Refinement of a Chemistry Attitude Measure for College Students

This work presents the evaluation and refinement of a chemistry attitude measure, Attitude toward the Subject of Chemistry Inventory (ASCI), for college students. The original 20-item and revised 8-item versions of ASCI (V1 and V2) were administered to different samples. The evaluation for ASCI had two main foci: reliability and validity. This study provides evidence for good reliability and validity of ASCI (V2) scores. Reliability was estimated by satisfying internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The two-factor ("intellectual accessibility" and "emotional satisfaction") correlated structure was supported by confirmatory factor analysis. The two subscales could be indicators of cognition and affect components of attitude, and thus make a good connection with a theoretical framework from psychology. Regarding the attitude-achievement relationship, students' attitudes played a significant role in predicting final achievement in a general chemistry course even when initial ability scores were taken into account. Implications for science education are discussed.