Quantitative Measures in Undergraduate Mathematics Education: A Review of Instruments and Validity Evidence

This paper provides an overview of 154 measures (with some validity evidence) in use by RUME researchers over a twenty-year span (2000–2019). We share focal constructs, validity evidence, and reported usage of the measures. We assessed the strength of this validity evidence using the six categories from the AERA et al. (2014) standards: test content, internal structure, response process, relation to other variables, consequences of testing, and reliability. The most reported validity evidence was Cronbach’s Alpha, followed by factor analytic approaches and the expertise of the design team (or use of external experts). Among our identified instruments, only twelve addressed at least four categories of validity evidence. We advocate for more attention to validation using both quantitative and qualitative approaches to support claims for a measure’s intended use.