Standardisation And Validation Study Of A New Study Skills Questionnaire Among Nigerian Students

Abstract

There have been a number of studies on study skills in the past few decades but have been limited to developed countries. Concerns have also been raised by various researchers about the latent constructs of existing western scales to assess study skills. The objective of this study was to develop, standardize and validate a culturally sensitive study skills questionnaire (SSQ). Methods: a stratified random sample of secondary school students (n = 649) between age 12 and 21 completed SSQ, developed through a three stage procedure. Psychometric properties of the instrument including reliability (internal consistencies and test-retest reliability), validity (content, convergent and criterion), item correlation and latent constructs were assessed. Result: The internal consistencies of the eight subscales were acceptable (r = 0.85 to 0.86; p < 0.001) and the intra-class coefficient was good (r = 0.871, p < 0.001). SSQ subscales had an acceptable three-week test-retest reliability (r = 0.598 to 0.878; p < 0.001) and good convergent and criterion validity. Using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, the optimal cut-off score was 114.5 (sensitivity = 0.780; specificity = 0.735). SSQ had two latent constructs (will and skill) accounting for 56.98% of the total variance. These constructs were interrelated and were both significant predictors of academic performance. Conclusion: SSQ has good psychometric properties among secondary schools students in Nigeria. Because of its validity, reliability, and ease of administration, the SSQ is a valuable tool in diagnosis and prescriptive purposes. More studies are needed to ascertain the potentials of this instrument.