Structural Properties Questionnaire

Abstract

The Structural Properties Questionnaire (SPQ) is a 45-item psychometric instrument designed to quantify the structural, or bureaucratic characteristics, of public elementary and secondary schools. Developed by Bishop and George (1973), the SPQ operationalizes three core conceptual dimensions of organizational structure proposed by Hage: complexity, centralization, and formalization. The scale assesses critical organizational components, including faculty involvement in decision-making, the degree of administrative control, uniform adherence to rules, and the professional latitude afforded to organizational members. The instrument is intended to measure the presence of policies, procedures, and operating instructions that dictate prescribed organizational behavior.

Keywords

Structural Properties Questionnaire, SPQ, Organizational structure, Bureaucracy, Centralization, Formalization, Complexity, Educational administration, School characteristics, Teacher behavior.

Authors

L. K. Bishop, J. R. George.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Structural Properties Questionnaire (SPQ) is to provide a standardized, empirical measure of the structural characteristics inherent in educational organizations, specifically public elementary and secondary schools. By quantifying elements like policies, operating procedures, and standing orders, the instrument identifies the mechanisms through which organizational members are expected to behave in a prescribed manner.

The scale allows researchers and administrators to analyze the degree of structure or bureaucracy present within a school setting, facilitating comparisons between different types of schools or districts (e.g., highly structured versus less structured environments). It provides data on administrative control, adherence to rules and regulations, and the exercise of professional autonomy among faculty.

Construct

The SPQ measures organizational structure, specifically defined by the three dimensions derived from Hage’s theoretical framework, which are used to define the nature of the school’s bureaucratic environment:

• Centralization: This dimension concerns the distribution of power and authority across organizational positions. Factors related to centralization include faculty participation in decision-making and the hierarchy of authority (Participation in Decision-Making I and II; Hierarchy of Authority I and II).
• Formalization: This refers to the extent to which rules and regulations govern organizational activities. Measured factors involve the specificity of roles, standardization of procedures, and the observation of rules versus professional latitude (Role Specificity and Standardization I, II, and III; Rule Observation-Professional Latitude I & II).
• Complexity: This dimension addresses the degree of professional activity, specialization, and training required and supported within the organization (Specialization, Professional Activity, and Professional Training).

Validity

The validity of the final 45-item SPQ (Form Four) was established through both content and criterion-related methodologies.

Content Validity: Content validity was rigorously assessed using several panels of expert judges. A strict criterion was applied, requiring 100 percent agreement among the judges for any item to be retained in the final instrument, ensuring that all items accurately reflected the defined structural properties.

Criterion-Related Validity: A criterion-related validity study employed the known-groups method, comparing two distinct school districts: one recognized as highly structured (bureaucratic) and one significantly less structured. Comparisons of the average teacher responses across all 12 derived scales demonstrated the instrument’s ability to discriminate effectively between the two types of organizational structures. All t-tests for these comparisons achieved statistical significance at the 0.05 level or smaller, confirming the scale’s capacity to measure differences in structural properties accurately.

Reliability

The reliability of the SPQ was assessed using Cronbach coefficient alpha, a widely accepted measure of internal consistency.

The overall internal consistency for the entire 45-item scale was found to be exceptionally high, yielding a Cronbach coefficient alpha of 0.94. This high value suggests excellent reliability for the composite measure.

Reliability was also examined at the subscale level. The internal consistency coefficients for the 12 individual subscales were strong, ranging from 0.74 to 0.85.

Factor Analysis

The scale construction process involved extensive factor analysis, exploring various solutions including principal components, principal axes, and image factoring, combined with both varimax (orthogonal) and oblique rotations. The consistency of item loadings across these solutions supported the stability of the factor structure.

The final solution selected for scoring was a 12-factor orthogonal (varimax) principal component analysis. This solution accounted for 57 percent of the common variance. The 12 derived factors were unambiguously assigned to Hage’s three structural characteristics (Centralization, Formalization, Complexity).

Scoring utilized factor score coefficient weighted Z scores, calculated using a linear coefficient weighted equation where factor loadings serve as weights. This sophisticated scoring method facilitates robust comparisons between different groups on the various factors and allows for the inclusion of suppressor effects in the factor estimation.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychological/Organizational Structure Questionnaire (Self-Report).

Format: 45-item instrument (Form 4). Uses a modified four-category Likert response scale (Rarely=1 to Very Frequently=4).

Language Available: English (Original development).

Population Group: Educational staff (Teachers).

Age Group: Adults (Professional teachers).

Population Details: The final version was validated on a large sample of 1,367 teachers located in 45 public schools (elementary and secondary). The sample covered diverse regional settings, including rural, suburban, and urban areas across the Midwest and Northeast regions of the United States, supporting the representativeness of the data.

Test Methodology: Survey methodology using modified Likert scaling. Scoring relies on factor score coefficient weighted Z scores derived from a 12-factor orthogonal principal component analysis.

Keywords

Educational organizations, School bureaucracy, Teacher autonomy, Decision-making, Organizational control, Likert scale, Psychometrics, Internal consistency, Known-groups method.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was initially developed and published in 1973 (Bishop & George). Specific information regarding current permissions or associated fees for use is not provided in the source material. The original PDF for the Murphy (1979) reference related to structural characteristics can be found via the ERIC link (ED 170 937).

Test Year: 1973 (Publication of Form 4 findings).

Reference’s

Bishop, L. K., and George, J. R. (1973). Organizational structure: A factor analysis of structural characteristics of public elementary and secondary schools. Educational Administration Quarterly 9:66–80.

Bishop, L. K., et al. (1967). Structural Properties Questionnaire—Form 1. Claremont Graduate School, California. Working paper.

Bishop, L. K., and George, J. R. (1971). Relationship of organizational structure and teacher personality characteristics to organizational climate. Administrative Science Quarterly 16:467–75.

Jackson, J. M. (2007). An examination of the relationship between elementary school principals’ perceptions of shared decision making and three organizational structures. EdD dissertation, Wayne State University.

Murphy, M. J. (1979). Structural characteristics and organizational design decision. Paper presented at American Educational Research Association. ERIC ED 170 937.

Murphy, M. J., and Bishop, L. K. (1975). Defining organizational properties of schools: A focus on structure. Paper presented at American Educational Research Association.

Items of the Structural Properties Questionnaire

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Form 4

1. Who has the greatest influence in decisions about:
2. The instructional program?
3. Teaching methods?
4. Textbook selection?
5. Curricular offerings?

• Teachers
• Department or Grade Chairmen
• Consultants or Specialists
• Administrators

1. 1. Rarely
   2. Sometimes
   3. Often
   4. Very Frequently

6. Teachers are required to follow suggested instructional sequences and unit plans as closely as possible.

7. Principals in your district must refer most non-routine decisions to someone higher up for the final OK.
8. Rules and regulations concerning teacher behavior are uniformly applied.
9. Days in the school calendar are allotted exclusively to teachers for professional activities.
10. Academic degrees are an important consideration in recruitment of administrative staff.
11. Teachers are required to follow an adopted course of study.
12. Vice principals and department chairmen in your school must refer most nonroutine decisions to someone higher up for a final OK.
13. Teachers’ responsibilities and lines of authority within the school are well-defined.
14. Teaching in your school is a good job for someone who likes to be “his own boss.”
15. Teachers receive help from an instructional media specialist in the use of audiovisual equipment.
16. Teachers make visitations to schools outside of the district.
17. Advanced degrees are an important consideration in promotion.

18. Teachers are evaluated according to a formalized procedure.
19. Even small matters often have to be referred to someone higher up for a final answer.
20. At this school, procedures for disciplining students are well-defined.
21. How things are done is left up to the person doing the work.
22. Teachers attend professional conferences during the school year.
23. Academic degrees are an important consideration in recruitment of instructional staff.
24. Teachers are allowed to teach only those subjects which are included in the course of study.
25. There can be little action taken here until a superior approves decision.
26. Teachers’ activities are governed by written rules and regulations.
27. Most people here make their own rules on the job.
28. Teachers are required to do paper work which could be done by a school office staff.
29. Teachers are allowed to teach outside of their major areas of study.
30. Teachers are required to maintain lesson plans.
31. People here are allowed to do almost as they please.
32. Teachers are allowed to teach outside of their major and minor area of study.
33. Teachers in our school must refer most nonroutine decisions to someone higher up for a final OK.
34. Administrators strictly follow established rules and regulations in dealing with the teaching staff.
35. The principal’s activities are governed by written rules and regulations.
36. A teacher can make his own decisions concerning instructional problems without checking with anybody else.
37. Teachers here teach out of their field of specialization.
38. Any decision I make has to have my superior’s approval.
39. Teachers are required to submit lesson plans.
40. The principal is willing to bypass regulations to help teachers.
41. Teachers are required to go through channels (chain of command) for routine decisions.
42. The principal is willing to bypass regulations to help pupils.
43. Teachers’ daily activities must have the approval of a superior.
44. Teachers in this school are closely supervised.
45. Teachers are allowed to violate minor rules and regulations.
46. Rules requiring teachers to sign in and out are strictly followed.

Scoring: Very frequently = 4; Often = 3; Sometimes = 2; Rarely = 1.