Psychometric Properties of Children's Hope Scale: Validity and Reliability Study

In the present study, it was aimed at adapting the Children's Hope Scale (CHS) developed by Snyder et al.'s (1997) into Turkish by obtaining evidence related to its validity and reliability. The CHS was administered to 6 th , 7 th , and 8 th grade students (403 female, 355 male) in Ankara, Turkey. Findings regarding the construct validity of the scale were rather consistent with the original scale's two-factor structure. In terms of convergent and incremental validity, CHS scores were found to be positively and significantly correlated with students' self esteem and academic achievement scores. Moreover, CHS scores predicted children's academic achievement beyond projections stemming from statistically from the scores of students' self-esteem. The Cronbach alpha coefficient for the overall scale was . 74. Test-retest reliability was . 57. There were no significant gender differences, but significant grade level differences were obtained. The findings are discussed in terms of relevant literature with suggestions for further studies. SUMMARY Purpose and Significance: Hope is a crucial factor in human life that is related to successful goal pursuits, well-being, and self-esteem. It is preventive and protective in subsequent difficulties and is strengthening in various stress situations. Being a commonly studied concept in Western literature, hope is a new research topic in Turkey. Thus, regarding the need for instrumentation to measure hope, this study aimed at translating and adapting Snyder and his colleagues' Children's Hope Scale (1997) into Turkish. Method: The sample consisted of 758 participants recruited from 6 th , 7 th , and 8 th grades. 403 of the participants were girls (53%) and 355 of the participants were boys (47%). The age range for the participants was 11 to 15 (M=13.11, SD=.929). In this study, a brief demographic information form, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) (Rosenberg, 1965), and the Children's Hope Scale (CHS) were administered. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, t-test, and one-way analysis of variance were conducted. Results: Based on the construct validation, two interpretable factors, namely "Agency" and "Pathways", were obtained. "Agency" and "Pathways" factors accounted for 44% and 14% of the item variance, respectively. In terms of convergent validity, CHS scores were found to be positively and significantly correlated with RSES (r=.48, p<.01) and academic achievement scores (r=.23, p<.01). For incremental validity, the role of CHS scores in predicting academic achievement beyond projections derived statistically from the scores obtained from the Self-Esteem Scale was investigated. The variance explained by self-esteem scores ( 2 R =.11, p<.05) was found to be increased by the CHS scores ( 2 R =.12, p<.05). In terms of internal consistency, the Cronbach alpha coefficient was . 74 for the overall scale. The test-retest correlation of CHS over four-week interval was moderate (r=.57, n=191, p<.01). There were no significant gender differences, but 6 th grade students were found to have higher hope levels than 7 th and 8 th graders. Discussion and Conclusion: Results of the present study revealed that Turkish form of the CHS is consistent with the original factor structure. The instrument has adequate internal consistency, and is relatively stable over retesting. Convergent and incremental validity results were also significant. Similar to the original study, no gender difference was found in the present study. However, with an increase in the grade level of the students, a decrease was obtained in the CHS scores. This finding was considered as a reflection of the educational system in Turkey. Students are forced to be prepared for many examinations throughout their middle school that are vital for their college education and career. Hence, the combination of side effects of adolescence and the competitive atmosphere may negatively affect hope levels related to future expectations. Considering the development of hope in early childhood, the enhancement and maintenance of hopeful thoughts become important. In terms of counseling with children, the consideration of hope might facilitate concentration on strengths and needs of children.