Development of Problem Solving Strategy Steps Scale: Study of Validation and Reliability

Tolga  Gok,

Development of Problem Solving Strategy Steps Scale: Study of Validation and Reliability

Discipline: Education

Abstract:

This study aimed to develop and validate a problem solving strategy steps scale which would help teachers and researchers to better understand the problem solving strategies that students use. The participants of this scale were 950 undergraduate science and engineering students enrolled in the Introductory Calculus Based Physics. The development of the scale (PSSS) included the following three steps: Item Formulation, Content Validation, and Reliability Calculation. It had 25 items allocated to three factors: (1) Identifying Fundamental Principles, (2) Solving, and (3) Checking. The scale items had a factor loading of at least 0.40. The results of the factor analysis revealed that the scale accounted for 63.86% of the total variance. The alpha reliability coefficient was 0.86. According to these findings, the Problem Solving Strategy Steps scale (PSSS) is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used in the field of engineering and science education.