Reliability and replicability of the Approaches to Studying Questionnaire

Abstract

The Approaches to Studying Questionnaire (ASQ) was devised to measure individual differences in terms of four major study orientations. It achieves satisfactory levels of reliability and the distinction between a meaning orientation and a reproducing orientation has been consistently demonstrated across a variety of student groups. However, the validity of the remaining study orientations and of the constituent subscales is open to question. A shorm form of the ASQ is described, based upon the eight subscales that have been consistently identified with meaning orientation and reproducing orientation. The reliability and replicability of this new questionnaire are considered in the light of a critical evaluation of the analytic methods employed in previous research. Satisfactory levels of internal consistency and test-retest reliability are demonstrated, and factor analysis successfully retrieves the two primary study orientations. While the validity of its constituent subscales is still rather uncertain, this short version of the ASQ can be recommended as a useful instrument for monitoring meaning orientation and reproducing orientation in future investigations of student learning in higher education.