一句话：开发并验证SIAS量表，用于测量软件专业人员对技术与社会技术基础设施的态度。
该文回应软件工程研究对社会技术研究的重视，旨在定义技术基础设施与社会技术基础设施概念，并开发测量专业人员态度的心理测量量表。作者基于基础设施与态度理论定义目标构念、生成条目并经领域专家评审修订，随后对225名软件专业人员施测。研究采用分半样本：一半做探索性因子分析，另一半做验证性因子分析，并用全样本检验表面效度、效标效度和区分效度。结果显示，探索性因子分析支持技术与社会技术基础设施的二因子结构，解释65%的总方差且载荷较强；验证性因子分析拟合优良。两个子量表与工作满意度、感知自主性和工作反馈相关，支持会聚效度；回归分析支持效标效度，HTMT、Fornell–Larcker准则和模型比较支持区分效度。该量表可用于软件工程研究及企业评估员工对基础设施的态度。
Context: Recent software engineering (SE) research has highlighted the need for sociotechnical research, implying a demand for customized psychometric scales. Objective: We define the concepts of technical and sociotechnical infrastructure in software engineering, and develop and validate a psychometric scale that measures attitudes toward them. Method: Grounded in theories of infrastructure, attitudes, and prior work on psychometric measurement, we defined the target constructs and generated scale items. The items were reviewed and refined by domain experts. The scale was administered to 225 software professionals and evaluated using a split sample. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on one half of the sample to uncover the underlying factor structure and performed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the other half to validate the structure. Further analyses with the whole sample assessed face, criterion-related, and discriminant validity. Results: EFA supported a two-factor structure (technical and sociotechnical infrastructure), accounting for 65% of the total variance with strong loadings. CFA confirmed excellent model fit. Face and content validity were supported by the item content reflecting cognitive, affective, and behavioral components. Both subscales were correlated with job satisfaction, perceived autonomy, and feedback from the job itself, supporting convergent validity. Regression analysis supported criterion-related validity, while the Heterotrait–Monotrait ratio of correlations (HTMT), the Fornell–Larcker criterion, and model comparison all supported discriminant validity. Discussion: The resulting scale is a valid instrument for measuring attitudes toward technical and sociotechnical infrastructure in software engineering research. Our work contributes to ongoing efforts to integrate psychological measurement rigor into empirical and behavioral software engineering research. The scale can also be used by companies and organizations to assess their employees’ attitudes toward the infrastructure they provide.
@inproceedings{abs-2512-00855,
title = {The Software Infrastructure Attitude Scale (SIAS): A Questionnaire Instrument for Measuring Professionals’ Attitudes Toward Technical and Sociotechnical Infrastructure},
author = {Miikka Kuutila and Paul Ralph and Huilian Sophie Qiu and Ronnie de Souza Santos and Morakot Choetkiertikul and Amin Milani Fard and Rana Alkadhi and Xavier Devroey and Gregorio Robles and Hideaki Hata and Sebastian Baltes and Vladimir Kovalenko and Shalini Chakraborty and Eray Tuzun and Hera Arif and Gianisa Adisaputri and Kelly Garcés and Anielle S. L. de Andrade and Eyram Amedzor and Bimpe Ayoola and Keisha Gaspard-Chickoree and Arazoo Hoseyni},
booktitle = {ICSE},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1145/3744916.3773106}
}