Development and validation of the trust in higher education scale (THES): A mixed-methods approach
Özet
This research aims to develop and validate the Trust in Higher Education
Scale (THES) by adopting a theoretical-empirical approach. In the study,
the stages of the exploratory sequential design, which is one of the basic
designs of mixed research methods, were followed. In this context, in the
first stage, qualitative data were collected from 20 undergraduate students
and analyzed by using content analysis method. In the second stage, an
item pool with 21 items was created based on the data analysis results.
The created items were applied to 366 and 513 undergraduate students at
two separate sessions. Then, scale development procedures such as
reliability, substantive validity, structural validity, external validity,
exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis were
performed on this data set, which was collected in three stages. As a
result of the analysis, a valid and reliable scale consisting of 14 items and
one dimension emerged. It is thought that the current research is
important in terms of being the first attempt to reveal a valid and reliable
measurement tool for trust in higher education and reveal or confirm the
potential elements of trust in higher education.
