A SCALE FOR ADULTS’ PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS

Dr. Süleyman Yaman
Zonguldak Karaelmas Üniversitesi
Dr. Yuksel Dede
Cunhuriyet University

Abstract

Problem solving is one of the most important concepts for each lesson of school curriculum. Therefore, students’ problem solving skills development has been generally focused. However, not only students’ problem solving skills but also adults’ problem solving skills development has also been emphasized. Because, problem solving is not an end, but is a process. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop Likert scale that could measure adults’ problem solving skills towards various problems in their daily life. In order to develop the scale, a pretest form was developed through a literature survey, and presented to experts for evaluation. After alterations based on their suggestions, a pilot study with 103 adults was held to revise the scale. After the revision, a total of 30 items in the scale was administered to an effective sample of 550 adults who were living at Amasya, Çorum, Sivas, and Tokat cities. In this way, a scale consisting of 18 items has been developed. In order to realize the validity, discriminant analysis and exploratory factor analysis were performed. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the scale included five factors and five-factor analysis of variance is 82%; internal reliability of the scale was fairly acceptable (Cronbach's alpha=.88). So, the scale had satisfactory results on validity and reliability tests.

Keywords

Problem solving, adults, scale, validity, reliability.