A Validity and Reliability Study on Developing a Scale for Assessing Classroom Teachers' Attitudes towards Illustrated Children's Books

The aim of this research is to create a scale to assess classroom teachers' attitudes towards illustrated children's books and to reveal the psychometric aspects of the scale. Between September 13th and December 22nd, 2021, data for the study were collected from classroom teachers in various provinces of Turkey via social networks. Data were collected from a total of 819 people, 517 of whom were included in the exploratory factor analysis in the first stage, while 302 of whom were included in the second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in the second stage. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) done with the first sample group yielded a three-component construct with 20 items, ensuring the construct validity of the scale. A second-order CFA was conducted using the second sample group to give evidence for the construct. The convergent validity of the scale was examined with the average variance extracted (AVE) and combined reliability (CR) values, while the divergent validity of the scale was examined by comparing the [square root] AVE values with the correlation coefficients among the factors. Cronbach's alpha coefficient (Cr [alpha]) and combined reliability (CR) values were used to assess the scale's reliability. The scale was found to be valid and reliable in measuring classroom teachers' attitudes regarding illustrated children's books as a result of these examinations.