TY - JOUR A1 - Kleespies, Matthias A1 - Doderer, Lena A1 - Dierkes, Paul Wilhelm A1 - Wenzel, Volker T1 - Nature interest scale – development and evaluation of a measurement instrument for individual interest in nature T2 - Frontiers in psychology N2 - Interest is an important factor for successful learning that has been the subject of intensive research for decades. Although interest in nature is of great importance for environmental education, to date there is no valid and reliable measurement tool. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop and test a scale for interest in nature, the Nature Interest Scale (NIS). In study 1, nine items were selected based on the three dimensions of the psychological interest construct to represent interest in nature. The factor structure of this new measurement instrument, was tested using confirmatory factor analyses. The results show that the instrument represents the three dimensions of the interest construct well. In study 2 the validity (discriminant and convergent validity) as well as the reliability (internal consistency, composite reliability, test-retest reliability) of the NIS were demonstrated. In study 3, the applicability of the NIS was tested with a different target group, students with learning disabilities. The results of this factor analysis also confirm the factor structure of the scale. Thus, this study provides a valid and reliable measurement tool for individual interest in nature that can be used for future research. KW - Nature Interest Scale (NIS) KW - individual interest KW - interest in nature KW - scale development KW - validity KW - reliability KW - university students KW - special needs students Y1 - 2021 UR - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/62060 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-620607 SN - 1664-1078 N1 - This study was partly supported by the Opel-Zoo Foundation Professorship in Zoo Biology from the “von Opel Hessische Zoostiftung.” VL - 12 IS - art. 774333 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER -