This study attempted development and validation of a measure of "intention to stay in academia" for physician assistant (PA) faculty in order to determine if the construct could be measured in way that had both quantitative and qualitative meaning. Adopting both the methodologic framework of the Rasch model and the theoretical framework that "intention to stay in academia" is a complex psychological construct influenced by a wide range of individual and environmental variables, this investigation identified potential observable indicators of the construct and used them to develop a survey instrument. Evidence of multiple aspects of validity was sought throughout the investigation in order to make an evaluative judgment regarding the validity of the measure at the conclusion of the research. The investigation was conducted in four phases. In Phase I, the construct of "intention to stay in academia" was conceptualized by means of a literature review and interviews of 15 experienced PA faculty. This phase resulted in a list of 79 potential observable indicators of the construct which were transformed into survey items in Phase II. In Phase III of the study, an instrument of 70 items was piloted to a convenience sample of 53 PA faculty. Following the pilot data analysis, a revised instrument was administered to all 1002 PA faculty in the U.S. in Phase IV, with a 49.3% response rate. The measure of "intention to stay in academia" for PA faculty developed in this study demonstrated multiple types of validity evidence but was limited by the lack of an overall meaning to the item hierarchy and failure to meet the strict expectations of the Rasch model for unidimensionality. However, a subset of 19 items relating to a supportive academic environment produced a meaningful progression of types of indicators of "intention to stay in academia" and demonstrated characteristics of a linear measure. This subset included items dealing with relationships, autonomy, institutional support, and workload; inferences that higher education administrators and other stakeholders in PA education could make from the analysis of this subset of items were discussed. Although the cumulative evidence from this study allowed for concluding that measuring PA faculty "intention to stay in academia" was a realizable goal, the theoretical framework for the measure needs to be strengthened in order to guide future iterations of the instrument and validate a more meaningful and useful measure. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]