DEVELOPING A SCALE OF ADOLESCENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARD ADULTS: VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY STUDIES

Abstract

This study introduced the Scale of Adolescents’ Perceptions Toward Adults (SAPTA), which was developed in Turkey. The validity and reliability study for SAPTA was performed using the data obtained from 1008 high school students whose ages ranged between 14 and 18. The internal consistency coefficient calculated with the Explanatory Factor Analysis (EFA) data obtained from 381 students was found to be 0.78 for the sub-scale named “Admired Adult Characteristics,” 0.66 for the sub-scale named “Disturbing Adult Characteristics,” and 0.69 for the entire scale. The internal consistency coefficient calculated with the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) data obtained from 627 students was found to be 0.82 for the sub-scale named “Admired Adult Characteristics,” 0.68 for the sub-scale named “Disturbing Adult Characteristics,” and 0.72 for the entire scale. The Spearman-Brown split-half test reliability value was found to be 0.74. The results of the analysis indicate that SAPTA has psychometric characteristics sufficient for determining the perceptions of adolescents, whose age range between 14 and 18 years.