Abstract:

In this study, the aim is to develop a measurement tool that can be used to measure attitudes towards Turkish Sign Language (TSL). For this purpose, the researchers followed a systematic process. The study group consists of students in the special education departments of three different universities' faculties of education in the spring semester of the 2019-2020 academic year. The developed scale was applied to 510 students in total. The scale data obtained from the students were randomly divided into two; Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed with the first group data (n1=297), and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed with the second group data (n2=213). Within the scope of the results obtained from EFA, it was determined that the scale consists of four factors (effort, necessity, avoidance, active use) and 20 items. When the obtained construct validity was tested with CFA, it was seen that the values of fit indexes were at an acceptable level. The internal consistency of the scale was calculated with Cronbach’s Alfa and the result obtained from this data set was determined as .91. The reliability coefficients of the factors ranged from .70 to .90. Findings showed that the scale is valid and reliable to measure attitudes towards TSL.

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