The Development of the Francis Moral Values Scales: A Study among 16- to 18-Year-Old Students Taking Religious Studies at A Level in the UK

Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals

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10

Test Construction; Moral Values; Likert Scales; Attitude Measures; Student Attitudes; Adolescent Attitudes; Secondary School Students; Religious Education; Foreign Countries; Antisocial Behavior; Sexuality; Interpersonal Relationship; Substance Abuse; Moral Issues; Student Behavior; Factor Analysis; Reliability; Student Surveys

10.1080/13617672.2016.1232568

1361-7672

This article reports on the development of scales for measuring moral values in three domains: anti-social behaviour, sex and relationships, and substance use. Students studying religion at A level in 25 schools were invited to respond to 32 Likert items that referred to a wide range of moral issues and behaviours, employing a 5-point response scale. In the first study, responses from 652 students were subject to an exploratory factor analysis, which identified three factors that explained 47% of the variance. Three summated scales were produced that had very good internal consistency reliability: the anti-social behaviour scale (seven items, Cronbach's a = 0.83), the sex and relationships scale (seven items, a = 0.84), and the substance use scale (five items, a = 0.87). In the second study, a repeat survey among the same schools a year later resulted in a second sample of 462 students. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the 19 items identified in the first study could be satisfactorily fitted to a model with the same three latent constructs. These constructs are recommended as a parsimonious way of assessing general moral values among adolescents.

As Provided

26

2016

EJ1121100