D Subset of PISA Survey Items

This appendix contains a subset of items from the PISA 2009 student questionnaire.

D.1 Approaches to learning

The items in question 27 constitute the approaches to learning scale. Students rated how often they used each of 13 study strategies. The response scale included four frequency ratings: almost never, sometimes, often, and almost always.

The 13 items were grouped into three subscales based on the type of learning strategy involved, whether memorization (labeled memor below), elaboration (elab), or control (cstrat). Note that the question numbers and subscale labels were not presented to students, and the rating scale is not shown.

Question 27

When you are studying, how often do you do the following? (Please tick only one box in each row)

Variable	Subscale	Statement
ST27Q01	memor	When I study, I try to memorize everything that is covered in the text.
ST27Q02	cstrat	When I study, I start by figuring out what exactly I need to learn.
ST27Q03	memor	When I study, I try to memorize as many details as possible.
ST27Q04	elab	When I study, I try to relate new information to prior knowledge acquired in other subjects.
ST27Q05	memor	When I study, I read the text so many times that I can recite it.
ST27Q06	cstrat	When I study, I check if I understand what I have read.
ST27Q07	memor	When I study, I read the text over and over again.
ST27Q08	elab	When I study, I figure out how the information might be useful outside school.
ST27Q09	cstrat	When I study, I try to figure out which concepts I still haven’t really understood.
ST27Q10	elab	When I study, I try to understand the material better by relating it to my own experiences.
ST27Q11	cstrat	When I study, I make sure that I remember the most important points in the text.
ST27Q12	elab	When I study, I figure out how the text information fits in with what happens in real life.
ST27Q13	cstrat	When I study and I don’t understand something, I look for additional information to clarify this.

D.2 Attitude toward school

The attitude toward school scale contained the four questions shown below. Students responded using an agreement scale with categories for strongly disagree, disagree, agree, and strongly agree.

Question 37

Thinking about what you have learned in school: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Variable	Statement
ST33Q01	School has done little to prepare me for adult life when I leave school.
ST33Q02	School has been a waste of time
ST33Q03	School helped give me confidence to make decisions.
ST33Q04	School has taught me things which could be useful in a job