ERIC Number: EJ1316002
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Dec
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0033-3085
EISSN: N/A
Psychometric Properties of the "LifeSkills Training" Middle School Health Survey
Lipien, Lodi; Ismajli, Flandra; Rigg, Khary K.
Psychology in the Schools, v58 n12 p2374-2391 Dec 2021
"LifeSkills Training" (LST) is a popular drug prevention program shown to be effective at preventing youth substance use. The Middle School Health Survey (MSHS) is a questionnaire that was created by the developers of the LST curriculum to measure changes in knowledge and attitudes about drugs and life skills among youth. Despite the widespread use of the MSHS, the measurement quality of the instrument is largely unknown because no prior research has evaluated its psychometric properties. This study evaluated the reliability of scores and factor structure of the MSHS, which was administered to 986 students (Grades 6-8) before the implementation of the LST curriculum. Results indicate that one of the subscales had poor internal consistency reliability as measured by Cronbach's alpha, which is likely due to restricted variability in item responses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic procedures indicated that a three- or four-factor solution fit the data; however, fewer than half of the items had loadings above the acceptable threshold, indicating that the MSHS requires modification to meet acceptable standards of measurement quality. This paper fills a void in the literature and informs if and which modifications to the MSHS might be necessary.
Descriptors: Psychometrics, Drug Abuse, Prevention, Drug Education, Middle School Students, Questionnaires, Student Attitudes, Daily Living Skills, Test Reliability, Scores, Factor Structure, Factor Analysis
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A