Validated Scales Project

Our ‘validated scales’ project really improved how we evaluate students’ feelings of self-efficacy, social capital, and belongingness, especially on the K+ programme. These measures are closely associated with increased educational attainment.

Many of the scales that have typically been used have been general in their scope and therefore have not accounted for specific age groups or a transitional educational context. A lot of the existing scales have not been sensitive to the impact of COVID-19 on changing models of educational interventions (e.g. hybrid delivery). We also recognised that classic scales present several issues for practitioners and evaluators alike. For example, many of the scales are developed in the US and so the language and idioms are not appropriate for the HE context in the UK. Often these scales use language that is not appropriate for the age groups taking part in the evaluation. Scales used can be too long and use inconsistent scoring techniques.

Realising this, our What Works team have collaborated with the Psychometrics & Measurement Lab and Department of Digital Humanities to produce new bespoke scales. These take our specific social, educational, and technological context into consideration. This combination of expertise represents the first of its kind for a UK higher education institution and has paved the way for a new standard for evidence in widening participation.

The outcome of our collaboration has been to adapt various different survey instruments, making them suitable to a pre-entry, HE specific context. Of those scales that currently measure similar constructs, two instruments appear better suited to modification; Yorke’s Student ‘belongingness’, engagement and self-confidence scale (2016) and Sander and Sanders’ Academic Behavioural Confidence Scale (2009). Moving forward our aim is now to implement a scale for future waves of K+.

Many of the scales that have typically been used have been general in their scope and therefore have not accounted for specific age groups or a transitional educational context. A lot of the existing scales have not been sensitive to the impact of COVID-19 on changing models of educational interventions (e.g. hybrid delivery). We also recognised that classic scales present several issues for practitioners and evaluators alike. For example, many of the scales are developed in the US and so the language and idioms are not appropriate for the HE context in the UK. Often these scales use language that is not appropriate for the age groups taking part in the evaluation. Scales used can be too long and use inconsistent scoring techniques.

Realising this, our What Works team have collaborated with the Psychometrics & Measurement Lab and Department of Digital Humanities to produce new bespoke scales. These take our specific social, educational, and technological context into consideration. This combination of expertise represents the first of its kind for a UK higher education institution and has paved the way for a new standard for evidence in widening participation.

The outcome of our collaboration has been to adapt various different survey instruments, making them suitable to a pre-entry, HE specific context. Of those scales that currently measure similar constructs, two instruments appear better suited to modification; Yorke’s Student ‘belongingness’, engagement and self-confidence scale (2016) and Sander and Sanders’ Academic Behavioural Confidence Scale (2009). Moving forward our aim is now to implement a scale for future waves of K+.