Development of the “Social Studies Course Engagement Scale” for Elementary School Students

Abstract

In this study, it is aimed to develop the “Social Studies Course Engagement Scale” to be used for 4th grade elementary school students. Despite the critical importance of the engagement for the social studies course, no engagement scales developed specifically for the social studies course were found in the literature. A total of 730 4th grade elementary school students were included in the development of the scale. As a result of “exploratory factor analysis”, a scale structure consisting of 12 items and 2 sub-dimensions was created. It was determined that the created structure explained a total variance of 51.62%. The first dimension of the scale, individual engagement, helped explain 39.90% of the total variance, while the second dimension, interaction engagement assisted in clarifying 11.72% of the total variance. As a result of “confirmatory factor analysis”, it was determined that the structure of the scale was adequate. The reliability of the scale was analyzed using “Cronbach's Alpha”, “McDonald's Omega” and test-retest reliability coefficients were used. Both “Cronbach's Alpha” and “McDonald's Omega” coefficients were calculated as 0.81. Test-retest reliability coefficient was calculated as 0.72. It was determined that the “Social Studies Course Engagement Scale” is a reliable and valid measurement tool. 
 
 Keywords: Social studies, course engagement, scale development, elementary education.