The Development and Validation of the Spiritual Values Scale for Primary School Children in the Turkish Context

Abstract

The present study was conducted with the objective of developing and validating the Spiritual Values Scale for Primary School Children (SVS-PSC) as a reliable and culturally sensitive instrument to assess spiritual values among Turkish primary school students. The scale development process followed a multi-phase psychometric framework, including the generation of an item pool, expert review, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and criterion-related validation. A study was conducted with 400 children aged 9-11 in order to ascertain the structure of the EFA. The results of the study revealed a unidimensional structure which explained 47.716% of the total variance, with item loadings ranging from .512 to .690. The KMO value (.806) and Bartlett's test (chi 2 = 613.902, p < .001) indicated the suitability of the data for factor analysis. The CFA, based on a sample of 260 children, supported the one-factor model with acceptable fit indices (chi 2/df = 2.231; RMSEA = .080; CFI = .914; GFI = .930). The criterion validity of the scale was examined through administration of the Spiritual Robustness Scale to a sample of 39 children. A significant positive correlation (r = .371, p < .001) was identified, suggesting that the scale effectively captures aspects of spiritual resilience and internal strength. The SVS-PSC demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .831), and item-total correlations ranged from .396 to .588. The findings of this study indicate that the SVS-PSC is a psychometrically robust tool for evaluating core spiritual values such as honesty, gratitude, empathy, and responsibility in children. The scale provides researchers and educators with a valid instrument with which to understand spiritual development and foster character education in primary school settings.