Examining the Psychometric Properties of Academic Stability Scale based on Classic and Item-Response Theories

The present study aimed to construct and validate academic stability scale on the basis of model proposed by Mahoney et al. (2014). To do so, in 2015, 300 students and in 2017, 470 students were selected from senior high schools across Shiraz City through cluster random sampling method. Next, they completed a 24-item academic stability scale. In addition, 52 students completed questionnaires on academic indifference, academic resilience and the academic stability scale with one week interval. The results of exploratory factor analysis (data extracted in 2015) revealed three factors of thriving (10 items), striving (8 items) and surviving (6 items) and the results of confirmatory factor analysis (data extracted in 2017) confirmed the pattern derived from exploratory factor analysis. Besides, the item-response analysis revealed that most items had good discrimination parameter. Academic stability was negatively linked with academic indifference but it was significantly and positively correlated with academic resilience. The Cronbach's Alpha and test-retest reliability coefficients were obtained as 0.91 and 0.83, respectively. Altogether, the results indicated that academic stability scale had acceptable validity and reliability levels and it could be used by educational researchers