Structure of Prayer Scale – SPS
Measures multidimensional prayer behavior across six distinct categories 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 Prayer behavior. 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.
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha ranges from .19 to .95 across subscales and samples.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.