Ronald C. Feldt

Measuring Adjustment to College: Construct Validity of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire.

This study employed confirmatory factor analysis to examine the quality of fit of two measurement models of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (N = 305). Following the observation of poor fit, exploratory factor analysis was used. Results indicated six factors that account for the variance in Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire scores.

Development of a brief measure of college stress: the college student stress scale.

The study included assessment of the psychometric properties of an 11-item measure of perceived stress and control in 273 first-year college students. Results indicated good internal consistency and stability over a 5-week interval, and the total score was highly correlated with another measure of perceived stress. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation indicated two possible factors which explained 55% of the variance. However, given the small number of items and low internal consistency of the second factor (α=.60), use of the Total score is recommended.

Predicting nursing GPA and national council licensure examination for registered nurses (NCLEX-RN): a thorough analysis.

The study involved prediction of GPA in a nursing program and NCLEX-RN licensure score following completion of the program. The sample included 155 students who completed and 34 who failed to complete a baccalaureate nursing program for the 1984–1986 years. The best set of predictors of nursing GPA included ACT composite score, anatomy grade, and chemistry grade, R = .73. The best set of predictors of NCLEX-RN included ACT composite score, high school percentile rank, nursing GPA, and chemistry grade, R = .68. Classification of withdrawn and completing groups and also pass and fail NCLEX-RN performance via discriminant analysis provided results comparable to those of previous research; however, residual analysis indicated very large residuals for those withdrawing from the program as well as those who failed the licensure exam. An alternative to discriminant analysis for classifying students is suggested.

PREDICTING ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: NELSON-DENNY READING TEST AND MEASURES OF COLLEGE STUDENTS' STUDY OF EXPOSITORY PROSE

Prediction of performance in an introductory psychology course was examined for a sample of 65 freshmen college students. Students completed the Comprehension subtest of the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, then studied a 956-word passage, reported their reading strategies, and responded to 18 test questions. Predictors included Nelson-Denny Comprehension score, reading strategy, study time, retention interval, time to complete the test, and test score. Percentage of total points earned in the course for the semester was the criterion. The best set of predictors included Comprehension score, test score, and retention interval; R = .61. The text-study procedure with exemplary test questions may have utility in improving prediction of course performance.

Factorial Structure of the Career Decision Scale: Incremental Validity of the Five-Factor Domains

For comparison of one-, three-, and four-factor structures of the Indecision scale of the Career Decision Scale, results of confirmatory factor analysis (N = 686) indicated the best fit for the three-factor structure. Multiple regression analysis results indicated incremental validity of the five-factor model for predicting dimensions of career indecision.

Acquisition, Maintenance, and Transfer of a Questioning Strategy in Second- and Third-Grade Students To Learn from Science Textbooks.

Acquisition, maintenance, and transfer of a questioning strategy was examined in second- and third-grade students (N = 16) using a multiple-baseline design. Students were taught to identify text structures (comparison-contrast, cause-effect, and problem-solution) during the first week of instruction, and then they were taught to ask questions appropriate to each structure during the second week of instruction. Results indicated that knowledge of text structure increased and that students could reliably differentiate text structure. The mean proportion of correct questions students asked to guide reading ranged from .93 to .96. Increases in literal and inferential comprehension were observed. Students deployed the strategy on their own in the classroom.

Effect of Test Expectancy on Preferred Study Strategy Use and Test Performance

Among undergraduates in a carefully controlled design, 9 students who took notes studied longer than groups of 30 and 17 who did not. No differences were observed on test scores, retention interval, comprehension scores, or reading rate. Whether students expected multiple-choice or free-recall testing, strategies were similar, suggesting study oriented to rote learning.

Reliability and Construct Validity of the College Student Stress Scale

Reliability and construct validity of the 11-item College Student Stress Scale were investigated with exploratory (N = 273) and confirmatory factor analyses (N = 185) in undergraduate college students. Two factors were observed; however, reliability of the 3-item factor was too low and one item failed to load on either factor. A 7-item measure (Factor 1) had acceptable reliability (.81) and good convergence with the Perceived Stress Scale. This measure was significantly correlated with Neuroticism, Test Anxiety, and Self-efficacy for Learning, but not Social Desirability or age.

Test expectancy and performance on factual and higher-level questions

Abstract The study involved an investigation of the effect of test expectancy on preferred strategy use and test performance on factual and higher-level questions in learning from expository text. A total of 42 undergraduate college students were instructed to expect factual or higher-level questions, or were given no information regarding the test. Students studied a 3145-word passage from an introductory psychology text, reported their use of study strategies and why each was used, and then completed 42 multiple-choice questions. Results indicated that test expectancy did not affect preferred strategy use, nor did it affect test performance. Subsequent analyses were employed to identify differences between those who exhibited superior or inferior performance on each type of question. Superior performance on factual questions over main points was associated with higher reading comprehension scores, longer study time, higher confidence rating on the questions, and more extensive use of embellished text. Superior performance on factual questions over details was associated with higher confidence rating in answering questions and extensive use of a number of author-provided cues to strategic text processing (embellished text, examples, analogy). In sharp contrast, superior performance on higher-level questions was not associated with confidence rating, nor use of author provided cues. In addition, use of preferred strategy and metacognitive awareness was not associated with performance on any type of question. A majority of students retrospectively reported use of underlining and rereading, and indicated the importance of selection and retention of important information as reasons for deploying the strategies, suggesting a rote-learning approach to learning from text.

Gender invariance of the College Student Stress Scale.

Assessment of perceived stress may be an important prerequisite to deployment of effective coping in efforts to help college students adjust to academic and social demands of college. The study examined the extent to which a seven-item measure of the College Student Stress Scale is invariant across gender. Results indicated invariance of factor loadings, factor variance, and all but one item intercept. No statistically significant gender difference was observed between latent variable means.