Development of a “Pictorial Values Scale for Children”: A Validity and Reliability Study

This study aims to develop a valid and reliable measurement instrument the Pictorial Values Scale for Children (PVSC) to assess value awareness among preschool and primary school-aged children. Employing a descriptive survey research design, the study included expert-based content validity procedures, pilot testing, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Content validity was established through evaluations provided by ten field experts. A pilot study with 250 children preceded the EFA conducted on a sample of 517, which revealed a two-factor structure Social and Societal Values (SSV) and Personal, Moral, and Emotional Values (PMEV) explaining 61.4% of the total variance. The CFA, performed with an independent sample of 500, confirmed the proposed factor structure and demonstrated excellent model fit indices (CFI = .98, RMSEA = .060, SRMR = .039). Reliability analyses indicated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .91 for SSV, α = .71 for PMEV, and α = .91 for the overall scale), supporting the robustness of the instrument. The PVSC, encompassing 15 core values presented through pictorial Likert-type items, is a valid, reliable, and age-appropriate tool for measuring young children’s value awareness.