@article{article_1697627, title={Testing and Refining Wellness Scale Items Using Iterative Cognitive Interviews}, journal={Ahi Evran Üniversitesi Kırşehir Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi}, volume={27}, pages={530–551}, year={2026}, DOI={10.29299/kefad.1697627}, url={https://izlik.org/JA27TW79MX}, author={Kuru, Hakan and Bulut, Aykut and Kılıç, Koray and İbanoglu, Ece}, keywords={Yapı Geçerliliği, Ölçek Geliştirme, Anlaşılırlık, Ölçüm Hatası, zindelik ölçümü}, abstract={The necessity of measuring wellness as a multidimensional construct is grounded in solid conceptual foundations and requires the development of measurement tools that are practically comprehensible. However, it is critically essential for construct validity that the scale items are perceived by respondents as intended by the researchers. Moreover, testing item validity solely based on statistical analyses may bring limitations that could lead to measurement errors. This study aims to test and improve the comprehensibility of the wellness scale item pool through iterative cognitive interviews. Accordingly, to enhance item clarity and appropriateness, cognitive interviews were conducted with field and language experts (n=2). Subsequently, based on the iteratively revised item pool, cognitive interviews were carried out with purposively selected participants (n=8). To evaluate participants’ interpretations of the items, think-aloud and verbal probing techniques were used. The findings revealed several problem areas including the conceptual complexity of terms, item length, inconsistencies in response categories, and recall difficulties. To address the identified issues, after the initial phase, the language was simplified, lengthy items were restructured, and response options were adjusted to facilitate participants’ responses. The iterative refinement process led to notable improvements in participants’ understanding of the items and the accuracy of their responses. The findings indicate the importance of using an iterative item-pool approach in cognitive interviews when testing scale validity. Future research in different fields of scale development may consider applying an iterative approach in cognitive interviews to enhance measurement validity. Long-term experimental studies are needed better to understand the effectiveness of the applied iterative method.}, number={2}