Academic Self-Efficacy Scale
Expert NotesStrengths:Strong reliability (α = .874), meaning responses are highly consistent across items. Validated with university students in the UK and China; useful for measuring college students’ academic confidence.
Cautions:Limited evidence for younger students, first-generation students, or diverse U.S. populations.
Topics: Student LearningTags: Motivation, Student engagementThis 10-item scale elicits students’ expectancies/beliefs in relation to academic performance. The scale was designed to reflect Bandura’s (1986) definition of self-efficacy in terms of initial decision to act, effort expended in acting and perseverance in the face of obstacles.Higher scores…WNSLAE Academic Motivation Scale
Expert NotesStrengths:Can be linked to college experiences and student outcomes, making it useful for research on factors associated with academic motivation.
Cautions:Limited validation with K–12 students or students outside U.S. higher education. Not validated as a screener or measure of program effectiveness.
Topics: Student LearningTags: Motivation, Student engagementThe WNSLAE Academic Motivation Scale is a brief self-report survey developed for the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education (WNSLAE). It measures students’ academic motivation through items about their willingness to work hard to learn, interest in learning beyond course requirements, the…Time Management Behavior Scale
Expert NotesStrengths:Four-factor structure supported in U.S. college students and subsequent studies; useful for examining relationships between time management, academic performance, stress, and perceived control of time.
Cautions:Limited evidence for K–12 students or using scores to evaluate the effectiveness of time-management interventions.
Topics: Student LearningTags: College readinessThe Time Management Behavior Scale (TMBS) is a self-report survey that measures how students manage their time. It assesses four areas: setting goals and priorities, time-management mechanics, preference for organization, and perceived control of time. It was developed for college students and is…Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale
Expert NotesStrengths:Strong reliability; validated for assessing readiness for self-directed learning and identifying students’ learning needs.
Cautions:Evidence is limited in school settings other than postsecondary and health-professions education; factor structure varies across populations, so scores should be interpreted cautiously across settings.
Topics: Student LearningTags: Motivation, Student engagementThe Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) is a 52-item survey instrument. It is a diagnostic tool used to measure a person's readiness for self-directed learning. Self-directed learning is the amount of responsibility a person accepts for their own learning. This readiness can vary based…Self-Determination Scale
Expert NotesStrengths:Strong reliability for assessing self-determination and autonomous motivation in college students.
Cautions:Evidence is limited for students younger than college-age.
Topics: Student LearningTags: Motivation, Student engagementThe self-determination scale is a 10-item scale that was developed to assess a person's self-determination and individual differences in autonomous decision-making. Includes 2 subscales: awareness of one-self and choice in one's action. Scale of Determining Sources of Self-Efficacy Belief
Expert NotesStrengths:Useful for identifying which sources of self-efficacy are associated with students’ learning and performance beliefs.
Can help examine differences in self-efficacy sources by achievement, grade level, gender, and socioeconomic status.Cautions:Evidence is limited to Turkish school students.
Topics: Student LearningTags: Motivation, Student engagementThe Scale of Determining Sources of Self-efficacy Belief is a survey tool used to measure the factors that influence a student’s self-efficacy. It defines self-efficacy as beliefs that underlie all behaviors. These beliefs consist of mechanisms for efficacy and outcome expectations.The scale is…Project for Educational Research That Scales
Expert NotesStrengths:Validated across various grade levels including elementary, middle and postsecondary. Strong psychometric performance especially for the self-efficacy and sense of belonging constructs validated in postsecondary. Consistent across gender, first generation status, and race/ethnicity: minimal issues with measurement invariance across these demographics.
Cautions:Some subscales can be highly context dependent: Responses to items related to belonging can change based on classroom climate or recent interactions. Similarly a students' sense of self efficacy can differ widely across disciplines. Some self-efficacy items show limited measurement invariance over time, especially items related to challenging tasks.
Topics: Student LearningTags: Motivation, Student engagementThe Project for Educational Research That Scales (PERTS) survey is a 15-item self-report scale. It measures four academic mindsets: growth mindset, sense of belonging, task relevance, and self-efficacy. The purpose of the tool is to promote "healthy collective action". It helps teachers provide…Problem Solving Inventory
Expert NotesStrengths:Strong reliability; validated primarily with U.S. college students for assessing perceived problem-solving ability. Useful for examining relationships between perceived problem-solving ability and psychological adjustment, coping, and related outcomes.
Cautions:Limited evidence for younger students and non-U.S. populations.
Topics: Student LearningTags: College readinessThe Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) is a 32-item survey instrument. It measures how individuals perceive their own real-life, personal problem-solving abilities. The scale is structured around three key dimensions: Problem-solving confidence: An individual's belief and trust in their ability to…