Intrinsic-Extrinsic Religious Orientation Scale (ROS)
Measures the extent to which a person's religious orientation is intrinsic (religion as an end in itself) or extrinsic (religion as a means to other social or personal ends).
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Intrinsic-Extrinsic Religious Orientation Scale (ROS) was developed by Gordon W. Allport, J. M. Ross, Joe R. Feagin (1967). It is designed to measure Religious Orientation. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 21 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Extrinsic Orientation, Intrinsic Orientation.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Extrinsic Orientation | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | 12 |
| Intrinsic Orientation | 13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21 | 9 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Definitely Disagree / Definitely Not True / Never, 2 = Tend to Disagree / Tends Not to be True / Rarely, 3 = Tend to Agree / Tends to be True / Occasionally, 4 = Definitely Agree / Definitely True / Frequently.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 21 to 84. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low overall religious orientation: 21 – 42
- Moderate overall religious orientation: 43 – 63
- High overall religious orientation: 64 – 84
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Typically ranges from 0.70 to 0.85 for both subscales.
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.