Conceptualizing and Validating a Measure of Principal Trust in Central Administration

Abstract

ABSTRACT Trust is a core social resource for schools. Lack of trust, however, is a serious impediment to the implementation of improvements in schools today. The absence of a valid and reliable scale to measure principals’ trust in district administrators has created a void in which little is known about its nature and function. This study consisted of a field test of the Principal Trust in Central Administration Scale. Effective district administrative practices were linked to facets of trust, providing a foundation for construction of an instrument to measure principal trust in central administration. The purpose of the study was to assess the psychometric properties of the survey by conducting tests of construct validity. Responses from two test samples of principals from across Oklahoma were analyzed. An exploratory factor analysis revealed most items relating to one construct, trust. A Cronbach’s Alpha Test revealed strong inter-item reliability. Concomitant validity was established by confirming that the items correlated with other established measures, including enabling school structures, principal efficacy, and principal commitment. Results provide evidence that this survey accurately captures perceptions of principal trust in central administration. In addition, descriptive data were used to examine patterns of district trustworthiness across different school and district contexts. The data support the idea that relational behaviors and interactions are more indicative of the presence of trust than are contextual conditions.