Developing Screen Use Scales for Mothers and 4-5-Year-Old Children

This study aimed to develop two valid and reliable measurement tools to determine the screen use of 4- and 5-year-old preschool children and their mothers. The construct validity of the scales was tested using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The reliability of the scales was measured using Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient, item-total score correlation, and a discrimination test for the lower 27%. The study was conducted with 382 4- and 5-year-old children and their mothers attending kindergartens in a province in the Eastern Anatolia Region during the 2024-2025 academic year. As a result of the exploratory factor analysis, it was determined that the tool measuring mothers' screen use consisted of 6 factors and 24 items, while the tool measuring children's screen use consisted of 3 factors and 17 items. The structures emerging from the exploratory factor analysis were confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. In the reliability analysis of the scales, the Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was determined to be .844 for the instrument measuring mothers' screen use and .845 for the instrument measuring children's screen use. The Child Screen Use Scale can validly and reliably measure screen use in 4- and 5-year-old children, and the Mother Screen Use Scale can measure mothers' screen use. The Child Screen Use Scale and the Mother Screen Use Scale will enable a better understanding, explanation, and prediction of the behaviors and contexts of 4- and 5-year-old children and mothers.