This study aims to develop a scale to measure perceived relationship cultivation strategies. The study created the initial items by reviewing the existing literature on cultivation strategies and interviewing public relations practitioners. The developed measurement's reliability and validity were examined by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.
Initial items representing eight strategies were formulated through a comprehensive literature review and six in-depth interviews with public relations experts. Based on the in-depth interviews identifying the tactics of each cultivation strategy in mediated communication, 47 initial items were created. Online surveys (N = 416) provided data for exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to assess the scale's psychometric properties.
Exploratory factor analysis revealed a seven-factor structure for relationship cultivation strategies, refining the initial theoretical framework. Confirmatory factor analysis conducted with two independent samples confirmed the validity and reliability of the final 26-item scale across these seven dimensions.
This study makes a significant contribution by conceptualizing and operationalizing cultivation strategies from the receiver's perspective rather than the sender's. By providing a validated measurement instrument that captures user perceptions, this research enables scholars to examine how relationship-building efforts are actually experienced by stakeholders, thereby expanding methodological approaches in OPR research and bridging an important theoretical gap.
