International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

author(s)
Harihara Tripathy, Gopika Somanath, Soumya Ranjan Behera and Neethu JS

abstract
The study aimed to develop and standardize a scale to measure the level of satisfaction of the members of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). The summated rating method, developed by Likert (1932) and Edwards (1969), was used for this purpose. A total of 85 statements related to the level of satisfaction of the members of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) were collected from literature and experts working with FPOs. After editing, 50 statements were retained as clear & non-ambiguous. Out of these, 37 statements were selected based on a relevancy score of over 85%, and finally, a total of 34 statements demonstrating t-values greater than 2.110 at the 0.05 level of significance were retained for inclusion in the scale. The finalized instrument showed high internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s Alpha and strong split-half reliability. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed a five-dimensional structure, with factor loadings above 0.60 and an overall Average Variance Extracted of 0.768, indicating strong convergent validity. The final 34 items were grouped under five dimensions: Tangibles (7 items), Reliability (7 items), Responsiveness (8 items), Assurance (7 items), and Empathy (5 items) following the SERVQUAL model. The scale was administered on a five-point continuum, where scores for positive statements ranged from 'Strongly Agree' to 'Strongly Disagree' (5 to 1), and for negative statements, scoring was reversed.