Scale for the Assessment of Attachment Security in Preschool Institutions: Turkish Adaptation and Psychometric Properties

Abstract

This study aims to adapt the Scale for the Assessment of Attachment Security in Preschool Institutions, developed in Germany, to Turkish culture and to investigate its psychometric properties. The scale consists of four factors and 36 items. Although the original scale was developed for children aged 18–55 months, the present study expanded the age group and adapted it for children aged 18–55 months and 56–72 months. This study included 658 children selected using stratified purposive sampling. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the four-factor structure of the scale was validated in Turkish culture. Measurement invariance analyses conducted for different age groups revealed that the scale yielded comparable measurements. The internal consistency of the scale was determined to be high for the overall scale (α = .96), while Cronbach’s alpha values for the subscales ranged from .79 to .96. In addition to internal consistency reliability, test–retest reliability, split-half reliability, and inter-rater reliability results demonstrated that the scale possesses strong psychometric properties. The findings indicate that the scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool for assessing attachment security in the preschool period within Turkish culture. Cite this article as: Çelikel, B., & Durmuşoğlu, M. C. (2026). Scale for the assessment of attachment security in preschool institutions: Turkish adaptation and psychometric properties. HAYEF: Journal of Education, 23, 0005, doi: 10.5152/hayef.2026.26005.