Developing and revising the Student Survey of Motivational Attitudes Toward Statistics: Results from a pilot study
Abstract
Students’ attitudes toward statistics are widely recognized as an important outcome for introductory statistics courses. To facilitate measuring these attitudes, the Student Survey of Motivational Attitudes toward Statistics (S-SOMAS) is currently being developed. This presentation includes a brief overview of the development process and theoretical framework chosen (Eccles’s Expectancy-Value Theory). The purpose of this presentation is to document validity evidence supporting the use of the S-SOMAS, specifically evidence about the factor structure and the instrument’s psychometric properties. Using data from a pilot administration, alignment of items with the theoretical framework is evaluated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Item response theory (partial credit model) is used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the items and scales. These results are used to suggest modifications and revisions to the S-SOMAS.
