Reliability and Validity Study of the Turkish Version of Moral Character Questionnaire

Abstract

Despite the growing recognition of moral character as a crucial aspect of personality and identity, there are relatively few comprehensive measures available. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to undertake a validity and reliability analysis of the Moral Character Questionnaire (MCQ) for Turkish in a sample of university students, adhering to the conceptual framework of Furr, Prentice, Parham, and Jayawickreme (2022). A total of 492 Turkish university students (265 women and 227 men; Xage=20.6±2.75 years) participated voluntarily in the study. The current study's findings showed that all factor loadings, ranging from .44 to .86, were acceptable. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the six moral characters, excluding loyalty (.68), exceeded the recommended minimum of .70, indicating that the scores produced by the moral character model have acceptable internal consistency in this college student population. Additionally, following some adjustments like excluding five items and adding covariance paths among several error terms, all of the model's fit indexes (χ2/df = 2.37, CFI = .93, GFI = .91; TLI = .92; NNFI = .89, and RMSEA = .05) fell within the acceptable range, indicating that the moral character model generated legitimate ratings for Turkish university students. In sum, the study confirmed that the MCQ has a seven-factor structure with 25 items consistent with the theoretical domains of moral character and that these domains are indicators of an overarching moral character construct. Ultimately, it is recommended to develop a moral character questionnaire that incorporates the important moral values specific to each nation and culture.Click or tap here to enter text.