Development and Initial Validation of the Student Strengths Inventory: A Measure of Non-cognitive Variables that Impact Student Performance and Retention

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Development and Initial Validation of the Student
Strengths Inventory A Measure of Non-cognitive
Variables that Impact Student Performance and
Retention

• Wade Leuwerke, Ph.D.
• Elma Dervisevic, BS
• Drake University

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Graduation and Retention Rates

• 34 - Four-year graduation rate at two-year
  institutions
• (Swail, 2004)
• 53 - Six-year graduation rate at four-year
  institutions
• (Carey, 2004)
• First to second year retention rates
• (ACT, 2009)

Selective 82.2
Traditional 71.5
Open 65.1
Two-Year 53.9
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Student Success Models

• Primary focus on cognitive factors (ACT, HSGPA)
• Pre-enrollment situational (e.g., SES)
• Post-enrollment situational (e.g., Housing)
• Non-cognitive/motivational (e.g., engagement)
• 10 non-cognitive variables that are strong
  predictors of student outcomes
• Different predictors for retention vs.
  performance
• Approximately 4 6 of these offer significant
  incremental validity over standardized tests and
  HS GPA
• Robbins et al., (2004)

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SSI Development

• Rational and factor analytic methods
• Homogeneous and objective measures of six factors
• Initial pool of 243 items developed by team of 6
  researchers
• Reduced to 81 items through consensus
• 10 14 items for each construct
• 1 6 (strongly disagree strongly agree)

• Academic engagement
• Academic self-efficacy
• Campus engagement

• Social comfort
• Resiliency
• Educational commitment

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Methods

• Administered to N 760 first-year college
  students at two large western universities (one
  urban commuter and one rural residential)
• 45 men and 55 women
• Caucasian (65), Mexican/Chicano (9),
  multiracial (5), Asian American (5), American
  Indian (5), Puerto Rican/Cuban/Other (3.4) and
  African American (2.6)
• Over 8,000 students included in predictive
  modeling analysis

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Analysis

• Factor Analysis
• Principal axis factoring with oblique rotation
• 6 factor structure converged in 11 iterations
• Accounted for 45 of variance among items
• Reliability
• Internal Consistency
• Construct Validity
• Correlation with Student Readiness Inventory
• Predictive Validity
• Prediction of retention and first semester GPA

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Factor Correlations
Factor 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Educational Commitment 1
2 Social Comfort .150 1
Resiliency .052 .217 1
4 Campus Engagement .329 .302 .114 1
5 Academic Engagement .320 .090 .142 .178 1
6 Academic Self-Efficacy .376 .186 .177 .316 .336 1
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Reliability and Construct Validity

• Cronbachs alphas ranged from .81 to .90
• Cross measure correlations

SRI
CC SA EC SC AD ASC
1 Educational Commitment .58 .11 .09 .23 .38 .10
2 Social Comfort .22 .67 .18 .51 .08 .10
Resiliency .04 .14 .50 .05 .03 .27
4 Campus Engagement .30 .18 .13 .39 .22 .05
5 Academic Engagement .34 .01 .18 .10 .58 .14
6 Academic Self-Efficacy .41 .13 .18 .23 .39 .37
SSI
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Reliability and Construct Validity

• Scale relations with ACT scores and High School
  GPA

ACT HSGPA
1 Educational Commitment .13 .13
2 Social Comfort .06 .10
3 Resiliency .02 .06
4 Campus Engagement .10 .14
5 Academic Engagement .06 .23
6 Academic Self-Efficacy .10 .28
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Predictive Validity
ACT HSGPA
18
First Semester GPA
Academic Engagement
Academic Self-efficacy
28
Resiliency
ACT HSGPA
20
First Year GPA
Academic Engagement
Campus Engagement
29
Resiliency
11
Predictive Validity
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Predictive Validity
Prediction of Academic Outcomes
Attrition Percent Accurately Identified
Random 28.5
ACT Composite Score ACT Composite Score ACT Composite Score ACT Composite Score ACT Composite Score 28.7
ACT HSGPA ACT HSGPA ACT HSGPA 50.9
HSGPA SSI Risk HSGPA SSI Risk HSGPA SSI Risk 65.5

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SW Large Rural Residential
14
SC Medium Rural Regional Comp
15
Small MNT West Rural State
16
Large MW Urban
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Student Strengths Inventory
Student
Strengths Inventory Scales and Sample Items

Scale Definition Sample Item
Academic Engagement The value an individual places on academics and attentiveness to school work. I turn my homework in on time.
Academic Self-Efficacy An individuals confidence in his or her ability to achieve academically and succeed in college. I will excel in my chosen major.
Educational Commitment An individuals dedication to college and the value placed upon a college degree. I see value in completing a college education.
Resiliency An individuals approach to challenging situations and stressful events. I manage stress well.
Social Comfort An individuals comfort in social situations and ability to communicate with others. I am comfortable in groups.
Campus Engagement Involvement in campus activities and attachment to the college/university. Being active in extra-curricular activities in college is important to me.
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SSI Summary

• Strong reliability and validity
• Brief measure of non-cognitive factors
• Measures 6 factors critical to student success
• Customizable individual student report
• Training to support data use models and
  individual interpretation strategies
• Questions
• wade.leuwerke_at_drake.edu
• www.studentstrengthsinventory.com

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References

• ACT, Inc. (2009). National collegiate retention
  and persistence to degree rates. Iowa City, IA
  Author.
• Carey, K. (2004). A matter of degrees Improving
  four-year colleges and universities. Washington,
  DC, Education Trust.
• Swail, W. S. (2004). Legislation to improve
  graduation rates could have the opposite effect.
  Chronicle of Higher Education, 50.
• Robbins, S., Lauver, K., Le, H., Langley, R.,
  Davis, D., Carlstrom, A. (2004). Do
  psychological and study skill factors predict
  college outcomes? A meta-analysis. Psychological
  Bulletin, 130, 261-288.