A Study on the Reliability and Validity of the Social Media Leadership Scale in Education Organizations Sample

Purpose: In this study, it is aimed to develop a Likert-type scale that can measure the status of managers and employees working in organizations in the context of social media leadership in a sample of educational organizations. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study was conducted on teachers working in schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education during the 2022–2023 academic year. Expert opinions were sought to ensure the construct validity of the scale. The content validity rates of the items were determined, and the content validity index of the scale was calculated as 0.88. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were conducted to test the validity of the scale. KMO and Bartlett tests were used to determine the suitability of the obtained data for factor analysis. The EFA revealed that the scale had a 5-factor structure, which was then confirmed by the CFA. The CFA results were supported by acceptable and excellent fit values. The conformity and validity of the scale and the correlation between the factors were calculated. The internal consistency reliability coefficient was used to determine the reliability of the scale. After the aforementioned procedures, the Social Media Leadership Scale (SMLLS) was developed. The SMLLS consists of 24 items with 5 factors: guidance, innovation, ethical principles, sensitivity, and awareness. The lowest score on the scale is 24, and the highest score is 120. Findings: The SMLS is a measurement tool developed to determine the leadership levels of social media users. The findings regarding the validity and reliability of the scale indicate that it has sufficient psychometric properties to determine the leadership levels of social media users. Highlights: This scale can be used to assess the current status of teachers and administrators working at various levels within educational institutions in the context of social media leadership.