Vol. 1, Issue 10, Part A (2015)

Abstract
Considering the growing significance of self-help groups for women empowerment, a scale was developed to measure the performance of self-help groups in rural areas by using Guttman scale method. The present study was conducted in five blocks of Kancheepuram district with a sample size of 100 women to measure their performance. For the purpose of this study, a variable was operationalized to measure the performance efficiency of SHG’s in rural areas in varying degrees of favourableness or unfavourableness. A total number of 34 indicators were finally selected and arranged randomly under eight dimensions in the scale consisting of 3-5 indicators in each dimensions. A two point response of agree and disagree were used as response categories. The co-efficient of reproducibility for each dimension was worked and overall co-efficient of reproducibility was found to be 0.991. Hence it can be accepted as very good scalogram. The relationship between responses of members of SHG’s and officials of SHG’s were found to have a positive and significant correlation.