Volume 41, Issue 3 (2012)
Approaches to Learning Among Head Start Alumni: Structure and Validity of the Learning Behaviors Scale
Samuel H. Rikoon, Paul A. McDermott, and John W. Fantuzzo
Abstract. This study reports new evidence for the dimensionality and validity of the Learning Behaviors Scale in samples of Head Start children. A sample of 900 former Head Start children enrolled in public kindergarten and first-grade classrooms was studied using modern techniques to analyze item responses represented as ordered categories. Findings from independent random subsamples are discussed given consistent results of both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Analysis revealed four factors: Competence Motivation, Discipline/ Persistence, Cooperation, and Emotional Control. Evidence for the external validity of the Learning Behaviors Scale is furnished by way of relationships between Learning Behaviors Scale factor scores and both future academic performance and learning behaviors. Moreover, all four factors exhibit substantial association with reduced risk for future negative outcomes.
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