Development of the Environmental Awareness Scale for Primary School Students

The present study aimed to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure the environmental awareness levels of primary school students within the Turkish context. Despite the multidimensional nature of environmental awareness discussed in the literature, there is a limited number of comprehensive and psychometrically sound instruments designed specifically for children in Türkiye. The study was conducted with 337 fourth-grade students enrolled in the 2024–2025 academic year in Samsun, Türkiye. An initial item pool was generated through an extensive literature review and expert consultation. Content validity was ensured through expert evaluations, followed by a pilot study. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to identify the underlying factor structure, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to test model fit. Results of EFA revealed a two-factor structure, which was subsequently confirmed by CFA. Model fit indices indicated acceptable fit (χ²/df = 2.20; RMSEA = .069; CFI = .859; GFI = .901). Factor loadings ranged between .38 and .75 and were statistically significant (p < .001). Convergent and discriminant validity analyses (AVE and CR) supported the construct validity of the scale, while the moderate inter-factor correlation (.356) demonstrated conceptual distinctiveness between the dimensions. Reliability analyses showed satisfactory internal consistency (α = .814 overall; .817 and .700 for subscales). Item–total correlations ranged from .327 to .708, confirming adequate item discrimination. Overall, the findings indicate that the developed scale is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing environmental awareness among primary school students.