The Validation of an Instrument for the Assessment of Study Behaviors of High School Students
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to validate the Study Behavior Inventory-High School, an instrument designed to measure study behaviors of high school students and to determine the stability of its scores across populations and across grades. Numerous studies have shown the relationship between the level of students' use of appropriate study behaviors and their levels of academic achievement and this is particularly relevant at a time of increasing demands for school and teacher accountability for their students' academic achievement. The instrument was administered to 3,336 students in grades 9 through 12 in four high schools in diverse parts of the United States. Factor analysis yielded a four factor structure for the instrument and evidence for its construct validity was obtained using convergent and discriminant methods. The four factors include academic self-perception and feelings of low self-efficacy, academic preparation behaviors, time management, and the social nature of taking tests and studying. Internal consistency reliability for the scores on each of the four factors was calculated and found to range between .68 and .87. Finally, confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable levels of fit between the factor structure obtained in this study and an earlier one obtained during a pilot study using 800 participants. The SBI-HS appears to be a valid and reliable instrument for the measure of study behaviors in high school students.
Subject Area
Curriculum development|Educational psychology
Recommended Citation
McDermott, Maureen Ann, "The Validation of an Instrument for the Assessment of Study Behaviors of High School Students" (2004). ProQuest ETD Collection for FIU. AAI3165165.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/dissertations/AAI3165165