Scale development for assessing sustainable water use awareness i̇n third and fourth grade primary school students

The purpose of this study is to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool for assessing sustainable water use awareness among third and fourth grade primary school students; and to examine the effect of gender, grade level, and housing type variables on sustainable water use awareness. The method of the study is cross-sectional research design. A collection of 41 items aligned with the elementary school curriculum was created and submitted for expert review, and a pilot study was conducted with 28 third-grade students. The determined scale items were administered to 446 students in the second semester of the 2024-2025 academic year for the purpose of conducting exploratory factor analysis, after which two sub-dimensions consisting of 22 items were reached: 'sustainable water awareness' and 'sustainable water use behaviors'. The two-factor structure of the scale was confirmed as a result of a study conducted with 409 students for confirmatory factor analysis. As for the reliability of the Sustainable Water Use Awareness Scale, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, item-total correlation coefficient and adequate reliability coefficients were obtained. The findings of this study demonstrate that the Sustainable Water Use Awareness Scale is a valid and reliable measurement instrument that can be utilized to discover the sustainable water use awareness levels of third and fourth grade primary school students. Moreover, the study revealed significant differences in favor of female students with respect to gender and grade level variables. In future studies, examination of students' perceptions and experiences regarding sustainable water use should be conducted using qualitative research methodologies.