Structure of Prayer Scale – SPS
Measures the multidimensional structure and types of prayer, including confession, petition, ritual, meditation-improvement, habit, and compassionate petition.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Structure of Prayer Scale – SPS was developed by Luckow, A., Ladd, K. L., Spilka, B., McIntosh, D. N., Parks, C., & Laforett, D. (1997). It is designed to measure Structure of prayer. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 28 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Confession, Petition, Ritual, Meditation-Improvement, Habit, Compassionate Petition.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Confession | 3,4,7,14,17 | 5 |
| Petition | 13,15,22 | 3 |
| Ritual | 1,9,20 | 3 |
| Meditation-Improvement | 2,16,23,26,27 | 5 |
| Habit | 10,12,25,28 | 4 |
| Compassionate Petition | 5,6,8,11,18,19,21,24 | 8 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Moderately disagree, 3 = Slightly disagree, 4 = Slightly agree, 5 = Moderately agree, 6 = Strongly agree.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 28 to 168. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low endorsement of structured prayer: 28 – 70
- Moderate endorsement of structured prayer: 71 – 126
- High endorsement of structured prayer: 127 – 168
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Confession (α = .58-.89), Petition (α = .44-.81), Ritual (α = .68-.80), Meditation-Improvement (α = .19-.86), Habit (α = .67-.88), Compassionate Petition (α = .81-.95).
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.