Does Servant Leadership Stimulate Work Engagement? The Moderating Role of Trust in the Leader

Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version of the Leader Member Exchange Scale (LMX-7): A Validation Study

For decades, scholars have studied leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships to understand and explain the effects of leadership on follower attitudes and performance outcomes within work settings. One available instrument to measure these aspects is the LMX-7 scale. This measurement has been widely used in empirical studies, but its psychometric properties have been poorly explored. The aim of this study was to test the psychometric characteristics (content, structural and construct validity, and reliability) of the Italian version of the LMX-7 scale and to support its cultural adaptation. We used a cross-sectional multi-center design. The forward-backward translation process was used to develop the Italian version of the scale. The scale was administered through an online survey to 837 nurses and nurse managers working in different settings. The factorial structure was tested using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA), and reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. For the construct validity, we used hypothesis testing and differentiation by known groups. The Italian version of the LMX-7 scale presented one dimension. All the psychometric tests performed confirmed its validity and suggested its usefulness for future research.

Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Trust Me Scale-Italian Version: A Validation Study

BACKGROUND

The Trust Me Scale is a widely used instrument to measure trust in healthcare providers. However, no Italian version of the scale exists yet, limiting its use in Italian-speaking populations. The aim of this study is to translate and validate the Trust Me Scale for use in Italian-speaking populations in nurses and nurse managers.

METHODS

The translation process involved methodological steps of collaborative and iterative translation with cultural adaptation. The validation process included a cross-sectional study enrolling a convenience sample of 683 nurses and 188 nurse managers who completed the Italian version of the Trust Me Scale and measures of intention to leave, satisfaction, and organizational commitment.

RESULTS

Item 5 was removed for poor factor loading, and items 11 and 13 were removed following an a priori strategy focused on deleting items with correlations between residual variables different than expected based on theoretical expectations derived from previous research. The final model fit well to sample statistics with a three-factor structure (harmony, reliability, and concern) and 13 items. A multiple-indicator multiple-cause model showed a measurement invariance between nurses and nurse coordinators. Construct validity was also supported by the evidence that the measured domains of trust align with the theoretical expectations and are related to the intention to leave, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Each dimension showed adequate scale reliability.

CONCLUSIONS

The Italian version of the Trust Me Scale is a valid and reliable instrument to measure trust in nurses and nurse managers in Italian-speaking contexts. It can be used for research in nursing and leadership and evaluation of interventions aimed at improving trust in healthcare contexts.

Perspectives of the Teachers on Challenges and Possibilities to Online System of Education amid COVID-19 Outbreak in Balochistan, Pakistan

The study investigates the issues of access, quality, and other major challenges to the online system of education for students in Balochistan during this pandemic of Covid-19. Using the mixed-method design, 100 participants from schools and 7 curriculum experts responded to the survey and the interview questions. Survey results suggested that majority of the schools have enough digital devices, and teachers, to some extent, have skills to use technology in teaching, but limited electricity, funds, weak internet connections, and teacher training were some of the major challenges for them. In interviews, the participants showed disappointment in terms of responsiveness of the curriculum because the textbooks have manifold deficiencies in responding to online education. Considering these deficiencies, proposals were suggested to cope with the existing situation. The findings of the study call for the need on the part of the academia, educational stakeholders, and elected representatives to start joint efforts with national and international donor agencies, technology benefactors and telecommunication operators in developing digital infrastructure to provide students with access to education, quality, and lifelong learning through various pathways. The findings can be generalized to other underdeveloped regions both within and across the country, as the public schools are confronting the same issues and the online system of education has not yet been initiated.

The relation between leadership styles in higher education institutions and academic staff's job satisfaction: A meta-analysis study

In this study, it is aimed to examine the relationship between leadership in higher education institutions [HEIs] and academic staff's job satisfaction, which is formed by combining different leadership styles in higher education institutions, using the meta-analysis method based on correlational research. For this purpose, it was investigated whether there was a significant difference between the effect sizes of the studies investigating the relationship between leadership in HEIs and academic staff's job satisfaction between the years 2010-2022, according to the moderator variables (leadership styles, continent, culture, and Human Development Index [HDI]). A total of 57 research data, including sample size and Pearson correlation coefficient data, were evaluated within the scope of the research. Correlational studies were calculated according to the random effect model in terms of effect direction and overall effect size; The estimated effect size value was found to be 0.374. This value shows that the overall effect size of the relationship between leadership in HEIs and academic staff's job satisfaction is positive and moderate. However, there is no significant difference between the effect sizes of the research examining the relationship between leadership styles in HEIs and academic staff's job satisfaction, according to continent, culture and HDI moderator variables.