School Attitude Assessment Survey, Revised: Comparisons of High School Students in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs

• In Event: Affective Issues for Gifted Students: Motivation, Attitude, and Sources of Stress

Abstract

The School Attitude Assessment Survey-Revised (SAAS-R) was evaluated in a sample of 414 Advanced Placement (AP) students (three schools) and 313 International Baccalaureate (IB) students in (three schools). Internal consistency reliabilities for the five-factors (academic self-perceptions, attitudes toward school, attitudes toward teachers, goal valuation, and motivation/self-regulation) were above .85 for both groups and were similar to those presented by the instrument’s developers. Results of a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis with invariance tests support the fit of the five-factor model and indicate that the IB and AP students interpreted most of the items in a similar manner. Overall this study supports the use of the SAAS-R as a tool for understanding the similarities and differences of students in advanced academic programs.

Authors

• Robert F. Dedrick, University of South Florida

• Elizabeth Shaunessy-Dedrick, University of South Florida

• Shannon M. Suldo, University of South Florida

• John M. Ferron, University of South Florida

• Sarah Fefer, University of South Florida

• Rachel Roth, University of South Florida

• Nicole Land, University of South Florida

• Kelly Wagner, University of South Florida

• Matthew Hart, University of South Florida