Scale for Identifying Overexcitability in Gifted Children: Reliability and Validity Study

Abstract

This study aims to develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure the overexcitabilities of gifted individuals. Participants comprised 584 gifted students from Science and Art Centers across Turkey during the 2023-2024 academic year. Data were gathered using the draft Overexcitability Areas Identification Scale (33 items) and a Personal Information Form. Validity was assessed through face, content, and construct validity, while reliability was determined using Cronbach’s alpha and item discrimination indices. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses (EFA and CFA) were performed on separate samples (300 for EFA, 284 for CFA). Following EFA, nine items were removed. The CFA results demonstrated good fit: χ²/df = 1.856, RMSEA = 0.055, NFI = 0.85, IFI = 0.92, CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.91. The final 21-item, five-factor scale demonstrated strong reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.83; McDonald’s Omega ω = 0.80) and validity for assessing the overexcitabilities of gifted middle school students. The results demonstrate that the instrument can serve as a reliable screening and support planning tool within SACs to identify overexcitability profiles of gifted students.

Keywords

• Overexcitability
• gifted students
• scale development
• validity
• reliability

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