Psychometric Evaluation of the Revised Current Statistics Self-efficacy (CSSE-26) in a Graduate Student Population using Rasch Analysis.

Abstract

The Current Statistics Self-Efficacy (CSSE) scale, developed by Finney and Schraw (2003), is a 14-item instrument to assess students' statistics self-efficacy. No previous research has used the Rasch measurement models to evaluate the psychometric structure of its scores at the item level, and only a few of them have applied the CSSE in a graduate school setting. A modified 30-item CSSE scale was tested on a graduate student population (N = 179). The Rasch rating scale analysis identified 26 items forming a unidimensional measure. Assumptions of sample-free and test-free measurement were confirmed, showing scores from the CSSE-26 are reliable and valid to assess graduate students' level of statistics self-efficacy. Findings suggest the CSSE-26 could help facilitate professors' understanding and enhancement of students' statistics self-efficacy.