The way an individual feels about the people and events in the society they live in and their prosocial behavior for the welfare of society is defined as social sensitivity. Conducting effective studies of social sensitivity depends on the development of measurement tools with proven validity and reliability. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a Social Sensitivity Scale (SSS) for university students. The research consisted of two stages. During the first stage, data were collected from a total of 297 university students to conduct an explanatory factor analysis (EFA) and reliability analysis. During the second stage, data were collected from a total of 203 university students to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), a reliability analysis, and assess criterion validity. As a result of the EFA, 12 items and four factors were obtained. The total variance explained by these factors was 72.04%. The structure was confirmed by performing CFA. The associations between the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) and the Prosocial Behavioral Intentions Scale (PBIS) were examined to assess criterion validity. The Cronbach’s alpha values were determined as 0.80 and 0.75. All the validity and reliability analyses indicated that the scale was valid and reliable in determining the social sensitivity levels of university students.
Cite this article as: Bozdağ, F., & Bozdağ, S. (2021). Development of Social Sensitivity Scale. HAYEF: Journal of Education, 18(1): 84-101.