Description

The “Attitudes Toward God Scale – 9” (ATGS-9) is a psychometric tool developed to measure individuals’ attitudes toward God. The scale includes 9 questions that assess both positive and negative views, beliefs, and emotions individuals hold about God. The aim of this scale is to provide a brief yet comprehensive evaluation of individuals’ perceptions of God.

Objective

The main objectives of the ATGS-9 are:
Assessment of Attitudes: To record both positive and negative attitudes individuals have toward God.
Understanding Religious Experience: To explore how attitudes toward God influence individuals’ religious and spiritual lives.
Correlation with Other Variables: To investigate the relationships between attitudes toward God and other psychological or social factors, such as mental health, social support, and religious practices.
Support for Interventions: To provide data that can aid in the development of spiritual and religious interventions that promote mental well-being and religious commitment.

Analysis

The analysis of the data collected through the ATGS-9 scale involves the following steps:
Data Collection: Participants complete the ATGS-9 questionnaire, which includes 9 questions assessing their attitudes toward God using Likert scales.
Quantitative Evaluation: Responses are analyzed statistically using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and correlation analyses to identify trends and patterns in the relationship with God.
Interpretation of Results: The results are interpreted to understand the dominant trends and relationships between attitudes toward God and other psychological and social factors.
Group Comparison: Differences in attitudes toward God are examined across different demographic, cultural, and religious groups.

Standardization

The standardization of the ATGS-9 includes:
Ensuring Reliability: Using reliability indicators such as Cronbach’s alpha to assess the internal consistency of responses.
Ensuring Validity: Confirming the validity of the tool through confirmatory factor analysis methods and other evaluation tools.
Test-Retest: Conducting test-retest trials with different groups of participants to confirm the reliability and validity of the scale in various contexts.

Bibliography

Benson, P., Donahue, M., & Erickson, J. (1993). “The Faith Maturity Scale: Conceptualization, Measurement, and Empirical Validation.” Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, 5, 1-26.
Gorsuch, R. L. (1984). “Measurement: The Boon and Bane of Investigating Religion.” American Psychologist, 39(3), 228-236.
Hill, P. C., & Hood, R. W. (1999). “Measures of Religiosity.” Birmingham, Alabama: Religious Education Press.
Spilka, B., Hood, R. W., Hunsberger, B., & Gorsuch, R. (2003). “The Psychology of Religion: An Empirical Approach.” Guilford Press.
Kirkpatrick, L. A. (2005). “Attachment, Evolution, and the Psychology of Religion.” Guilford Press.