Instrument Development 1 CHOICE THEORY INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT

Instrument Development Project for Glassers Choice Theory

JENNIFER CORBETT

University of Alabama

Instrument Development 2 CHOICE THEORY INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT Definition of Construct

William Glasser identified what he felt were five basic psychological and biological needs for students over thirty years with his first publication on this topic in 1969. Today, Glassers Choice Theory is used to collect psychometric data on whether or not students five basic needs are being met. These five basic needs are classified as survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun (Glasser, 1998). The purpose of this construct is apply Glassers theory of the five psychological and physiological basic needs in order to validate an instrument aimed at a population of middle school-aged children.

These categories can be expanded to explain the concepts within each. For example, survival mode would include food, shelter, and safety. Love & belonging would include whether these children have friends, love, and acceptance. The idea of power can be demonstrated through accomplishment, recognition, and competence. Freedom is expressed in whether or not a child is presented with choices and can express him or herself creatively. The aspect of fun is simply seeing if a child has the opportunity to play, laugh, and learn. The concept behind this construct is based on the application of William Glassers Reality Therapy as used by school counselors. The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) framework for guidance counseling focuses on a framework with three domains: academic achievement, career decision-making, and personal/social development (Mason & Duba, 2009). Several researchers have merged the choice theory and basic needs theory with psychometrics to create constructs for topics ranging from marriage counseling, college student attrition rates, to school counseling programs and understanding the needs of secondary education students.

Instrument Development 3 CHOICE THEORY INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT One of the first surveys of Glassers basic needs appeared in the Journal of Reality Therapy in 1995. Harvey, Smith, and Retter (1995) describe the development and reliability testing of The Basic Needs Survey. The aim was to determine the relative strength of Glassers basic needs while assessing sixth grade students and planning counseling programs for them. The survey was found to reliable among sixth graders and was an appropriate reading level for students in elementary or middle school. The survey was useful in developing behavior modification strategies. Mishler and Cherry (1999) took the idea of Glassers Choice Theory and correlated it hypothesize the possible causes of behavior in children with special needs. Through their functional assessment of behavior (FAB), one can examine a students environment and identify variables for change. By understanding any unmet needs an intervention plan can be developed.

Lafond (2000) used Choice Theory to develop an instrument to be used in marriage counseling. Glasser (1998) had also hypothesized that meeting the five basic needs are important in forming lasting relationships. In this counseling approach, couples used the developed instrument based on choice theory/reality therapy to assess their strengths of the five basic needs. For example, if both partners have high power needs with the other needs, survival, love and belonging, and fun inequitable, one could predict incompatibility of the partners as opposed to couples who shared an average need for survival, a high need for love and belonging, a low need for power, a low need for freedom, and a high need for fun. Based on this information, Lafond was able to validate a construct from which needs in a relationship could be negotiated during the process of marriage counseling.

Instrument Development 4 CHOICE THEORY INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT Price (2010) developed an instrument using choice theory to study student attrition rates among college freshmen. Her research focused on the correlation of choice theory to freshman withdrawal rates. The construct was designed to assess the fulfillment of the five basic needs of first-time freshmen and predict possible relationships associated with freshman attrition. The purpose of the study was to identify students at risk for withdrawal between freshman and sophomore years.

Introduction of the Measurement Procedures

The constructs reviewed based on Choice Theory reflect items to assess the five basic needs as outlined by Glasser. The individual items are designed to address the needs of survival, fun, love and belonging, power, and freedom. The items in the appendix were modified from research by Burns, Vance, Szadokierski, & Stockwell (2006) to reflect the needs of a middle school-aged student, specifically those in a Title I school. For example, item five states, I know there is a meal at school for me if I am hungry. This is an important factor in a school where more than 50% of students are on the free and reduced lunch program. Burns, et al. (2006) pulled together a panel of five administrators certified by the Glasser Institute and/or trained in the principles of a Quality School. These administrators wrote the items and the researchers conducted a field test. After an item analysis from the field test, two items were revised resulting in the final version of the Student Needs Survey (SNS), one of the constructs used as the basis for this research After checking the reading ease on three Flesch-Kincaid scoring instruments, the reading ease ranges from 91.78 to 93.5. A high reading ease score shows a passage is easier to read (i.e. an average comic book would range around 90). The grade level reading equivalent of the

Instrument Development 5 CHOICE THEORY INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT survey ranges from 1.5 to 1.7, so the targeted audience of middle grades students, even those with lower reading levels, should be able to read and understand the questions being asked. Scale and Scoring The implementation of the five basic needs construct based on survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun is based on the work of Glassers Choice Theory (2001) as applied to the classroom. Students are asked to indicate the degree to which they agree with the items describing the five basic needs on a three-point Likert-type scale. A three-point scale was chosen as opposed to the traditional five or seven-point rating scale, and the extreme item anchors never, sometimes, and always are used to better accommodate the age range of students for this particular construct, usually aged ten to fourteen years old for middle school. Reliability

Psychometric researchers Burns, et. al. (2006) developed the Student Needs Survey (SNS) by merging the ideas of Choice Theory in education with psychometric theory. The result was a five point Likert scale that yielded measureable data that proved to be both valid and reliable. The reliability was assessed through internal consistency and test-retest reliability.

In their research, their SNS construct was assessed for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity. In doing so, the questionnaire was issued to 100 elementary aged students. The scores were correlated and an item analysis conducted to modify any statements that scored below .30, consistent with Lafonds study (2000) where she discarded or modified items that scored below 3.0.

Instrument Development 6 CHOICE THEORY INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT The final version of the SNS was tested by computing a coefficient alpha of the 25 items, followed by a computation of the items within each subscale. A test-retest estimate was then computed from a smaller subgroup of participants. The total scores from the two administrations were correlated with the Pearson Product Moment. Validity In researching a multimethod, multitrait construct based on choice theory, Lafond (2000) developed the Choice Theory Basic Needs Scale (CTBNS) to reflect the basic needs in relationships. When considering the validation choices from the trinitarian view (content, construct, and criterion-rated validity strategies), the researcher concluded that for her construct the best validity measurement would be based on construct validity. Few studies reveal an established, valid instrument for those who practice Reality Therapy, and such studies require a lengthy process that is complicated by the lack of established instruments to validate what are essentially new constructs. Lafonds study was an initial step in this process. For the Student Needs Survey (SNS) constructed by Burns, et. al. (2006), validity was assessed by conducting a factor analysis of the five subscales (the five basic needs). The resulting statistics were significant. Discussion The research in this current paper focuses on the development and psychometric properties of William Glassers five basic needs of Choice Theory. From the constructs researched, the data in each study showed the constructs to be both reliable and valid, though further studies are needed in some areas. In the study by Burns, et. al. (2006), however, their

Instrument Development 7 CHOICE THEORY INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT construct in particular yielded significant test-retest reliability and internal consistency, which in turn supports overall validity of the construct. With the implementation of Glassers Choice Theory in schools ( (Glasser, Choice Theory in the Classroom, 2001), such a survey modified to fit the needs of an individual school. The surveys researched resulted in psychometrically sound constructs that can be used to quantify how well a school is meeting students needs. The subscale scores can be used to determine a students relative strengths and weaknesses, as well as identify needs that are being met. The data can be used to design behavioral interventions, adjust instruction, measure the effectiveness of teaching practices, and help provide information regarding the overall school environment.

Instrument Development 8 CHOICE THEORY INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT

Bibliography
Blagov, P., Bi, W., Shedler, J., & Westen, D. (2012). The Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP): Evaluating Psychometric Questions About Its Reliability, Validity, and Impact of Its Fixed Score Distribution. Assessment, 19(3), 370-382. doi:10.1177/1073191112436667 Burns, M., Vance, D., Szadokierski, I., & Stockwell, C. (2006, Spring). Student Needs Survey: A Psychometrically Sound Measure of the Five Basic Needs. International Journal of Reality Therapy, XXV(2). Glasser, W. (1998). Choice theory: A new perspective on personal freedom. New York: HarperCollins. Glasser, W. (2001). Choice Theory in the Classroom. New York: HarperCollins. Glasser, W. (2008). Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom. New York: HarperCollins. Harvey, V. &. (1995). The development of the Basic Needs Survey. Journal of Reality Therapy, 15(1), 7680. LaFond, B. (1999). Glasser's reality therapy approach to relationships: Validation of a choice theory basic needs scale. St. Mary's University, Counseling. San Antonio: UMI Company. Retrieved 2012 Mason, C., & Duba, J. (2009, October 1). Using reality therapy in schools: Its potential impact on the effectiveness of teh ASCA national model. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 29(2), 5-12. Retrieved December 2012, from http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/csa_fac_pub/33/ Mishler, J., & Cherry, S. (1999, March). Correlating Glasser's Choice Theory to the behavioral requirements of IDEA 97. The American Council on Rural Special Education. Albuquerque. Retrieved October 13, 2012 Price, E. (2010, July). An examination of freshman student attrition from the fall semester to the spring semester as related to William Glassers Choice Theory and basic needs. Ann Arbor: UMI Dissertation Publishing. Retrieved from ProQuest

Instrument Development 9 CHOICE THEORY INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT Appendix STUDENT SURVEY For the following statements, circle how accurate each is for you. 1. Teachers at this school really care about students. 2. I have fun with my friends in class. 3. Students at this school enjoy learning. 4. Students in our class enjoy being around each other. 5. I know there is a meal at school for me if I am hungry. 6. The teachers seem to care for one another. 7. Other adults in the building, besides my teacher, know me. 8. I feel important when I am at school. 9. My teachers expect me to get good grades on work and tests. 10. I usually know how well Im doing in school. 11. I can choose my own partners for projects. 12. I know my teachers are prepared for emergencies (fire, tornado, severe weather). 13. My teachers care about me. 14. I feel like I fit in with other students at this school. 15. There is an adult at school I can talk to if needed. 16. I feel like there is order in the school. 17. The teachers are open to suggestions from students. 18. At school, I get to learn things I am interested in. 19. I have choices in my assignments. 20. People at school listen to what I have to say. 21. I have choices on different ways to complete assignments. 22. I feel safe when I am at school. 23. I have many friends at school. 24. Students are kind to each other at this school. 25. In our class, we do special fun activities. Never 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Sometimes 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Always 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3