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Reliability Analysis of MBA Career Outcomes

This document provides details of a reliability analysis conducted on two scales - "Knowing Why" and "Career Satisfaction" - from a dataset on career outcomes for MBA alumni. For the "Knowing Why" scale, the analysis found a Cronbach's alpha of 0.898, indicating high internal reliability. For the "Career Satisfaction" scale, the analysis yielded a Cronbach's alpha of 0.936, also indicating high reliability between the scale's items. In both cases, the alpha coefficients suggest the scales can be considered internally consistent measures of their intended constructs.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
16 views8 pages

Reliability Analysis of MBA Career Outcomes

This document provides details of a reliability analysis conducted on two scales - "Knowing Why" and "Career Satisfaction" - from a dataset on career outcomes for MBA alumni. For the "Knowing Why" scale, the analysis found a Cronbach's alpha of 0.898, indicating high internal reliability. For the "Career Satisfaction" scale, the analysis yielded a Cronbach's alpha of 0.936, also indicating high reliability between the scale's items. In both cases, the alpha coefficients suggest the scales can be considered internally consistent measures of their intended constructs.

Uploaded by

Mohammad
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Question 2: Reliability and Correlation Analysis (20%)

The dataset for this question may be found in the SPSS file ‘Career Outcomes’ . The study itself
considered a range of subjective and objective career outcomes for alumni completing an MBA at a
leading business school including the development of career capital and number of promotions.
Appendix 1 provides details of the variables included in the data set and their measurement.

a) Create averaged summated scales for ‘Knowing Why’ and ‘Career Satisfaction’ and
(i) undertake a reliability analysis for each of the scales commenting on the acceptability of the
Cronbach alpha coefficients, and

Scale: ALL VARIABLES Knowing Why’

Case Processing Summary


N %
Cases Valid 194 100.0
Excluded a
0 .0
Total 194 100.0
a. Listwise deletion based on all variables in the
procedure.

Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's Cronbach's Alpha Based on
Alpha Standardized Items N of Items
.898 .903 9

Item Statistics
Mean Std. Deviation N
I am able to recognise my own strengths and weaknesses, 5.8144 .78628 194
needs and motives
I don’t understand what other people think about me (R) 5.2990 .98344 194
I recognise the effect of my own cultural background on my 5.7629 .90792 194
thinking and behaviour
I acknowledge my personal values and beliefs 5.8969 .86359 194
I don’t set goals for personal development (R) 5.4948 1.20555 194
I undertake activities to enhance my skills and 5.6598 1.11872 194
competencies
I want to know more than is required for task 5.8041 1.13484 194
accomplishment
I have no confidence in my own capabilities (R) 6.0103 .84553 194
I have a positive approach toward work-related challenges 6.0825 .93488 194

Inter-Item Correlation Matrix

I recognise the I want to know

I am able to effect of my own I don’t set I undertake more than is I have a positive

recognise my own cultural I acknowledge goals for activities to required for I have no approach

strengths and I don’t understand background on my my personal personal enhance my task confidence in toward work-

weaknesses, what other people thinking and values and developme skills and accomplishme my own related

needs and motives think about me (R) behaviour beliefs nt (R) competencies nt capabilities (R) challenges

I am able to recognise my own strengths and 1.000 .561 .591 .704 .453 .429 .482 .619 .521

weaknesses, needs and motives

I don’t understand what other people think about .561 1.000 .486 .464 .425 .479 .452 .457 .390

me (R)

I recognise the effect of my own cultural .591 .486 1.000 .669 .387 .349 .402 .543 .438

background on my thinking and behaviour

I acknowledge my personal values and beliefs .704 .464 .669 1.000 .507 .484 .466 .612 .537

I don’t set goals for personal development (R) .453 .425 .387 .507 1.000 .763 .617 .468 .433

I undertake activities to enhance my skills and .429 .479 .349 .484 .763 1.000 .674 .431 .423

competencies

I want to know more than is required for task .482 .452 .402 .466 .617 .674 1.000 .445 .406

accomplishment

I have no confidence in my own capabilities (R) .619 .457 .543 .612 .468 .431 .445 1.000 .720

I have a positive approach toward work-related .521 .390 .438 .537 .433 .423 .406 .720 1.000

challenges

Summary Item Statistics


Maximum /
Mean Minimum Maximum Range Minimum Variance N of Items
Item Means 5.758 5.299 6.082 .784 1.148 .060 9

Item-Total Statistics
Cronbach's
Scale Mean if Scale Variance if Corrected Item- Squared Multiple Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Item Deleted Total Correlation Correlation Deleted
I am able to recognise my 46.0103 35.938 .714 .609 .885
own strengths and
weaknesses, needs and
motives
I don’t understand what other 46.5258 35.245 .606 .417 .891
people think about me (R)
I recognise the effect of my 46.0619 35.737 .619 .514 .890
own cultural background on
my thinking and behaviour
I acknowledge my personal 45.9278 35.083 .729 .641 .883
values and beliefs
I don’t set goals for personal 46.3299 32.388 .688 .624 .886
development (R)
I undertake activities to 46.1649 33.113 .693 .668 .884
enhance my skills and
competencies
I want to know more than is 46.0206 33.274 .666 .521 .887
required for task
accomplishment
I have no confidence in my 45.8144 35.499 .702 .629 .885
own capabilities (R)
I have a positive approach 45.7423 35.457 .625 .543 .889
toward work-related
challenges

Scale Statistics
Mean Variance Std. Deviation N of Items
51.8247 43.285 6.57915 9

Scale: ALL VARIABLES Career Satisfaction’


Case Processing Summary
N %
Cases Valid 194 100.0
Excludeda 0 .0
Total 194 100.0
a. Listwise deletion based on all variables in the
procedure.

Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's
Alpha Based on
Cronbach's Standardized
Alpha Items N of Items
.936 .936 5

Item Statistics
Mean Std. Deviation N
I am satisfied with the 4.49 1.260 194
success I have acheived in
my career
I am satisfied with the 4.49 1.260 194
progress I have made
toward meeting my overall
career goals
I am satisfied with the 4.37 1.345 194
progress I have made
toward meeting my goals for
income
I am satisfied with the 4.40 1.281 194
progress I have made
toward meeting my goals for
advancement
I am satisfied with the 4.77 1.083 194
progress I have made
toward meeting my goals for
the development of new
skills
Inter-Item Correlation Matrix

I am satisfied I am satisfied with the

with the I am satisfied with the I am satisfied with the I am satisfied with the progress I have made

success I progress I have made progress I have made progress I have made toward meeting my goals

have acheived toward meeting my toward meeting my goals toward meeting my goals for the development of

in my career overall career goals for income for advancement new skills

I am satisfied with the 1.000 .871 .800 .821 .641

success I have

acheived in my career

I am satisfied with the .871 1.000 .759 .862 .703

progress I have made

toward meeting my

overall career goals

I am satisfied with the .800 .759 1.000 .749 .532

progress I have made

toward meeting my

goals for income

I am satisfied with the .821 .862 .749 1.000 .702

progress I have made

toward meeting my

goals for advancement

I am satisfied with the .641 .703 .532 .702 1.000

progress I have made

toward meeting my

goals for the

development of new

skills

Summary Item Statistics


Maximum /
Mean Minimum Maximum Range Minimum Variance N of Items
Item Means 4.505 4.371 4.768 .397 1.091 .025 5
Item-Total Statistics
Cronbach's
Scale Mean if Scale Variance if Corrected Item- Squared Multiple Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Item Deleted Total Correlation Correlation Deleted
I am satisfied with the 18.04 19.569 .886 .811 .910
success I have acheived
in my career
I am satisfied with the 18.03 19.408 .904 .835 .907
progress I have made
toward meeting my
overall career goals
I am satisfied with the 18.15 19.810 .786 .672 .930
progress I have made
toward meeting my goals
for income
I am satisfied with the 18.12 19.435 .882 .788 .911
progress I have made
toward meeting my goals
for advancement
I am satisfied with the 17.76 22.692 .695 .535 .944
progress I have made
toward meeting my goals
for the development of
new skills

Scale Statistics
Mean Variance Std. Deviation N of Items
22.53 31.038 5.571 5
(ii) assess the normality of the 2 scale variables and comment on how normality may be improved if
necessary - you are not expected to create additional new variables or to undertake any further analysis
on new variables.
b) “Provide bivariate correlations for the 2 scale variables (‘career satisfaction’ and ‘knowing why’) along
with the variables age, years since graduation and number of promotions and interpret the results of the
correlation analysis.”

Common questions

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Evaluating the normality of 'knowing why' and 'career satisfaction' scales is crucial as it impacts the choice of statistical tests for further analysis. If the scales deviate significantly from normality, as measured by skewness, kurtosis, and graphical methods like Q-Q plots, parametric tests that assume normal distributions might produce biased results. In such cases, non-parametric alternatives or data transformations may be considered to meet normality assumptions, enhancing the validity and interpretability of the subsequent analyses .

The 'Knowing Why' scale exhibits a high degree of reliability, as indicated by its Cronbach's Alpha coefficient of 0.898. A coefficient above 0.7 generally indicates acceptable reliability, suggesting that the items within the scale are consistent in measuring the same underlying construct. This level of reliability demonstrates good internal consistency among the items in the scale, suitable for further analysis .

Analyzing the 'Item-Total Statistics' for the 'Knowing Why' scale, items generally have high corrected item-total correlations, indicating good individual contributions to the overall scale reliability. For example, the item "I acknowledge my personal values and beliefs" has a corrected item-total correlation of 0.729 and lowers the alpha to 0.883 if deleted, showing strong contribution to scale reliability. Removing such items would slightly decrease Cronbach's Alpha, indicating these items are integral to maintaining scale consistency. This insight highlights the importance of retaining well-performing items to preserve the overall scale robustness .

The 'Career Satisfaction' scale demonstrates slightly higher reliability compared to the 'Knowing Why' scale, with a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.936 compared to 0.898 for the latter. Both scales exceed the acceptable threshold of 0.7, indicating they both have good to excellent reliability. The higher alpha in the 'Career Satisfaction' scale suggests that its items are more consistent and strongly measure the intended construct compared to the 'Knowing Why' scale, reflecting potentially tighter item coherence and homogeneity .

The 'Knowing Why' scale's items, such as recognizing strengths and cultural influences, suggest strong construct validity by comprehensively capturing various facets of personal awareness and motivation. The diversity of items like goal setting and confidence ensures that the scale measures a multi-dimensional view of 'knowing why,' aligning with theoretical expectations of examining personal insights and intrinsic motivations. This diversity and coherence of items collectively support the conclusion that the scale validly and effectively measures the intended construct .

The inter-item correlation matrix helps in assessing the extent to which each item correlates with other items on the 'Knowing Why' scale, providing insights into item coherence. Correlations in the matrix, such as 0.704 between 'I acknowledge my personal values and beliefs' and 'I am able to recognise my own strengths and weaknesses', suggest that items measure the same construct. High inter-item correlations indicate redundancy, whereas low correlations may signify unrelated items, thus guiding decisions on item modification or removal for better scale accuracy .

Analyzing item-total statistics in scale development, like the 'Career Satisfaction' scale, helps identify items that contribute to or detract from overall scale consistency. High corrected item-total correlations indicate items measuring the intended construct robustly. For instance, the item "I am satisfied with the progress I have made toward meeting my overall career goals" shows a correlation of 0.904, underscoring its critical contribution to capturing career satisfaction dynamics. These analyses ensure scale reliability and validity, guiding potential item refinement or retention .

When interpreting the bivariate correlations between 'career satisfaction', 'knowing why', and variables like age and the number of promotions, consider potential confounding factors and the context of correlations. For instance, a positive correlation between 'career satisfaction' and age might suggest increased satisfaction with career maturity but could also reflect generational differences in work expectations. Similarly, correlations between the number of promotions and satisfaction may intertwine with career stage or industry standards, necessitating consideration of these factors to understand underlying relationships accurately .

Squared multiple correlations in the 'Career Satisfaction' scale indicate the proportion of variance in each item accounted for by the other items. High squared multiple correlations, such as 0.811 for 'I am satisfied with the success I have achieved in my career', suggest strong inter-item relationships, implying these items effectively measure the same underlying construct and provide robust insights into career satisfaction dynamics. They reflect the model fit and item's integration within the overall scale .

The item 'I have no confidence in my own capabilities (R)' on the 'Knowing Why' scale has a corrected item-total correlation of 0.702, indicating a strong alignment with the overall scale construct. Its removal would reduce the Cronbach's Alpha to 0.885, suggesting it contributes positively to the scale's reliability. This reverse-coded item plays a critical role in capturing unique aspects of self-evaluation in the 'Knowing Why' construct, emphasizing the importance of diverse perspectives within the scale .

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