Failure as an Obstacle or a Support: The Failure Beliefs Scale Development Study

Abstract

This scale development study aims to measure the failure beliefs of adults in Turkish culture by addressing the concept of failure based on Carol Dweck's implicit theories. In the study, the stages of the scale development process were followed with a mixed method approach. Firstly, qualitative data was gathered through literature review and focus groups and later the scale was tested by conducting exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on quantitative data gained from totally 887 adults. As a result of the analyses, the Failure Beliefs Scale was developed consisting of a total of eight items and two factors, one of which measures the beliefs that failure is debilitating, and the other factor measures the beliefs that failure is enhancing. The measurement invariance of the scale across gender was examined and to ensure the reliability of the scale, internal consistency and stability coefficients were calculated. The scale was found to be a valid and reliable measurement tool for measuring adults' failure beliefs. The use of the scale in studies related to failure in different fields such as education and work will contribute to future studies in Türkiye.