Development of a Three-Dimensional Measure of the Calling Work Orientation: Assessing Craftsmanship, Kinship, and Serving

Abstract

Although conceptualized as a multidimensional construct, the majority of measures of calling are unidimensional. In order to further expand the operationalization of calling, this study developed and validated a measure of the three dimensions of calling, namely, craftsmanship, kinship, and serving using three separate samples. Using a sample of 85 undergraduate students, the pilot study established content validity for the three dimensions of calling. Study 1 aimed to refine the developed measure while assessing its dimensionality across 379 participants from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Furthermore, Study 2 provided evidence of construct and criterion-related validity, as well as test-retest reliability over a period of 3 months across 301 MTurk participants. Recommendations for future research utilizing the more focused dimensions of calling are discussed.