ERIC Number: EJ936757
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-May
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Refinement of a Chemistry Attitude Measure for College Students
Xu, Xiaoying; Lewis, Jennifer E.
Journal of Chemical Education, v88 n5 p561-568 May 2011
This work presents the evaluation and refinement of a chemistry attitude measure, Attitude toward the Subject of Chemistry Inventory (ASCI), for college students. The original 20-item and revised 8-item versions of ASCI (V1 and V2) were administered to different samples. The evaluation for ASCI had two main foci: reliability and validity. This study provides evidence for good reliability and validity of ASCI (V2) scores. Reliability was estimated by satisfying internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The two-factor ("intellectual accessibility" and "emotional satisfaction") correlated structure was supported by confirmatory factor analysis. The two subscales could be indicators of cognition and affect components of attitude, and thus make a good connection with a theoretical framework from psychology. Regarding the attitude-achievement relationship, students' attitudes played a significant role in predicting final achievement in a general chemistry course even when initial ability scores were taken into account. Implications for science education are discussed. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: College Students, Student Attitudes, Test Validity, Chemistry, Attitude Measures, Factor Analysis, Science Instruction, College Science, Test Reliability, Scores, Science Achievement, Social Psychology, Predictive Validity
Division of Chemical Education, Inc and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A