Development and Construct Validity of Scores on the Community Service Attitudes Scale

This study reports the multistage development of the Community Service Attitudes Scale (CSAS), an instrument for measuring college students’attitudes about community service. The CSAS was developed based on Schwartz’s helping behavior model. Scores on the scales of the CSAS yielded strong reliability evidence (coefficient alphas ranging from .72 to .93). Principal components analysis yielded results consistent with the Schwartz model. In addition, the CSAS scale scores were positively correlated with gender, college major, community service experience, and intentions to engage in community service. The CSAS will be useful to researchers for conducting further research on the effects of service learning and community service experiences for students.

[1]  J. Stevens,et al.  Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences, 4th ed. , 2002 .

[2]  John A. Hoxmeier,et al.  Community Service Learning Increases Communication Skills Across the Business Curriculum , 1998 .

[3]  John M. Braxton,et al.  The Impact of Service-Learning on College Students , 1997 .

[4]  B. Thompson,et al.  Factor Analytic Evidence for the Construct Validity of Scores: A Historical Overview and Some Guidelines , 1996 .

[5]  A. Biglan,et al.  Benefits and barriers for volunteer leaders of a parent training program , 1996 .

[6]  Edward Zlotkowski,et al.  Opportunity for all: Linking service-learning and business education , 1996 .

[7]  Jeremy D. Cohen.  Matching University Mission with Service Motivation: Do the Accomplishments of Community Service Match the Claims? , 1994 .

[8]  Marilyn W. Smith.  Community Service Learning: Striking the Chord of Citizenship , 1994 .

[9]  G. B. Markus,et al.  Notes: Integrating Community Service and Classroom Instruction Enhances Learning: Results From an Experiment , 1993 .

[10]  E. Gil Clary,et al.  The Amount and Effectiveness of Help: The Relationship of Motives and Abilities to Helping Behavior , 1991 .

[11]  H. Hayghe,et al.  Volunteers in the U.S.: who donates the time? , 1991, Monthly labor review.

[12]  Dov Eden,et al.  Modeling Galatea : boosting self-efficacy to increase volunteering , 1991 .

[13]  James C. Kielsmeier,et al.  The Sleeping Giant of School Reform. , 1991 .

[14]  J. Sallis,et al.  Some health dimensions of self-efficacy: analysis of theoretical specificity. , 1990, Social science & medicine.

[15]  Scott T. Allison,et al.  Social Value Orientation and Helping Behavior1 , 1989 .

[16]  I. Ajzen.  Attitudes, Personality and Behavior , 1988 .

[17]  Abraham Wandersman,et al.  Who participates, who does not, and why? An analysis of voluntary neighborhood organizations in the United States and Israel , 1987 .

[18]  R. Fitch.  Characteristics and Motivations of College Students Volunteering for Community Service. , 1987 .

[19]  J. Stevens,et al.  Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences , 1993 .

[20]  Ervin Staub,et al.  Development and maintenance of prosocial behavior : international perspectives on positive morality , 1984 .

[21]  Shalom H. Schwartz,et al.  Internalized Values as Motivators of Altruism , 1984 .

[22]  V. Derlega,et al.  Cooperation and Helping Behavior: Theories and Research , 1982 .

[23]  S. Schwartz,et al.  Chapter 14 – Helping and Cooperation: A Self-Based Motivational Model1 , 1982 .

[24]  Americans volunteer 1981. A Gallup survey on volunteering. , 1982, Voluntary action leadership.

[25]  S. Schwartz.  Normative Influences on Altruism , 1977 .

[26]  N. Nie,et al.  PSR volume 66 issue 3 Cover and Front matter , 1972, American Political Science Review.

[27]  Alan Booth,et al.  Sex and Social Participation , 1972 .