Descriptive Statistics for the 18-Item SAWS
Ranges, means, standard deviations, and internal consistency reliabilities for the total scale and for each subscale of the 18-item scale are presented in Table 23.3 . Reliability is a necessary precondition for validity, an alpha of 0.70 considered the minimum acceptable standard for demonstrating internal consistency (Nunnally 1978 ) . The Cronbach alphas indicate very acceptable internal consistency reliabilities for the total scale ( a = 0.93) and the four subscales (ranging from 0.86 to 0.91). Measures of dispersion reveal a total scale and subscales sensitive to measuring wide ranges in variability in SAW and its four dimensions. Correlations among individual subscales and the total scale are presented in Table 23.4 . As expected, all were signifi c ant at p < 0.01. The magnitude of correlations (ranging from 0.21 to 0.72) indicates related but meaningfully distinct factors.