Open and distance education acreditation standards scale: Validity and reliability studies

The purpose of this study is to develop, and test the validity and reliability of a scale for the use of researchers to determine the accreditation standards of open and distance education based on the views of administrators, teachers, staff and students. This research was designed according to general descriptive survey model since it aims to develop a scale to measure the accreditation standards in open and distance education. The sample of the research comprises 196 students and 19 teachers, administrators and staff studying or working in Private Open education courses in Kadıköy district of İstanbul during 2011-2012 school year. The research data were collected using a scale developed to measure the level of accreditation standards in open and distance education based on the views of stakeholders in open and distance education institutions. The five-point Likert type scale “Acreditation Standards Scale for Open and Distance Education” developed in this research is consist of 47 items under eight factor including Organizational Structure, Students Services, Quality Assurance/Accreditation, Measurement and Assessment, Organization Mission, Distance Education Management, Distance Education Program, Openness/Credibility/Transparency. The Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient was estimated.9683. It was concluded that Open and Distance Education Standards Scale is a valid and reliable instrument developed to measure the open and distance education quality at post-secondary education stages in Turkey. © 2016 The Author(s)