The Learning Behaviors Scale: National standardization in Trinidad and Tobago

This study reports on the national standardization and validation of the Learning Behaviors Scale (LBS) for use in Trinidad and Tobago. The LBS is a teacher rating scale centering on observable behaviors relevant to identifying childhood approaches to classroom learning. Teachers observed a stratified sample of 900 students across the islands' schools nationwide. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded two reliable dimensions: Competence Motivation and Strategy/Flexibility. Scales were developed using IRT and Bayesian scoring methods and scores were used in HLM models to investigate variance accounted for in measures of academic achievement and psychopathology.