TURKISH ADAPTATION OF ADVENTURE BEHAVIOR SEEKING SCALE: A VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY STUDY

In the current study, the aim is to test the validity and reliability of “Adventure Behavior Seeking Scale (T-ABSS)” developed to evaluate the adventure behaviors of individuals in the natural spaces in the Turkish population. The psychometrics of the scale was tested with the participation of 239 males (Meanage = 27.53 ± 7.90) and 126 females (Meanage = 24.52 ± 6.17) in total 365 individuals who participate in the activities in nature. As the data collecting tool, “Adventure Behavior Seeking Scale” developed by Próchniak (2017) consisting of 8 items and one factor was used. To test convergent validity of T-ABSS, “Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS)” was used. The main assumptions of parametric tests which are normality, linearity and homogeneity of variances were tested. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to test the structural validity of the scale. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to validate the emerged factor structure. Pearson Product-Moment Correlation analysis was conducted for the convergent validity. To test the reliability of T-ABSS, Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient was used. EFA results show that the Turkish form of the scale consists of 2 factors and 7 items, and they predict 58.76% of total variance. Since one of the items’ factor load was under 0.30, it was excluded from the study. CFA results carried out to test the two-factor structure of scale revealed the model fit indices are between acceptable and perfect indices limits with “χ2/df= 3.10, GFI= 0.97, AGFI=0.94, CFI=0.95, NFI=0.93, SRMR=0.05, RMSEA=0.076”. It was found that the factor loads of the scale are between 0.57 and 0.75, and their Cronbach Alpha coefficients are between 0.70 and 0.71. As a result of the analysis to determine the convergent validity, it was found there is statistically positive correlation between “Sensation Seeking Scale” and T-ABSS. The obtained values indicate the convergent validity of T-ABSS is acceptable. The obtained results indicate that the Turkish version of ABSS (T-ABSS) has a two-factor structure, and it is a valid and reliable measurement tool to evaluate adventure behavior seeking levels of participants.