DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY SCALE FOR ADULTS (ELSA)

In this study, the development and validation of the Environmental Literacy Scale for Adults (ELSA) is explained. The data were collected from 332 adults whose ages ranged from 18 to over 56. The principal component analysis rotated to varimax rotation was used to obtain evidence for the validity of the scale. The scale was composed of 20 items and had three main dimensions: “environmental consciousness”, “environmental anxiety” and “environmental awareness”. A reliability analysis of the instrument revealed Cronbach-Alpha coefficients of 0.881 for the whole of the scale, 0.807 for the first dimension, 0.765 for the second dimension and 0.715 for the last dimension. Considering the results obtained from the validity and reliability studies, it can be asserted that ELSA can be used to determine adults' views and levels of environmental literacy.