A Novel Measure for Soft Power: Perceived Soft Power Scale for International Students

Abstract

Soft power is a significant contemporary notion of power observed in multiple ways that forge effective international diplomacy that accounts for co-opting, persuasion, and creating a sphere of influence despite coercive ways of power. Soft power refers to the ability to persuade, to create an appeal and is considered an asset in cultivating global influence in multiple terms. The potential soft power of higher education institutions (HEIs) contextualizes the soft power construct into attraction, satisfaction, and the expectation of a favorable decision and reflects an increased likelihood of diplomatic success through international students as para-diplomats. To this end, the study provides an account of the development of a new multidimensional construct measure of the potential soft power of HEIs. The 26-item Perceived Soft Power Scale for International Students (PESPSIS) explores the process and the outcome aspects of soft power, providing a valid and reliable instrument based on international students’ perceptions of the potential soft power of HEIs. Findings from the study involving 230 international students affiliated with a Turkish public university demonstrate that the PESPSIS has acceptable internal reliability and construct validity. The results also indicate a 3-factor structure consisting of 26 items, as attraction, satisfaction, and expectation of a favorable decision, accounting for 54.24% of the total variance explained. It is suggested that an instrument such as the PESPSIS aligns more closely with the conceptualization of the soft power of HEIs and provides a valid construct measure of soft power relevant to research and practice in university student populations.