Nonparametric item analysis and confirmatory factorial validity of the computer attitude scale for secondary students

The use of computers in secondary schools allows a better preparation of students for their future careers and offers opportunities for refining critical thinking skills. Thus, the development of a valid attitude scale towards computers for students is very important because it could lead to the development or modification of computer fluency curricula. The aim of the study was (a) to examine the factorial structure (affect, behavior, and cognition) of the Computer Attitude Scale for Secondary Students (CASSS) through confirmatory factor analysis, and (b) to determine how well the test and its items discriminate among individuals differing in the strength of their attitude toward computers through nonparametric item analyses. The analyses were conducted on two samples of high school students (n₁=421; n₂=422) who completed the CASSS, a 40-item questionnaire. Results showed that (a) the option characteristic curves (OCC) and item characteristic curve (ICC) of each item revealed certains problems for some items, (b) the reliability of the CASSS is excellent at all levels of the attitude scale, being around 0.96 for students having the least favorable attitude toward computer and 0.88 for students having a more favorable attitude toward computers, and (c) a higher-order or hierarchical model underlies the theoretical structure of the CASSS.