Open and Distance Education Accreditation Standards Scale: Validity and Reliability Studies

Overview & Synopsis

The purpose of this study is to develop, and test the validity and reliability of a scale for the use of researchers to determine the accreditation standards of open and distance education based on the views of administrators, teachers, staff and students. This research was designed according to the general descriptive survey model since it aims to develop a scale to measure the accreditation standards in open and distance education. The sample of the research comprises 196 students and 19 teachers, administrators and staff studying or working in Private Open education courses in the Kadiköy district of Istanbul during 2011-2012 school year. The research data were collected using a scale developed to measure the level of accreditation standards in open and distance education based on the views of stakeholders in open and distance education institutions. The five-point Likert type scale "Accreditation Standards Scale for Open and Distance Education" developed in this research consists of 47 items under eight factors, including Organizational Structure, Students' Services, Quality Assurance/Accreditation, Measurement and Assessment, Organization Mission, Distance Education Management, Distance Education Program, and Openness/Credibility/Transparency. The Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient was estimated 0.9683. It was concluded that Open and Distance Education Standards Scale is a valid and reliable instrument developed to measure the open and distance education quality at post-secondary education stages in Turkey. [The page range (6344-6356) displayed on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 6444-6455.]