Construction and Validation of the Meaning Formation Scale in Adolescents

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to construct and validate the Meaning Formation Scale for adolescents aged 12-20 years in the city of Isfahan during 2022-2023.

Methods and Materials: The research was conducted using a mixed-method approach with a sequential exploratory qualitative-quantitative design. The quantitative sample included adolescent girls and boys aged 12-20 years, from which 443 adolescents (248 girls and 185 boys) were randomly selected using cluster sampling. The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (Steger, 2010) was used to determine convergent validity, and the researcher-developed Meaning Formation Scale was completed by the researcher. Data were analyzed using SPSS-22 and Amos-26 software, employing correlation coefficients and confirmatory factor analysis. The content validity of this scale was confirmed by 15 psychology experts.

Findings: The results of the factor analysis for the Meaning Formation Scale in adolescents, with five factors—Conflict Creation, Conflict Expression, Conflict Confrontation, Conflict Engagement, and Solution Attainment and Integration—showed an acceptable fit with the collected data (χ2/df = 1.82, CFI = 0.915, GFI = 0.903, AGFI = 0.859, and RMSEA = 0.043). Each component also demonstrated acceptable capacity for measuring the factors of the questionnaire. Additionally, the items related to each factor of the Meaning Formation Scale in adolescents exhibited acceptable internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients for Conflict Creation, Conflict Expression, Conflict Confrontation, Conflict Engagement, and Solution Attainment and Integration being 0.83, 0.66, 0.71, 0.79, and 0.80, respectively, all of which were close to or above 0.70.

Conclusion: It can be concluded from this study that the 36-item Meaning Formation Scale in adolescents is a suitable tool for use in various psychological, educational, and research domains.