1.

Questionnaire to measure indicators for recruitment/retention in geoscience

careers
submitted by Miriam Fuhrman, American Institutes for Research

Briefly describe how you use this assessment tool.

This instrument is designed for use as a pre- /post-evaluation of an individual workshop, course, or other
intervention intended to enhance geoscience career choice. It is based on similar surveys used by OEDG
grantees as one way to evaluate the effectiveness of their programs/workshops/courses in encouraging
members of under-represented minorities to enter and be retained in a pathway toward a geoscience
career.
Customized items can be added to address specific goals of an individual workshop or coursesee the
optional items at the end of the instrument, for some examples. These items have been designed to
measure changes in attitudes and behaviors; so it is important that users administer the exact same items
in the pre- and post- versions of the survey. It makes data interpretation difficult when different versions of
items are used in pre- and post- versions.

Note that these items are all closed-ended. It may be tempting to add open-ended items, but it streamlines
the analysis procedure greatly if as many items as possible are closed-ended. Closed-ended questions can
always have a "catch-all" option of : "Other (explain)"..; common "other" answers can then become formal
options in subsequent versions of the instrument.

Generic College Questionnaire for Affective Domain (Microsoft Word 209kB Feb9 07)
Instructor notes and information (Microsoft Word 57kB Feb9 07)

References
Fuhrman, M.; Gonzalez R.; and Levine R. (2004). Developing Short-Term Indicators of Recruitment and
Retention in the Geosciences, EOS Trans. AGU 85(47), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract ED21D-02

2.Perceptions of Instrumentality Scale

submitted by Jenefer Husman, Arizona State University

What does this assessment measure?

Perceptions of Instrumentality. (Husman, Derryberry, Crowson, & Lomax, 2004). This scale consists of two
subscales: Endogenous Instrumentality and Exogenous Instrumentality. The Endogenous subscale consists
of four items that ask about the utility of learning the course content for future goals (alpha=.73). The
Exogenous instrumentality subscale consists of 4 items that ask if receiving a good grade or passing the
course will help students achieve their future goals (alpha=.52). Students responded to both subscales on
a five point Likert type response from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).

Briefly describe how you use this assessment tool.

Each of the two subscales are summed or averaged. Before calculating the subscale scores four of the
eight items, which are negatively worded, need to be recoded. I have used this scale at the beginning and
end of a semester to measure change in students PI throughout the semester. The scale can also be used
in the middle of the semester to determine the students' mid-semester sense of the importance of the
course. I have also determined that the scale is most effective at the course level (rather than at the
"chapter" or "topic-of-the-week" level).
Perceptions of Instrumentality Scale (Microsoft Word 26kB Feb27 07)

References
Husman, J., Derryberry, W. P., Crowson, H. M., & Lomax, R. (2004). Instrumentality, task value, and intrinsic
motivation: Making sense of their independent interdependence. Contemporary Educational Psychology,
29, 63-76.

Husman, J., McCann, E. J., & Crowson, H. M. (2000). Volitional strategies and future time perspective:
embracing the complexity of dynamic interactions. International Journal of Educational Research., 33, 777-
799.