How Do Teachers Survive? Turkish Adaptation of Selection, Optimization, and Compensation Strategies Scale

Abstract

The continuous development of professional competencies and active retention of teachers in the field, stemming from alterations in their professional life cycles, are intrinsically connected to the necessity of lifelong learning for teachers. The model of selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) strategies can be used to gain insight into the ways in which teachers manage their resources to remain in the profession, how they adapt to their professional lives in the context of lifelong learning, and how to develop effective policies to support the professional development of teachers. Although previous research has emphasized the primary factors that influence teachers' professional development and motivation, there is a scarcity of research on the strategies that teachers use to maintain their employment. In order to fill this gap, this study aims to adapt the Selection, Optimization, and Compensation Scale (SOCQ) (Zacher & Frese, 2011), which emphasizes the strategies that teachers use to remain effective in their professional lives, into Turkish. The sample of the study consisted of 299 teachers working in schools in Çekmeköy district of Istanbul province. In the adaptation process of the scale, Turkish translation, back translation, cross-checking, and Turkish face validity stages were followed. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted to evaluate the construct validity of the scale. The CFA revealed excellent fit indices for the scale. Consisting of 12 items and three dimensions, the reliability of the scale was evaluated using Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient and composite reliability coefficient (CR). The internal consistency coefficient was 0.81, while the CR value was 0.902. The study's findings demonstrate that the Turkish version of the SOCQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing teachers' use of SOC strategies.

Keywords

• Lifelong learning
• Conservation of Resources Theory
• Scale adaptation
• Selection, Optimization, and Compensation

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