Investigation of Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Language Exposure Scale

Abstract

The aim of this study is to develop the Turkish Language Exposure Scale for individuals who are learning Turkish as a foreign or second language. Within this scope, the data were collected from 153 learners for exploratory factor analysis and 182 individuals for confirmatory factor analysis. The initial form, with 21-items, was constructed based on literature review and experts’ judgements. The exploratory factor analysis results showed that the scale consisted of three factors and 17 items. The total explained variance of the scale was 51.545%. The first factor explained 34.553%, the second factor accounted for 8.585%, and the third factor stands for 8.407% of the total variance. According to the confirmatory factor analysis, three-factor model was confirmed, and that the model fit indices were within the appropriate limits. In addition, the indicator items included in the model represents the relevant structures well. The Cronbach alpha internal consistency coefficients of factors were calculated respectively as 0.633, 0.759, and 0.820. These results demonstrated that The Turkish Language Exposure Scale is a valid and reliable measurement instrument to measure language exposure levels of the individuals who learn Turkish as a foreign or second language.