Development of the “Attitudes Towards Outdoor Education Scale (ATOES)” for early childhood teachers

The present study aimed to develop and validate a scale to measure in-service early childhood teachers’ attitudes towards outdoor education. The preliminary scale was administered to 443 Turkish early childhood teachers in public or private schools, followed by a second administration with 367 teachers. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were conducted to examine the factor structure and construct validity. EFA results revealed a three-factor structure consisting of Positive Mindset for Development, Lack of Commitment, and Resilient Commitment, explaining 61.71% of the total variance. Factor loadings ranged between 0.54 and 0.87. The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin value (0.929) and Bartlett’s test of sphericity (χ2(190) = 5041.189, p < 0.001) indicated suitability for factor analysis. CFA results supported the three-factor model with acceptable fit indices. Convergent validity was supported by Average Variance Extracted values, while reliability analyses demonstrated strong internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability, and omega coefficients indicating satisfactory reliability. The final 20-item Attitudes Towards Outdoor Education Scale (ATOES) was found to be valid and reliable. The scale provides a useful tool for assessing teachers’ attitudes towards outdoor education and may contribute to teacher education, professional development, and curriculum planning by identifying supportive beliefs and perceived barriers.