Development of a Scale to Measure the Attitude towards Innovation Use in Rice Farming

Abstract

This study elucidates the entire methodology adopted for the development of a scale to measure farmers’ attitude towards innovation use (AIU) in rice farming. To measure the attitude of farmers towards innovation use in rice farming, a comprehensive list of 30 statements was developed by thoroughly reviewing the literature available and modifying some items from pre-existing scales. The items for this Likert-type scale were developed following the criteria put forward by Edwards and Kilpatrick (1948). These items were subjected to a thorough sorting process in consultation with domain experts and 19 statements were finally selected for the measuring instrument to be developed.  These items were sent to judges for expert content evaluation. Based on the content validity index score for items and modified Kappa statistic, 15 statements were finally selected to constitute the proposed scale. The internal consistency check using Chronbach’s alpha was used to ensure the reliability of the proposed scale, and a value of 0.88 was obtained, indicating higher reliability. The standardized scale has practical applicability in measuring the attitude of farmers towards innovation use in rice farming.