Development and validity of the Ethical Leadership Questionnaire
Abstract
Purpose
This study had five objectives: explain the initial steps that led to the construction of the Ethical Leadership Questionnaire (ELQ); analyze the items and verify the ELQ reliability using item response theory (IRT); examine its factorial structure with a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and an exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) approach; test the item bias of the ELQ; assess the relation between the ELQ dimensions and ethical sensitivity. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Study 1 and Study 2 involved 200 and 668 respondents, respectively. Step 1 consisted in IRT; Step 2 in CFA and ESEM analysis; Step 3 in invariance of the ELQ items across gender, and Step 4 in structural equation modeling.
Findings
Results indicated the presence of the three types of ethic in the resolution of moral dilemmas, validating Starratt's model. The factor structure was gender invariant. Ethic of critique was significantly related to ethical sensitivity.
Research limitations/implications
More replications will be needed to fully support the ELQ's validity. Given that the instrument may be used in diverse cultural contexts, invariance across cultures would be warranted.
Practical implications
As educational organizations become aware of the crucial need for more ethical leaders, they will need to pay particular attention to the ethic of critique as it appears to play a significant role in the development of ethical sensitivity.
Social implications
Results presented in this paper answer a vital need for more ethical skills in educational leadership.
Originality/value
The ELQ provides a validated measure of Starratt's conceptual framework and highlights the key role played by ethical sensitivity and the ethic of critique.
Keywords
Citation
Langlois, L., Lapointe, C., Valois, P. and de Leeuw, A. (2014), "Development and validity of the Ethical Leadership Questionnaire", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 52 No. 3, pp. 310-331. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-10-2012-0110
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited