Construction and validation of learning style assessment instrument SU-19

Abstract

The aim of this study was to construct and validate a new instrument for assessing high-school students’ learning styles. The instrument consists of 7 dimensions that measure a person’s approach to learning through 52 items. A total of 801 pupils took part in the study, 160 of which were gifted scholarship students. Results confirm sound psychometric properties and validity of the scale. Exploratory factor analysis identified 7 factors that explain 46% of the total variance: Time management, Individuality, Relating ideas, Deep meaning, Strategies, Abstractness and Motivation. Confirmatory factor analysis confirms the basic factor structure while highlighting room for improvement. The scale significantly contributed to the prediction of general academic achievement and grades in specific subjects. Discriminant analysis demonstrated the instrument’s ability to differentiate between gifted students and the general student population with an 82.4% success rate. We conclude that our instrument can be used to assess the klearning styles of students and can serve as a useful tool for predicting individual academic achievement

Keywords

• learning styles
• studying
• school achievement
• high-school students
• validation