The Factorial Structure of the Scientific Curiosity Scale for Grade 9 and 10 Students in the Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties and the factorial structure of the scientific curiosity scale. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to validate the scale. The study sample included 1244 students from both genders (657 males, 587 females). Participants were 9 and 10 graders chosen from the basic education schools in the governates of Ash-Sharqiyah North, AdDakhiliyah, and Muscat in Oman. The results of both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed three factors of the scientific curiosity scale, namely scientific practices, extensibility, and intolerance of ambiguity. The confirmatory factor analysis using Amos was also applied to analyze the factorial structure of the scale, and fit indices revealed that the factorial structure is compatible with the scientific curiosity scale of the Omani sample data. The paper concludes with a discussion around the possibility of using the scientific curiosity scale to measure scientific curiosity as well as for classifying gifted students and predict students’ future professional preferences.