J Korean Diet Assoc.  2025 May;31(2):101-113. 10.14373/JKDA.2025.31.2.101.

Development and Validation of a Socioecological Scale for Novice Nutrition Teachers’ Adaptation to the Teaching Profession

• Kim Y
• Lee MJ
• Sohn CY
• Ham S

• KMID: 2568300
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14373/JKDA.2025.31.2.101

Abstract

This study developed and validated a standardized scale to assess the adaptation of novice nutrition teachers to the teaching profession. A comprehensive literature review and a Delphi survey were conducted to identify the key adaptation factors, followed by a survey of 200 novice nutrition teachers across South Korea. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to verify the reliability and validity of the scale. The final scale consisted of five factors: personal, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy factors, having 56 items. Reliability analysis indicated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α≥0.7 for all factors), and EFA confirmed that all items met the factor loading threshold (≥ 0.3). The CFA results revealed good model fit indices (CFI, TLI≥0.9, RMSEA≤0.1), confirming the structural validity of the scale. The socioecological scale developed in this study is an objective and practical tool for evaluating the adaptation levels of novice nutrition teachers and can be used as foundational data for developing support programs and policy development. Unlike previous studies that focused on individual teacher characteristics, this study applied a socioecological approach, incorporating organizational, social, and policy-related factors in addition to personal adaptation. Future research should extend the empirical application of this scale to diverse educational settings that verify its effectiveness, and develop comprehensive support strategies.

Keyword

novice nutrition teachers; adaptation to the teaching profession; scale development; Delphi survey; reliability analysis; exploratory factor analysis; confirmatory factor analysis