Development of a shortened form of the Fennema-Sherman mathematics attitudes scales

Data from 196 Irish school children were analyzed using principal components analysis with a varimax rotation to determine whether the underlying factor structure of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales (FSMAS) fit the dimensions suggested by the position of the 108 items on nine subscales. Results indicated a factor structure virtually identical to a previous study that used a different sample, with the items being reduced to six separate components rather than nine as suggested by the scales' developers. Based on this factor structure, the authors attempted the development of a shortened form of the FSMAS. Internal consistency estimates of the reliability of scores on the whole scale and each subscale for both the original and the short form were favorable, with alpha coefficients ranging from .79 to .96.