Development of the scientific curiosity and exploration scale in the preschool period

This study was carried out to develop the "Scientific Curiosity and Exploration Scale in the Preschool Period." In the development of the scale, the survey method, one of the quantitative research methods, was used. The sample of the research consists of children aged 60–72 months who were randomly selected from official and private preschool education institutions affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in Alanya, Antalya, during the 2024–2025 academic year. Validity and reliability studies were conducted with data obtained from 410 children for EFA and 582 children for CFA. In order to collect information about the children, the "General Information Form" and the "Scientific Curiosity and Exploration Scale," which was being developed to measure children's scientific curiosity and exploration skills, were used. Content validity, construct validity, convergent validity and reliability analyses were carried out. As a result of the research, it was determined that the "Scientific Curiosity and Exploration Scale in the Preschool Period" is a valid and reliable measurement tool for determining the scientific curiosity and exploration levels of children aged 60–72 months. The scale is a 5-point Likert-type scale. It is filled out by teachers after observing the children for at least 3 months. The "Knowledge" sub-dimension consists of 6 items (α = 0.962), the "Uncertainty" sub-dimension consists of 4 items (α = 0.959), the "Experience/Stimulation" sub-dimension consists of 4 items (α = 0.952), the "Conflict" sub-dimension consists of 3 items (α = 0.95), the "Complexity" sub-dimension consists of 5 items (α = 0.977), the "Excitement-Motivation" sub-dimension consists of 6 items (α = 0.959), and the "Academic Risk" sub-dimension consists of 5 items (α = 0.962). Thus, the "Scientific Curiosity and Exploration Scale in the Preschool Period" consists of a total of 7 sub-dimensions and 33 items (α = 0.983).