ABSTRACT
This study aimed to develop and validate a new personality inventory for children aged 6–9 years, grounded in the Big Five personality model (BFM). The research addressed a critical gap in developmental and organizational psychology, as existing instruments often target older age groups and fail to capture early personality structures. A quantitative, descriptive survey design was employed, and data were collected online. In the initial implementation, 954 parents participated, and 218 valid responses were analyzed. The five-factor, 48-item structure of the inventory was confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), yielding acceptable model fit indices (χ
2/df = 2.19, RMSEA = 0.074, CFI = 0.98, GFI = 0.94). Internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach’s α ranging from 0.705 to 0.881) indicated satisfactory reliability. Classification analyses showed high discriminant validity, with accuracy rates ranging from 92.5% to 96.5%. A second implementation with 99 new participants confirmed the stability and consistency of the structure across demographic groups. The findings demonstrated that the developed inventory is a valid and reliable tool for assessing personality in early childhood. Moreover, the instrument has potential applications in educational planning, early intervention, and career orientation research, providing a scientific foundation for understanding how early-emerging personality traits shape future organizational and vocational behaviors.