Table of Contents
Bulach, C. (1993). A measure of openness and trust. People and Education 1:382–92.
Comments: The 60-item Group Openness/Trust Scale (GOTS) measures group openness and group trust. The first 30 items are based on the individual’s impression of what he/she is expected to do. The second 30 items are based on the individual’s actual behavior. Trust is assessed by the following behaviors: character, truthfulness, ability, confidentiality, and predictability. Openness is assessed by the following behaviors: telling and listening.
Sample: The sample consisted of 525 persons from 24 elementary schools in Kentucky.
Reliability: Split-half reliability (Spearman-Brown) was 0.80 for group openness and 0.82 for group trust. Test-retest reliability over a period of one week using a sample of 50 graduate students was 0.78 for group openness and 0.80 for group trust.
Validity: Although the author examined the content, construct, and discriminant validity of the GOTS, the author makes a recommendation to conduct additional research to establish the validity of the GOTS.
References
Bulach, C. R., and Malone, B. (1994). The relationship of school climate to the implementation of school reform. ERS Spectrum: Journal of School Research and Information 12:3–9.
Gurtman, M. B. (1992). Trust, distrust, and interpersonal problems: A circumplex analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 62:989–1002.
Pareek, U. (1989). Motivational analysis of organizations—climate (MAO-C). In J. W. Pfeiffer (ed.), The 1989 annual developing human resources. San Diego, CA: University Associates.
Rotter, J. B. (1991). A new scale for the measurement of interpersonal trust. In J. P. Robinson, et al. (eds.), Measures of personality and psychological attitudes. New York: Academic Press.
Group Openness/Trust Scale
I have gotten the impression that they expect me to
1. tell them what they think of the way they do things.
2. tell them what I think of their ideas.
3. tell them what I think of their educational values and beliefs.
4. share my feelings with them.
5. ask them what they think of the way I do things.
6. ask them what they think of my ideas.
7. ask them what they think of my beliefs and values.
8. ask them about their feelings.
9. accept their comments and reactions.
10. openly disagree with them if I don’t agree with what is being said or done.
11. share positive thoughts with them instead of keeping them to myself.
12. share constructive criticism with them instead of keeping it to myself.
13. believe what I hear them say.
14. question their intentions and/or motives.
15. conceal my true feelings about what they do or say.
16. “play it cool”—keep my distance.
17. count on them for assistance if I have a problem.
18. have faith in their ability.
19. believe that they care about me.
20. deal with them directly when there is a problem.
21. tell them interesting information I know about someone.
22. believe they will respond favorably in a given situation when my welfare is at stake.
23. rely on them to keep a confidence.
24. believe that they are honest.
25. count on them to do what they say they are going to do.
26. tell the truth when it needs to be told.
27. respect the opinions of my colleagues.
28. admit my mistakes and/or problems when necessary.
29. support their ideas, decisions, and actions.
30. believe that they will behave consistently regardless of the person or situation, or my level of stress.
31. I tell them what I think of the way they do things.
32. I tell them what I think of their ideas.
33. I tell them what I think of their educational values and beliefs.
34. I share my feelings with them.
35. I ask them what they think of the way I do things.
36. I ask them what they think of my ideas.
37. I ask them what they think of my educational beliefs and values.
38. I ask them about their feelings.
39. I accept their comments and reactions.
40. I openly disagree if I don’t agree with what is being said or done.
41. I share positive thoughts with them instead of keeping them to myself.
42. I share constructive criticism with them instead of keeping it to myself.
43. I believe what I hear them say.
44. I question their intentions and/or motives.
45. I conceal my true feelings to what they do or say.
46. I “play it cool”—keep my distance from them.
47. I count on them for assistance if I have a problem.
48. I have faith in their ability to help me.
49. I believe that they care about me.
50. I deal with them directly when there is a problem.
51. I tell them interesting information I know about someone.
52. I expect them to respond favorably in a given situation when my welfare is at stake.
53. I rely on them to keep a confidence.
54. I believe that they are honest.
55. I count on them to do what they say they are going to do.
56. I tell the truth when it needs to be told.
57. I respect the opinions of my colleagues.
58. I admit my mistakes and/or problems when necessary.
59. I support the ideas, decisions, and actions of my colleagues.
60. I behave consistently regardless of the person or situation, or my level of stress.
Scoring: A five-point Likert scale ranges from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The higher the score, the higher the trust or openness (positive) and the lower the score, the lower the trust or openness (negative).