Development and validation of a students' remote learning attitude scale (RLAS) in higher education

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Higher Education Studies
• Digital Learning

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid shift to emergency remote education (ERE).
• Existing measurement tools may not adequately capture student attitudes specific to the ERE context.
• There is a need for validated instruments to assess student perceptions of remote learning environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a multidimensional instrument, the Remote Learning Attitude Scale (RLAS).
• To measure university students' attitudes towards emergency remote education.
• To identify factors influencing student attitudes in ERE.

Main Methods:

• Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to identify underlying dimensions of student attitudes.
• Confirmatory Factor Analysis using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) for model validation.
• Data collected from 142 university students in Greece participating in remote learning during the COVID-19 crisis.

Main Results:

• EFA revealed five distinct dimensions of student attitudes towards ERE.
• PLS-SEM confirmed the validity and reliability of the Remote Learning Attitude Scale (RLAS).
• Student's field of study and prior distance learning experience significantly influenced RLAS dimensions; gender and age did not.

Conclusions:

• The Remote Learning Attitude Scale (RLAS) is a practical and effective tool for assessing university students' attitudes towards remote versus traditional learning.
• Findings highlight the importance of considering student background factors in remote education settings.
• The study provides a valuable instrument for future research on student engagement and success in ERE.