Development of Classroom Assessment Environment Scale (CAES): Validity and Reliability Study

Abstract

In this research, we aimed to develop an instrument that could be used to measure students' perceptions of the classroom assessment environment in a valid and reliable manner. The research was carried out in spring 2013–2014 with a total of 800 students who constituted four separate study groups. In this study, expert opinions were obtained to determine the scale’s content validity and face validity, while exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to assess the construct validity of the scale’s measures. The EFA yielded a construct that consisted of 18 items and two factors that explained 31.52% of the total variance. These factors were named as follows: Learning-Oriented Assessment Environment (LOAE) and Performance-Oriented Assessment Environment (POAE). Findings obtained from the CFA demonstrated that the construct with 18 items and two factors had adequate fit indexes. The reliability of the measures obtained using the LOAE and POAE subscales was examined via Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability, and the test–retest method, which produced reliability coefficients that fell within acceptable limits. With the aim of determining the items’ discriminatory power, the adjusted item total correlation was examined, and 27% sub-upper group comparisons were made. The findings obtained from the item analysis showed that all of the items on the scale were discriminatory. Based on these findings, it could be concluded that the scale is an instrument that produces valid and reliable measures, and that can be used to determine students’ perceptions of the classroom assessment environment.