| The purpose of this study was to develop and test the Experience of Supervision Scale, which measures the experience of supervisory behaviors from the perspective of child welfare workers. Child welfare supervision is gaining increased attention as states struggle to improve performance measures of their child welfare systems. However, the lack of a standardized instrument which measures supervision through an analysis of supervisory behaviors from the supervisee's perspective has hindered efforts in these areas. The Experience of Supervision Scale is based on Kadushin's three function casework supervision model of supervision (administrative, educational, and supportive) which was chosen as the theoretical framework due to this model's emphasis on public agency clinical case work practice. Scale items were generated through focus groups of child welfare workers and supervisors. Items were reviewed by an expert panel and the scale was then administered to a statewide sample of 165 child welfare workers. The refined Experience of Supervision Scale consists of 32 items. In this study, it demonstrated high internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of .962. Factor analysis yielded a three factor solution consistent with the casework model of supervision's structure, while also suggesting slight modifications to the model. The three factors derived included: Performance Support, Emotional support/Availability, and Administrative activities. The results of this study suggest that the Experience of Supervision Scale has appropriate psychometric properties for use in complex research in which casework supervision is a variable. |
