The Examination of Unique Items and Potential Subscales of the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey

The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) probes respondents' attitudes about learning physics. The CLASS consists of 42 total items (36 total which are scored), organized into eight categories. These eight categories contain 26 items total, with several items appearing in more than one category. Douglas et al. (2014) conducted a factor analysis study on the CLASS, and proposed a simplified factor structure for the instrument, consisting of three factors and 15 items, with no items loading on multiple factors. The current study examines the Douglas results on a different dataset. While a full factor structure was not obtained, two promising subscales emerged in the analysis; one evaluating personal and real-world experiences, and a second pertaining to confidence in solving physics problems. Upon evaluating the factor structures of the CLASS, several items stood out as being unique – these items probed ideas not measured by any other item in the instrument. One such item is item 25: "I enjoy solving physics problems." These unique items could provide valuable information on interesting constructs important in physics education while enhancing the usefulness of the CLASS. This poster will focus on analysis conducted on the two possible subscales, and the items identified as unique in more detail.