Abstract
DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL INTEREST SCALE
With this study it was aimed to develop a scale for determining the social interest of individuals, which is an important concept in terms of developmental and mental health of individuals. In the study the exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analyses were used to prove the validity of the five-point likert scale, which comprises 46 items. As a result of the exploratory factor analysis, a structure comprising four factors and 46 items, was obtained. In the scale which was developed in line with expert opinions and the literature, the first factor comprising 13 items was named “Social Order Tendency”; the second factor comprising 12 items “Identification with Society”; the third factor comprising nine items “Social Sensitivity”; and the fourth factor comprising 12 items “Social Interaction”. The scale explains 39.3% of the total variance. According to the results obtained from the CFA, it is possible to state that the model shows a good compatibility. The Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient was calculated for the reliability of the total scale and lower dimensions. The reliability coefficient for the total scale was found to be 0.92, while the reliability coefficients for each lower dimension were respectively found to be 0.81, 0.83, 0.84 and 0.82. According to the findings acquired from the study, it is possible to state that the scale comprising of a four-factor structure, is valid and reliable in general.
Keywords
Social interest, scale development, Adler, university student.