Assessing Children's Perceptions of Themselves as Learners and Problem-Solvers

A review of the literature on the measurement of self-concept and its various manifestations leads to the conclusion that despite general agreement about its multifaceted nature, there remains some dispute as to how best to measure this. Existing measures have been found wanting either with regard to their psychometric properties or with regard to their ease of application, scoring and interpretation. In particular, there still remains a comparative dearth of instruments directed at specific aspects of children's perceptions of themselves as learners and problem-solvers. A need exists for such an instrument which is valid, reliable and easy to administer, score and interpret. The construction of a simple 20-item scale aimed at measuring children's conceptions of themselves as learners and problem-solvers is described. The Myself-As-Learner Scale appears to meet satisfactory criteria in terms of its factor structure, validity and reliability. Standardization data are provided on a sample of 389 secondary pupils aged between 11 and 13 years. Further information is also provided on the correspondence between MALS scores and scores on tests of cognitive ability and attainment. Suggestions are offered as to the possible application of MALS in further research studies.