The development and validation of a scale for visual literacy

With the widespread use of visuals in the media and the rapid development of visual technologies, media consumers today increasingly face visual information and visual decision-making. Developing visual literacy is thus crucial to empower people to effectively navigate the visual world. This paper uses two studies to describe the development and psychometric validation of a scale to measure visual literacy. In study 1 (n = 386), items were generated using existing literature. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 13-item, four-factor model for the scale, consisting of visual creation, visual thinking, visual scepticism, and visual proficiency. In study 2 (n = 241), confirmatory factor analysis and multiple examinations of psychometric validity were used to confirm the four-factor model and establish validity. The developed visual literacy scale successfully captured the concept's multiple dimensions and proved to significantly correlate with participants' level of involvement with visuals in their work and hobbies. Theoretical, practical implications, and areas for future research are discussed.