Determination and Validation of the Project for Educational Research That Scales (PERTS) Survey Factor Structure

Abstract

This study used exploratory factor analysis to test the factor structure of the Project for Educational Research That Scales (PERTS) instrument. Research that reports the reliability, construct validity, and factor structure of the PERTS scale is useful for interpreting the results from the use of the widely distributed survey and for suggesting interventions to develop an academic mindset in the classroom. Correlations and exploratory factor analyses were performed using pre-existing data from a medium-sized, rural school district, in a large southwestern state of the U.S. as self-reports from a sample of 2,908 students, in grades 3 through 8, at three elementary and two middle schools. Results of the exploratory factor analysis confirmed the proposed four-factor structure. The PERTS survey demonstrated internal reliability on three of the four scales above the pre-determined indices of Cronbach’s alpha > .80, with the exception of the individual mindset scale with a Cronbach’s alpha of .772.