A reliability generalization study for Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was conducted. A total of 816 research articles utilizing the STAI between 1990 and 2000 were reviewed and classified as having (a) ignored reliability (73%), (b) mentioned reliability or reported reliability coefficients from another source (21%), or (c) computed reliability for the data at hand (6%). Articles in medically oriented journals were shorter and somewhat less likely to mention or compute reliability than nonmedically oriented articles, perhaps due to paradigm differences. Average reliability coefficients were acceptable for both internal consistency and test-retest, but variation was present among the estimates. State test-retest coefficients were lower than internal consistency coefficients. Score variability was predictive of internal consistency reliability for scores on both scales. Other predictors were the age of research participants, the form of the STAI, and the type of research design.

A reliability generalization study for Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was conducted. A total of 816 research articles utilizing the STAI between 1990 and 2000 were reviewed and classified as having (a) ignored reliability (73%), (b) mentioned reliability or reported reliability coefficients from another source (21%), or (c) computed reliability for the data at hand (6%). Articles in medically oriented journals were shorter and somewhat less likely to mention or compute reliability than nonmedically oriented articles, perhaps due to paradigm differences. Average reliability coefficients were acceptable for both internal consistency and test-retest, but variation was present among the estimates. State test-retest coefficients were lower than internal consistency coefficients. Score variability was predictive of internal consistency reliability for scores on both scales. Other predictors were the age of research participants, the form of the STAI, and the type of research design.

The purpose of this study was to synthesize internal consistency reliability for the subscale scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The authors addressed three research questions: (a) What is the mean subscale score reliability for the MBI across studies? (b) What factors are associated with observed variance in MBI subscale score reliability? (c) What are the implications for appropriate use based on MBI subscale mean internal consistency estimates? Of the 221 studies reviewed, 84 provided alpha coefficients and were used in the current analysis. Results suggest that mean alpha estimates across subscales generally fell within the .70 to .80 range. Scale variance and language most often accounted for the variance in coefficient alpha, although some variations were apparent between subscales. Of the three MBI subscales, Personal Accomplishment and Depersonalization mean alpha estimates were well below recommended levels for high-stakes decisions, such as the diagnosis of burnout syndrome. Recommendations for the use of the current version of the instrument's scale scores as well as suggestions for scale refinement are provided. Keywords MBI, burnout, reliability generalization, meta-analysisBurnout emerged approximately 25 years ago as a term to describe a physical and emotional reaction to occupational stress characterized by exhaustion and Validity Study

This study provides a summary of 45 exploratory and confirmatory factor-analytic studies that examined the internal structure of scores obtained from the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). It highlights characteristics of the studies that account for differences in reporting of the MBI factor structure. This approach includes an examination of the various sample characteristics, forms of the instrument, factor-analytic methods, and the reported factor structure across studies that have attempted to examine the dimensionality of the MBI. This study also investigates the dimensionality of MBI scale scores using meta-analysis. Both descriptive and empirical analysis supported a three-factor model. The pattern of reported dimensions across validation studies should enhance understanding of the structural dimensions that the MBI measures as well as provide a more meaningful interpretation of its test scores.

PurposeTo investigate the consequences of relational trust, especially parent measured trust, for desirable school outcomes.Design/methodology/approachUsing a US Midwestern state sample of 79 schools, parent and teacher trust data are used to derive a trust‐effectiveness typology. Trust was conceptualized as one party's willingness to be vulnerable to another party based on the confidence that the latter party is benevolent, reliable, competent, honest, and open.FindingsFindings derived from the extraction of canonical correlation variates support the prediction that a complex and extensive trust environment is predictive of internal school conditions and consequences, even after accounting for socioeconomic status of the school community. Four theoretical trust‐effectiveness patterns emerge from the interpretation.Research limitations/implicationsThe research design was planned as a school level study. Perceptual data collected at the individual level were intended for aggregation thus, nested analyses were not possible. Other evidence is offered for justification of aggregations.Practical implicationsResearchers and school leaders need to consider a broad trust environment as having relevance for predicting and enacting school success, not just those trust levels that can be measured as teacher perceptions.Originality/valuePrevious school trust research, when it has considered parent trust, measured it as a teacher perception. This study measures parent trust directly and hence more credibly. The empirically derived trust‐effectiveness school types introduce the possibility that “high teacher trust” can sometimes be part of a menacing school pattern.