Survey Development in Assessing Student Learning Outcomes: A Mixed-methods Approach

Xiaomei Song & Michael Elftman   |    Volume Fourteen  |   

One of the important topics in assessment and institutional effectiveness research is the validation of assessment measures and instruments to evaluate students’ learning outcomes. Using a university-wide initiative of Writing across the Curriculum as an example, this paper provides the step-by-step guidance of the mixed-method exploratory sequential strategy in designing and validating a survey to assess one of students’ learning outcomes—process writing. To generate preliminary survey items, the study started with focus groups with students, followed by content review by faculty members and writing experts. The survey was then piloted with a small sample of students, revised, and finally used with a larger sample size of students in the field. By elaborating on the steps of the mixed-method approach in survey development, the study provides energy into the mission of accurately evaluating academic excellence and student learning in institutional research and practices.

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