Scale Overview
The Attitude toward Church and Religious Practices Scale was developed by Russell R. Dynes (1955). It is designed to measure Church-sect religious orientation. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 24 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly agree, 2 = Mildly agree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Mildly disagree, 5 = Strongly disagree.
The scale includes 4 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 24 to 120. Interpretation guidelines:
- Sect Orientation (Preference for rigid belief boundaries and cultural non-conformity): 24 – 72
- Church Orientation (Preference for integration with prevailing social order and cultural conformity): 73 – 120
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.82.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 8 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.