ERIC Number: EJ1294021
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jun
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0734-2829
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Measuring Statistics Attitudes at the Student and Instructor Levels: A Multilevel Construct Validity Study of the Survey of Attitudes toward Statistics
Xu, Chao; Schau, Candace
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, v39 n3 p315-331 Jun 2021
Numerous studies have been conducted using the Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics-36 (SATS-36). Recently, large-scale assessment studies have begun to examine the extent to which students vary in their statistics attitudes across instructors. Yet, empirical evidence linking student responses to the SATS items to instructor-level constructs is still lacking. Using multilevel confirmatory factor analysis, we investigated the factor structure underlying the measure of students' statistics attitudes at both the student and instructor levels. Results from 13,507 college students taught by 160 introductory statistics instructors support a correlated six-factor model at each level. Additionally, there is evidence for the structural validity of a shared teacher-student attitude impacts construct that may capture meaningful patterns of teaching characteristics and competencies tied to student development of statistics attitudes. These findings provide empirical support for the use of the SATS-36 in studying contextual variables in relation to statistics instructors. Implications for educational practice are discussed.
Descriptors: Statistics Education, Student Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, College Students, College Faculty, Attitude Measures, Factor Structure, Construct Validity, Test Reliability, Introductory Courses, Surveys
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

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