An Enhancement to the Theory and Measurement of Purpose

Development of purpose is an important goal of post-secondary education. This study advances the measurement of purpose by (a) enriching the construct through incorporating the facet of horizon; (b) providing a framework for Rasch/Guttman Scenario score interpretation; and (c) providing evidence of convergent, divergent, and known groups validity

Virtual learning environments and digital tools for implementing formative assessment of transversal skills in STEM

This publication is the fourth report in a series of reports part of the Assessment of Transversal Skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (ATS STEM) project. The report is written within the framework of the project ATS STEM (http://www.atsstem.eu/). Assessment of Transversal Skills in STEM is an innovative policy experimentation project being conducted across 8 EU countries and involving a partner network of 12 educational institutions

Measuring Purpose in Life in College Students: An Assessment of Invariance Properties by College Year and Undergraduate School

Purpose in life is a key construct in the development of young adults, particularly college students. There are many instruments measuring sense of purpose in life, but few studies have examined their measurement properties among college students. The current study compares the measurement invariance properties of the Purpose in Life (PIL) scale and the Claremont Purpose Scale (CPS) across college year and undergraduate school. Using both a unidimensional and a two-dimensional model, we found that the PIL’s interpretability is limited among college students. Using a three-dimensional model, the CPS was invariant with respect to both grouping variables. The study suggests that the CPS can be used to make meaningful comparisons among college students categorized by school year and undergraduate school. The study also has some implications about the construct of purpose in life; namely, scale structures that work well statistically and theoretically among adults might not generalize to young adults