Development of the Professional Readiness Scale in Instrument Teaching: A Study of Validity and Reliability

This study was conducted to develop a standard measurement tool to assess the professional readiness levels of music teacher candidates specializing in music education, specifically instrumental music education, in terms of psychometric aspects. The scale was conducted with 569 prospective music teacher candidates. Expert opinions were obtained for the content validity of the scale. Construct validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The analyses confirmed a two-factor structure in the scale: ‘Planning and Managing Teaching Activities’ and ‘Teaching Competencies’. The model was found to be in adequate agreement with the data (X²/df = 2.419, RMSEA = 0.073, SRMR = 0.033, CFI = 0.934, GFI = 0.905). In the reliability analyses of the scale, Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.801 to 0.918, indicating strong internal consistency and a robust structure. Furthermore, item-total correlations and independent sample t-tests confirmed the scale's discriminant validity. In conclusion, the final version of the scale consists of 15 items across two dimensions. These findings indicate that the developed measurement tool is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used to assess the professional readiness levels of prospective music teachers in terms of psychometric aspects of instrument teaching. It is envisaged that the scale could be used in institutions aiming to train music teachers, enabling candidates to assess their own readiness before starting their careers and to develop their weaker areas based on feedback.