Attitude Scale Toward Innovation for Primary School Students: Scale Development and Validation

This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable scale to assess the attitudes of primary school students toward innovation. The research was conducted with data from 733 third- and fourth-grade students in the Marmara Region. Designed as a descriptive study, the research employed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to evaluate the data. Initially, a literature review examined the concept of innovation and how it could be measured appropriately for children. Based on the findings, a pool of 44 items was created using a five-point Likert scale (ranging from strongly disagree to agree strongly). After expert reviews and a pilot study, this pool was refined to 38 items. The exploratory factor analysis results indicated that the scale consisted of four factors: Curiosity, Self-Confidence, Alternative Usage, and Creativity. These factors accounted for 55.66% of the total variance. Each factor included three items, with factor loadings exceeding 0.30, which supported the construct validity of the scale. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the model demonstrated excellent goodness-of-fit values. Findings from the second-order CFA confirmed the relationship between the factors and innovation and showed an excellent fit. As a result, this study developed a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the attitudes of primary school students toward innovation. The scale is anticipated to help understand students' tendencies toward innovative thinking, develop strategies to enhance these tendencies, and evaluate innovation-focused educational programs.