Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Leadership Practices ...

International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, Vol. 4 [2007], Iss. 1, Art. 23
less than .80. The corrected item-total correlation coefficients were all greater
than .30. A PAF analysis with direct oblimin rotation was performed again to
assess construct validity of the 24 items. Three factors were extracted and
explained 59.5% of the total variance. All of the 24 items demonstrated moderate
to strong loadings (> .40). The pattern matrix showed that most of the items were
loaded only on one factor, indicating the items in a factor were well clustered (see
Table 1). The Pearson product moment correlation was computed to assess the
relationship between the Chinese MLQ-5X and the Chinese LPI-observer for
concurrent validity. The Chinese LPI total and subscales were highly and
significantly correlated with the transformational leadership subscale of the
Chinese MLQ-5X (r = .724 to .874, p < .01). The laissez-faire leadership
subscale , an inappropriate and ineffective way to lead subordinates, was
negatively and significantly correlated with the Chinese LPI-observer total and
subscales (r = -.371 to r = -.535, p < .01).
DISCUSSION
Initial Psychometric Properties of the Chinese LPI-Observer
Although the LPI is one of most well-developed and used instruments for
examining leadership behavior, there is a need for assessing psychometrics and
cultural appropriateness in which the LPI is used in a cross-cultural study. The
Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the original Chinese LPI-observer total and
subscales were greater than .80, indicating adequate internal consistency. Most of
nursing research using the LPI did not report its psychometric properties.
Tourangeau and McGilton’s (2004) study demonstrated acceptable reliability
(α > .80) in using the LPI. For item analysis, item 11 challenges the way we do
things at work had low correlation coefficients (< .30) with every item. A possible
reason may stem from the word “challenges,” because it is related to the
perception of “criticizes subordinates’ performance.” Taiwan’s nursing faculty
perceived this kind leadership behavior as serving to suppress their selfdetermination
and autonomy in their positions. A relatively high correlation
between item 20 gives members lots of appreciation and support and item 15
praises people for a job well done may indicate that both items present the same
meaning of recognition of contributions. Thus, items 11 and 20 were deleted
through the item-level analysis.
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