Development of a Learning Attitude Questionnaire for Middle School Students

Authors

  • Baoyuan Cao

    Department of Psychology, Teachers’ College, Beijing Union University, Beijing 100011, China
  • Shixiang Liu

    Department of Psychology, Teachers’ College of Beijing Union University, Beijing 100011, China

    Learning and Psychological Development Institution for Children and Adolescents, Beijing Union University, Beijing 100011, China
  • Jinhua Yang

    Department of Psychology, Teachers’ College of Beijing Union University, Beijing 100011, China

    Learning and Psychological Development Institution for Children and Adolescents, Beijing Union University, Beijing 100011, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jpr.v8i2.13367
Received: 28 March 2026 | Revised: 15 April 2026 | Accepted: 28 April 2026 | Published Online: 30 April 2026

Abstract

This study aims to explore secondary school students’ learning attitudes and develop a scientific assessment questionnaire. First, through a systematic review of domestic and international literature on secondary school students’ learning attitudes and interviews with 30 students, teachers, and parents, A four-dimensional model framework is proposed. Subsequently, item analysis and exploratory factor analysis were conducted using 497 secondary school students as valid participants, resulting in a retest questionnaire. Furthermore, reliability and validity tests were conducted on the retested questionnaire using a sample of 830 secondary school students, and 50 of these participants were selected for a retest to assess test-retest reliability two months later. Ultimately, a formal questionnaire comprising 20 items was developed, covering the four dimensions of positive affect, negative affect, cognitive characteristics, and behavioral effort. The results indicated that the overall Cronbach’s α coefficient for the questionnaire was 0.902, with Cronbach’s α coefficients for each dimension ranging from 0.709 to 0.836; the test-retest reliability was 0.819; confirmatory factor analysis results showed that χ2/df = 2.95, GFI = 0.94, IFI = 0.98, NNFI = 0.98, CFI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.051, all meeting psychometric standards. This questionnaire comprehensively assesses secondary school students’ learning attitudes through multidimensional indicators of positive affect, negative affect, cognitive characteristics, and behavioral effort, thereby objectively reflecting their psychological characteristics regarding learning. This four-dimensional structure not only embodies the multifaceted nature of learning attitude theory but also aligns with the practical need for precise assessment of secondary school students’ learning competencies in the context of current basic education reform, providing an effective tool for the scientific evaluation of learning attitudes.

Keywords:

Middle School Students; Attitude toward Learning; Questionnaire Design

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How to Cite

Cao, B., Liu, S., & Yang, J. (2026). Development of a Learning Attitude Questionnaire for Middle School Students. Journal of Psychological Research, 8(2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.30564/jpr.v8i2.13367

Issue

Vol. 8 , Iss. 2 (April 2026)

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2026 Baoyuan Cao, Shixiang Liu, Jinhua Yang

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

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