Science teacher candidates' awareness and behaviors regarding biodiversity: Scale development study

The aim of this research is to develop a scale to determine the awareness and behavior levels of science teacher candidates regarding biodiversity. By scanning the relevant field by the researcher, 60 items were determined for the measurement tool. After receiving field expert opinion for structural suitability, 56 articles were selected as a draft. The prepared scale was applied to 240 students at a state university. The “Biological Diversity Awareness Measurement Tool” (BCDSA) took its final form as 24 items after the exploratory factor analysis, and the “Biological Diversity Behavior Measurement Tool” (BCDSA) took its final form as 25 items after the EFA. The analyzes revealed that the scales are a measurement tool suitable for the predefined structure. After the reliability study, it was found that the overall Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the CAFSA was .72, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the overall CASA was .75. After all these studies, a scale consisting of 24 items prepared in 6 sub-dimensions was developed to measure biodiversity awareness levels, and a 5-point Likert type scale consisting of 25 items prepared in 7 sub-dimensions was developed to measure biodiversity behavior levels.