Development of an attitude scale towards the profession and process of guidance and psychological counseling

In light of the innovations brought about by contemporary developments, living conditions have evolved, potentially leading individuals to encounter psychological challenges while adapting to these conditions. Consequently, the number of individuals requiring psychological support is increasing daily. At certain stages of their lives, individuals may need professional mental health assistance. While accepting this support might be an easy option for some, it remains unacceptable for others. Within the scope of mental health, it is anticipated that individuals may hold varying attitudes towards the profession and process of psychological counseling. Teachers, who play a significant role not only in imparting academic knowledge but also in shaping students' attitudes based on their own perspectives, also convey their views on seeking psychological support to their students. From this perspective, the aim of this study is to develop the Attitude Scale towards the Profession and Process of Guidance and Psychological Counseling (ASPPGPC) to determine the attitudes of university students enrolled in education faculties towards the profession and process of psychological counseling. In line with this research direction, data collection was conducted during the spring semester of the 2023-2024 academic year with 544 teacher candidates enrolled in education faculties. IBM SPSS and AMOS software packages were utilized for data analysis. The data analysis process included evaluating the dataset, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, item analysis, and internal reliability analyses conducted sequentially. Based on the analysis results, a 4-factor structure consisting of 17 items on a 5-point Likert scale, explaining 57.73% of the total variance, was obtained. The scale demonstrated excellent structural validity with a Cronbach's Alpha coefficient of .831, indicating that it is valid and reliable. The Attitude Scale towards the Profession and Process of Guidance and Psychological Counseling (RPD-MSÖ) can be utilized in various studies to assess the attitudes of teacher candidates towards the profession and process of psychological counseling.