Conceptual Framework and Overview of Psychometric Properties

Overview and Content of the NSSEProject and QuestionnaireThe National Survey of Student Engagement(NSSE) is specifically designed to assess theextent to which students are engaged inempirically derived good educationalpractices and what they gain from theircollege experience (Kuh, 2001). The maincontent of the NSSE instrument, The CollegeStudent Report, represents student behaviorsthat are highly correlated with many desirablelearning and personal development outcomesof college. Responding to the questionnairerequires that students reflect on what they areputting into and getting out of their collegeexperience. Thus, completing the survey itselfis consistent with effective educationalpractice.The results from the NSSE project have beenused to produce a set of national benchmarksof good educational practice that participatingschools are using to estimate the efficacy oftheir improvement efforts (Kuh, 2001). Forexample, administrators and faculty membersat dozens of schools are using their NSSEresults to discover patterns of student-facultyinteractions and the frequency of studentparticipation in other educational practicesthat they can influence directly and indirectlyto improve student learning. In addition, somestates are using NSSE data in theirperformance indicator systems and for otherpublic accountability functions.Structure of the InstrumentThe College Student Report asks students toreport the frequency with which they engagein dozens of activities that represent goodeducational practice, such as using theinstitution's human resources, curricularprograms, and other opportunities for learningand development that the college provides.Additional items assess the amount of readingand writing students did during the currentschool year, the number of hours per weekthey devoted to schoolwork, extracurricularactivities, employment, and family matters,and the nature of their examinations andcoursework. Seniors report whether theyparticipated in or took advantage of suchlearning opportunities as being a part of alearning community, working with a facultymember on a research project, internships,community service, and study abroad. Firstyearstudents indicate whether they have doneor plan to do these things. Students alsorecord their perceptions of features of thecollege environment that are associated withachievement, satisfaction, and persistenceincluding the extent to which the institutionoffers the support students need to succeedacademically and the quality of relationsbetween various groups on campus such asfaculty and students (Astin, 1993; Pascarella& Terenzini, 1991; Tinto, 1993). Then,students estimate their educational andpersonal growth since starting college in theareas of general knowledge, intellectual skills,written and oral communication skills,personal, social and ethical development, andvocational preparation. These estimates aremindful of a value-added approach tooutcomes assessment whereby students makejudgments about the progress or gains theyhave made (Pace, 1984). Direct measures ofstudent satisfaction are obtained from twoquestions: "How would you evaluate yourentire educational experience at thisinstitution?" "If you could start over again,would you go to the same institution you arenow attending?"Students also provide information about theirbackground, including age, gender, race orethnicity, living situation, educational status,and major field. Finally, up to 20 additionalquestions can be added to obtain informationspecific to an institutional consortium.Schools have the option of linking theirstudents' responses with their owninstitutional data base in order to examineother aspects of the undergraduate experienceFramework & Psychometric PropertiesPage 2 of 26