Development and Validation of Psycho-Moral Strength (PMS) Scale For University Lecturers

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Duchduen Emma Bhanthumnavin

Abstract

This study aims at constructing psycho-moral strength scale (PMS) which consisted of four important psychological characteristics, namely, 1) need for achievement, 2) internal locus of control, 3) future orientation and self-control, and 4) moral identity. These four factors were derived from the Thai psychological theory of moral and work behavior which has been strongly confirmed by empirical data. In the first phase with the total of 700 university lecturers, four-factor model emerged from exploratory factor analysis which could explain the variance for 55.16%. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated the fit model. In the second phase, validation in terms of incremental validity using hierarchical regression analysis on academic exploring and exploiting behavior of 128 university lecturers revealed that psycho-moral strength significantly yielded the predictive percentage beyond core self-evaluation (CSE) and psychological capital (PsyCap) with 22.80%.  In addition, the magnitude of the psycho-moral strength was significantly higher in the more academically successful lecturers. Furthermore, PMS showed stronger relation with CSE (r = 0.604, p<.01) than PsyCap (r = 0.399, p<.01). These results lead to a new approach for future research, intervention, and assessment to enhance desired behaviors.

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