Digest #174: Assessing Learning Strategies
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We were recently made aware of a gap in resources on our blog such that we do not have any information about assessing learning strategies. Thank you to Dr. Shana Southard-Dobbs for pointing us in this direction!
Below we have included a list of many different learning strategy questionnaires for your consideration. We have tried to include information about the amount of research that has been conducted on each questionnaire and the costs associated with its use, so that you can make an informed decision about how to best assess learning strategy use in your situation.
Note, this list is likely not comprehensive. And in addition, as more research is completed over time, there will likely be updates to both the list as well as the individual items on it. Please keep this in mind as you make decisions.
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1) Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ)
The MSLQ is in the public domain and is free to use with acknowledgement to the authors. The MSLQ is divided into several different scales. The Motivation Scales assess Value Components (intrinsic and extrinsic task orientations, task value), Expectancy Components (control beliefs, self-efficacy), and Affective Components (test anxiety). The Learning Strategies Scales assess Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies (rehearsal, elaboration, organization, critical thinking, self-regulation) and Resource Management Strategies (study environment, effort regulation, peer learning, help seeking).
The MSLQ has been used extensively in research and is a valid and reliable measure, but may not include all of the learning strategies of interest to you as it was published in 1991 (1).
The Learning Techniques Scale is a bit more modern and also in the public domain. This scale is primarily focused on specific learning strategies that are commonly used by students. Some of the strategies are effective while others have been shown to be ineffective. The Learning Techniques Scale is a bit more comprehensive in terms of study strategies, but does not include the other variables that can impact learning.
The Learning Techniques Scale has not been used as extensively in research studies but the content is thoroughly based in empirical research (2).
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3) Learning And Study Strategy Inventory (LASSI)
The LASSI is a 60-item assessment that breaks down study strategies into 10 different scales: 1) Anxiety, 2) Attitude, 3) Concentration. 4) Information Processing, 5) Motivation, 6) Selecting Main Ideas, 7) Self-Testing, 8) Test Strategies, 9) Time Management, and 10) Using Academic Resources. The LASSI has been extensively researched (3) and is used at many colleges and universities as a diagnostic measure to guide student advising. However, the LASSI is pricey. At the time of this writing, a single assessment costs $4.50 and a license for 2000 uses is $6000. The LASSI also has some of the same problems as the MSLQ in that it isn’t comprehensive when it comes to the latest research on learning strategies.
4) A Compendium of Scales for Use in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Ok, this particular ebook does not actually provide a scale for measuring learning strategies, if that’s what you’re looking for. But, it’s a free ebook and contains a lot of useful information about how to select a quality scale for your purposes . The ebook contains lots of different scales that exist and measure everything from quality teaching behaviors to academic self-efficacy and even student boredom.
References:
(1) Pintrich, P. R., & de Groot, E. V. (1990). Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(1), 33–40. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.82.1.33
(2) Bartoszewski, B.L. & Gurung, R. A. R. (2015). Comparing the relationship of learning techniques and exam score. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 1(3), 219-228.
(3) Cano, F. (2006). An in-depth analysis of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI). Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(6), 1023-1038.
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