Development Of Geographical Inquıry Skill Scale For Secondary School Students

Abstract

Although various measurement tools exist to quantitatively assess geographical inquiry skill, no scale has been specifically developed for secondary school students. The aim of this study is to develop a Geographical Inquiry Skill Scale for secondary school students. The scale consists of 16 items across three subscales: ‘asking and collecting’, ‘organizing, analyzing and concluding’, and ‘sharing’. The research was conducted within the scope of a survey model, and data obtained from 421 secondary school students were analyzed. Data analyses were performed using SPSS and LISREL software. Expert opinions were sought to ensure content validity; exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to establish construct validity. The scale's reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, item-total correlations, and the 27% upper-lower group discrimination method. Confirmatory factor analysis results showed that the model had acceptable to excellent fit indices (CMIN/DF = 1.38; RMSEA = 0.047; SRMR = 0.05; GFI = 0.91; AGFI = 0.88; IFI = 0.95; CFI = 0.95). The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient for the scale was 0.85, indicating high reliability. Furthermore, all sub-dimensions of the scale demonstrated acceptable convergent validity and composite reliability. The relationships between the sub-dimensions were found statistically significant and moderate. In conclusion, it is suggested that the developed scale can be used to quantitatively determine the geographical inquiry skill levels of secondary school students.