Measuring attitudes in the self-employment intention model: methodological considerations

Abstract

The paper is based on a statistical model, the construction of which requires determining the independent variables. To determine the predictive ability of different approaches to measuring independent variables, the paper provides an overview of theoretical and research approaches to the research problem. The purpose of the study is to analyze the predictive power of instruments measuring attitudes toward self-employment as one of the most significant predictors of a career choice according to the theory of planned behavior. The paper juxtaposes two various measurement approaches in assessing attitudes toward self-employment. The first approach is based on behavioral beliefs that produce favorable or unfavorable attitudes toward a self-employed career and considers two opposing options: pursuing a self-employed career or accepting a job position (working for an employer). In this context, developing a measurement construct is a multistep process that requires testing psychometric characteristics of proposed measures based on predefined theoretical and empirical dimensions. The second approach incorporates aggregate measures of attitude toward self-employment in which the predictor variable is assessed from only one perspective, without taking into account other career options. Through the means of multiple regression analysis, the paper details a comparison of both measurement approaches and their performance in explaining the dependent variable (self-employment intention). The predictive power of the model is defined as a criterion for selecting a measurement approach that can serve as a methodological framework for prospective studies focused on investigating attitudes toward certain behavior.