ERIC Number: EJ1073540
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Oct
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0734-2829
EISSN: N/A
The Development and Validation of a Measure of Student Attitudes toward Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (S-STEM)
Unfried, Alana; Faber, Malinda; Stanhope, Daniel S.; Wiebe, Eric
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, v33 n7 p622-639 Oct 2015
Using an iterative design along with multiple methodological approaches and a large representative sample, this study presents reliability, validity, and fairness evidence for two surveys measuring student attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and math (S-STEM) and interest in STEM careers for (a) 4th- through 5th-grade students (Upper Elementary S-STEM) and (b) 6th- through 12th-grade students (Middle/High S-STEM). Findings from exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) suggested the use of a four-factor structure to measure student attitudes toward science, math, engineering/technology, and 21st century skills. Subject matter experts and literature reviews provided evidence of content validity. Reliability levels were high for both versions. Furthermore, both the Upper Elementary S-STEM and Middle/High S-STEM Surveys demonstrated evidence of configural, metric, and scalar invariance across grade levels, races/ethnicities, and genders. The findings support the validity of interpretations and inferences made from scores on the instruments' items and subscales.
Descriptors: Attitude Measures, Student Attitudes, STEM Education, Test Construction, Test Validity, Test Reliability, Student Surveys, Student Interests, Vocational Interests, Elementary School Students, Middle School Students, High School Students, Factor Analysis, Factor Structure, Content Validity
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: North Carolina
Grant or Contract Numbers: DUE-1038154