Dimensions of Relationships Among Best Friends –Development and Validation of an Instrument
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15291/ai.5043Keywords:
dimensions of friendship relationships, development, evaluation, and validation of the instrumentAbstract
The aim of this research was to examine the dimensions of friendship quality among upper elementary school students and to validate the instrument through an analysis of structural validity, as well as by testing potential models using fit indices and the discriminant validity of the questionnaire. The methodological approach of this study is based on analyzing the quality of students’ relationships with their best friends. The model and its four-factor structure were identified using exploratory factor analysis and confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis. The research was conducted in two phases on a total sample of 483 upper elementary school students, with the final version tested and evaluated on each subsample as well as on the overall sample. The structure of the questionnaire was analyzed to refine and develop the instrument further by examining the factor structure and repeatedly testing different versions of the theoretical model. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify groups of latent constructs underlying the measured items, and the model was subsequently tested each time through confirmatory factor analysis. Within the extracted items, factor structures were examined based on theoretical and empirical research in the field of friendship relationships. Through the validation process and alignment with relevant theoretical frameworks in the study of friendship dimensions, a four-factor model describing the relationship with a best friend was established. The four dimensions are: fun, leisure time, intimacy, and protection. For the final model presented in this study, reliability was confirmed using the test-retest method, and relevant model fit indices were evaluated.
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