PARENTAL READINESS SCALE FOR EARLY LITERACY TEACHING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL: A VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY STUDY

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool that will determine the readiness of parents of students starting the first grade of primary school to support their children during the first formal teaching of reading and writing skills. The sample consisted of 524 parents of students starting the first grade in the provinces of Ankara, Samsun, and Bartın. The scale development study was begun by first creating an item pool in line with the literature, after which a draft form was prepared on the basis of the opinions of language, field and measurement and evaluation experts. The final form was delivered to the parents online and in person, and exploratory factor analysis was conducted for the collected data. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the scale consisting of 17 items and five factors explained 67% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to determine the fit of the created factorial structure and it was determined that the model fit indices were between perfect and good fit. In determining the reliability, the McDonald’s ω reliability coefficient, which is suitable for multi-factor structures, was calculated and the reliability of the entire scale was found to be .81. On the basis of these findings, the scale was found to be a reliable and valid measurement tool suitable for measuring parents' readiness in supporting their children in formal early literacy teaching.