Behavior Scale for Household Waste Recycling: A Validity and Reliability Study

Abstract

Waste is creating serious environmental problems today, unlike ever before in history. Research has shown that waste recycling has not reached the desired level. Despite educational institutions providing waste and recycling training using various methods and techniques from a young age, the results are not satisfactory. The objective of this study is to develop a scale to assess the behaviors of middle school students regarding household waste recycling. Both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to validate the scale. The sample consisted of 392 7th and 8th-grade middle school students who had already received education on household waste recycling. The data included 177 students for the EFA and 215 students for the CFA from two separate sample groups. EFA revealed that the measurement tool could be grouped into three factors. The CFA results demonstrated that the data were within acceptable values, indicating that the model was supported by the data. The final version of the scale comprised 16 items. The first seven items were categorized under \"Participation in Project,\" 6 items under \"Care,\" and the remaining three items under \"Reminder\" based on factor names and expert opinions. The Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficients for the three factors ranged from 0.641 to 0.814. The Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient for the 16-item scale was determined as 0.862. It is believed that this developed scale will assist in assessing the impact of various methods used for household waste recycling on student behavior.