Scientific Inquiry Competency Perception Scale (The Case of Kazak PostGraduate Students) Reliability and Validity Study

Abstract

The purpose of the current study is to develop a reliable scale to be used to determine the scientific inquiry competency perception of post-graduate students engaged in post-graduate studies in the field of educational sciences and teacher education in Kazakhstan. The study employed the descriptive method. Within the context of the study, a scale was developed to determine the scientific inquiry perception of post-graduate students from the field of educational sciences and teacher education, then it was piloted and the validity and reliability studies of the scale were conducted. The study was conducted on 100 post-graduate students having post-graduate education in the field of education sciences and teacher education at four different Kazak state universities. The findings of the study revealed that the Scientific Inquiry Competency Perception Scale (SICPS) is comprised of four sub-factors (Problem Statement, Measurement Tool, Data Analysis, Reporting) and is a reliable and valid data collection tool (α=0,958) that can be used in future research to determine scientific inquiry competencies.