PRAGMATIC AWARENESS SCALE: A VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY STUDY

In this research, the aim was to develop a measurement tool to assess pragmatic awareness. An exploratory design from mixed research methods was employed. The sample consisted of a total of 700 pre-service teachers. The developed scale includes 20 items and five sub-dimensions. To establish the scale's validity, both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of the scale was calculated as .790. Based on the results, it was concluded that the scale is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring pragmatic awareness. Enhancing this awareness among pre-service teachers is expected to support the application of innovative and effective methods in language teaching. Furthermore, the scale fills a gap in the field by introducing a much-needed measurement tool into the literature on Turkish language education. In conclusion, this study aims to contribute to teacher education processes and to the development of pre-service teachers’ contextual language use skills by offering a new perspective on the significance of pragmatic awareness in Turkish language teaching.