ERIC Number: EJ1116365
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0300-4279
EISSN: N/A
Measuring Approaches to Learning in Preschoolers: Validating the Structure of an Instrument for Teachers and Parents
Barbu, Otilia C.; Marx, Ronald W.; Yaden, David B., Jr.; Levine-Donnerstein, Deborah
Education 3-13, v44 n6 p698-714 2016
This study examined a 13-item instrument measuring approaches to learning (AtL) as a component of school readiness in the context of early childhood socio-emotional development. Few instruments, limited to preschool teacher ratings, measure AtL among kindergarteners with short easy-to-use questionnaires. We investigated psychometric properties of the instrument designed to provide practical measures of AtL behaviours identified in the Arizona Early Learning Standards with teacher (n = 205) and guardian (n = 1025) samples. We found a one-factor structure via exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The multi-group CFA for combined teacher and guardian models indicated a good fit, which demonstrated the structure validity of the AtL instrument. This finding, combined with evidence of reliability of the instrument, supported the educational utility of the AtL as a new tool for measuring school readiness among kindergarteners in Arizona.
Descriptors: Preschool Children, School Readiness, Measures (Individuals), Test Validity, Preschool Teachers, Parents, Learning Processes, Psychometrics, Factor Structure, Factor Analysis, Goodness of Fit, Kindergarten, Test Reliability, Likert Scales, Questionnaires
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education; Kindergarten; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Arizona
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A