Abstract

In the present study, it was aimed at adapting the Children’s Hope Scale (CHS) developed by
Snyder et al.’s (1997) into Turkish by obtaining evidence related to its validity and reliability. The CHS was
administered to 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students (403 female, 355 male) in Ankara, Turkey. Findings regarding the
construct validity of the scale were rather consistent with the original scale’s two-factor structure. In terms of
convergent and incremental validity, CHS scores were found to be positively and significantly correlated with
students’ self esteem and academic achievement scores. Moreover, CHS scores predicted children’s academic
achievement beyond projections stemming from statistically from the scores of students’ self-esteem. The
Cronbach alpha coefficient for the overall scale was .74. Test-retest reliability was .57. There were no significant
gender differences, but significant grade level differences were obtained. The findings are discussed in terms of
relevant literature with suggestions for further studies.

Key words: Children’s hope, agency, pathways