The global shift towards degree apprenticeships, exemplified by the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines, addresses the imminent challenges posed by the projected rise in the working-age population in India by 2030. This change underscores the critical need for a comprehensive scale to assess administrators' perceptions and attitudes towards implementing the Apprenticeship Education Degree Programme (AEDP). Addressing this gap, the present study aims to develop the Administrators' Perception and Attitude Scale towards Apprenticeship Programme (APAS-TAP), a context-specific scale tailored to the unique nuances of the Indian educational landscape. The study employed a crosssectional survey design, selecting 180 administrators through purposive sampling from schools, colleges, and universities in West Bengal, India. The APAS-TAP underwent rigorous development and testing, involving expert panels for content validity assessment using the content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) determined the latent variables of APAS-TAP, while Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) evaluated construct validity, and Cronbach's alpha ensured internal consistency. The Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique examined the research model, and the goodness-of-fit (GoF) index assessed the model's appropriateness. The CVI and CVR values surpassed acceptable thresholds (CVI > 0.78 and CVR > 0.75). Internal consistency, indicated by Cronbach's alpha (α = 0.951), signified high reliability. The GoF index (CMIN/DF = 2.981) validated the model's appropriateness. The APAS-TAP emerges as a valid and reliable tool, providing crucial insights into administrators' perceptions and attitudes towards AEDP in the 'Rarh region' of West Bengal, India. Stakeholders can leverage this scale to identify gaps and enhance the quality of training, awareness, breadth, assessment, learning outcomes, quality management, and truthfulness in the context of AEDP. This study contributes significantly to the field by providing a robust scale for future research and policy development. © 2024 Malque Publishing. All rights reserved.
Author Keywords
Index Keywords
