Reliability and Factor Structure of the Attitude toward Tutoring Agent Scale (ATTAS)

• Published in: Journal of interactive learning research Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 195 - 217
• Main Authors: Adcock, Amy B, Van Eck, Richard N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Charlottesville Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education 2005
• Subjects: ATTAS; Attitude Measures; Attitude Toward Tutoring Agent Scale; College faculty; Computer assisted instruction; Education; Educational Environment; Educational software; Educational technology; Evaluation; Factor Analysis; Factor Structure; Individualized Instruction; Interactive learning; Learner Engagement; Learning Processes; Performance measures; Rating Scales; Reliability; Student Interests; Students; Teacher Evaluation; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Tutoring
• ISSN: 1093-023X

Pedagogical agents are gaining acceptance as effective learning tools (Baylor & Ryu, 2003; Moreno, Mayer, Spires & Lester 2001; Moreno, 2004). The increase in the use of agents highlights the need for standardized measurements for evaluating user performance in these environments. While learning gains are a primary variable of interest in such environments, the role of affective variables may be at least as important as learning gains (Anderson, 1995; Bardwell, 1984; Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1992; Kort, Reilly, & Picard, 2001). The purpose of this research was to design and validate an instrument, the Attitude Toward Tutoring Agent Scale (ATTAS), to measure users' perception of pedagogical agents who use conversational dialog to teach (i.e., as tutors). Items were developed from existing higher education teacher rating scales. Scale items were administered to 129 participants from three large urban universities in the south and northwest after interactions with AutoTutor, an animated pedagogical agent designed to teach conceptual physics. Results of factor analysis indicate a scale with three constructs: (a) conversation/pedagogy, (b) attitude toward student, and (c) student interest/attention. Reliability analyses showed strong reliability coefficients for each construct (alphas of .84, .87 and .89, respectively). Scales may be used independently or together in pedagogical agent tutoring environments. The following are appended: (1) Initial items for Perception of Pedagogical Agents as Tutors Scale; and (2) Final items for Attitude Toward Tutoring Agent Scale (ATTAS). (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)