Cevat ELMA
Ondokuz Mayıs University, TURKEY.
DOI: 10.14689/ejer.2019.83.3

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Spitefulness is a strong instinctive behavior which is potentially serious and often has psychological, interpersonal and social negative consequences. Revealing the reasons, levels and prevention methods in institutional life will be beneficial in terms of productivity, performance and relationships. The aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale to evaluate spitefulness behavior of managers, and to determine the perceptions of teachers related to administrational spitefulness.

Research Methods: This study which aimed to develop and implement Administrational Spitefulness Scale and to measure teachers’ perceptions on school administrators’ spiteful behaviours was held in descriptive survey model among quantitative research methods.

Findings: As a result of exploratory factor analysis, the total variance of the scale consisting of 26 items and one dimension was found to be 67.71. Confirmatory factor analysis results revealed that scale items formed a meaningful structure under single factor, and standard factor load values were .55 and above. The results revealed that the level of administrational spitefulness teachers perceive was low. As teacher perceptions related to administrational spitefulness did not differ according to gender, seniority and branch (major) variables, there were significant differences in terms of marital status and school types variables. Single teachers and secondary school teachers had higher administrational spitefulness perception.

Implications for Research and Practice: The scale in this study intended for the work life and focused on managers’ spitefulness behaviors. Naturally, it is limited in terms of revealing spitefulness behaviors among workers. Although the scale could be used at a very large area, it could only be applied to workers, and it could reveal the administrational spitefulness they perceive. Moreover, various studies could be held by relating the scale with other behaviors, attitudes and tendencies which are predominantly in the field of interest of organizational behavior and which are in the field of organization and management.

Keywords: Spitefulness, administrational spitefulness, validity, reliability, teacher.