Workplace information literacy in context: scale development and validation

Abstract

Purpose The study aims to develop a validated scale to measure the workplace information literacy (WIL) skills of Quality Enhancement Cell’s staff based on the i-skills model. Design/methodology/approach To develop scale, a multi-stage scale development procedure was adopted. The comprehensive WIL scale was developed and validated in four phases. The first phase involved reviewing literature, content and face validity through experts. In the later stages, through survey method, the construct validity was tested with the application of the exploratory factor analysis and principal component analysis. The scale reliability further calculated through Cronbach’s alpha internal reliability coefficient. The SPSS was used to test and validate the designed scale. Findings A multi-dimensional, reliable 62-item scale classified into eight factors was developed. Results indicate that the designed scale achieved internal, face, content, construct validity and reliability. The refined scale has the potential to be used in similar context, however, can be modified for diverse contexts and situations. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first validated scale of WIL based on the i-skills model. Looking at the prior developed scales, this tool is unique in nature to focus on the skills of administrative staff.