behavior. One prominent model within this field is Harold Kelley's covariation theory, which provides a systematic approach to determining whether internal traits or external circumstances drive a person's actions. The model posits that individuals rely on three key types of information—consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness—to make these judgments.Consensus: Comparing...
01:24Sources of Self-Esteem II: Performance Feedback
Self-esteem is intricately tied to our perception of competence and our ability to exert control over our lives. One of the primary sources of this perception is performance feedback — the ongoing evaluation of our actions in terms of success and failure. According to Franks and Marolla (1976), people derive self-worth from experiencing themselves as causal agents, capable of achieving goals and overcoming obstacles. This process nurtures a critical component of self-esteem: self-efficacy,...
03:00Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
01:22Self-Report Tests of Personality
Self-report inventories are objective personality assessments that use multiple-choice items or numbered scales, typically ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). They are often called Likert scales after Rensis Likert. These inventories are widely used due to their ease of administration and cost-effectiveness. One of the most prominent examples is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), initially developed in the 1940s to assess abnormal personality traits.