What CACE Lifelong Learning Measures

Abstract

The Wat CACE Lifelong Learning Measure was developed in response to the increasing pressure on post-secondary education (PSE) institutions to foster lifelong learners rather than relying solely on a knowledge-transfer paradigm. Given the rapid changes characteristic of the modern knowledge economy, assessing students’ ability to engage in continuous learning is critical. This instrument aims to conceptualize and measure the lifelong learning characteristics of university students, specifically exploring potential differences between students enrolled in cooperative education (co-op) programs and those who are not.

The initial validation study utilized data collected from both a Canadian university and a French university, supporting the measure’s cross-cultural applicability and providing researchers and program administrators with a robust tool for assessing these essential characteristics. Results from the validation process confirmed the instrument’s psychometric integrity and revealed measurable differences in lifelong learning scores between co-op and non-co-op student groups.

Keywords

Lifelong learning, cooperative education, work-integrated learning, post-secondary education, psychometrics, self-report measure, university students, knowledge economy.

Authors

Drewery, D., Pennaforte, A., Pretti, T. J., Fannon, A. M., Smith, E.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Wat CACE Lifelong Learning Measure is to provide a brief, self-report assessment of university students’ attributes related to lifelong learning. The tool was specifically designed to be sensitive enough to detect differences in these characteristics between students participating in work-integrated learning (WIL) programs, such as cooperative education, and those in traditional academic streams.

This instrument serves as a valuable resource for program evaluation, enabling program administrators and researchers to quantify the impact of specific educational interventions, like co-op placements, on students’ readiness for continuous learning and adaptation in the workplace.

Construct

The scale measures the complex psychological construct of Lifelong Learning Characteristics. In the context of post-secondary education, this construct moves beyond simple knowledge acquisition to encompass the attitudes, skills, and motivations necessary for continuous self-directed learning and adaptation throughout one’s career.

The development of the measure was driven by the recognition that a clearer conceptualization and a valid measurement tool were needed to understand how educational structures, particularly those involving experiential learning like cooperative education, contribute to the development of these essential characteristics in graduates entering the modern workforce.

Validity

The validity of the Wat CACE Lifelong Learning Measure was established through a rigorous psychometric process involving multiple statistical techniques, ensuring the instrument measures what it purports to measure.

• Convergent Validity: This was assessed to ensure the measure correlated highly with other established measures or indicators of related lifelong learning attributes.
• Discriminant Validity: This analysis confirmed that the measure was sufficiently distinct from constructs it should not be measuring, thereby supporting the uniqueness of the lifelong learning construct being assessed.
• Cross-Cultural Validation: A key strength of the measure is its validation across two distinct international university settings—a Canadian institution and a French institution—using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. This procedure established the instrument’s structural stability and generalizability across different cultural and educational systems.

Reliability

The reliability of the instrument was confirmed using Composite Reliability analyses. This method ensures that the items within the scale consistently and dependably measure the underlying latent construct of lifelong learning.

High composite reliability scores indicate strong internal consistency, confirming that the measure provides stable and dependable results when assessing students’ lifelong learning characteristics, making it suitable for comparative research and longitudinal studies.

Factor Analysis

The underlying dimensionality and structure of the Wat CACE Lifelong Learning Measure were investigated using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic techniques.

• Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA): EFA was initially employed to identify the fundamental latent factors or dimensions that constitute the lifelong learning construct as measured by the scale items.
• Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MG-CFA): Following the exploratory phase, MG-CFA was utilized to test the hypothesized factor structure. This technique was crucial for confirming measurement invariance and structural equivalence across the two distinct international sample groups (Canada and France), thereby confirming the instrument’s robustness for cross-cultural research.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Academic assessment tool

Format: Brief, self-report measure (Likely utilizes a Likert-type response scale)

Language Available: English, French (Inferred from validation studies)

Population Group: University students

Age Group: Typically 18+ (Standard age range for post-secondary students)

Population Details: Students enrolled in post-secondary education, including those participating in cooperative education (co-op) programs and those in non-co-op programs.

Test Methodology: Assessment of lifelong learning characteristics via structured questionnaire items, designed for comparative analysis across different educational experiences, particularly those involving work-integrated learning.

Keywords

Lifelong learning, cooperative education, work-integrated learning, post-secondary education, psychometrics, self-report measure, university students, knowledge economy.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The initial research validating the Wat CACE Lifelong Learning Measure was presented in June 2016 at the 2nd International Research Symposium on Cooperative and Work-Integrated Education.

Information regarding specific permissions for commercial or broad institutional use, or associated fees, is not detailed in the source content. Researchers should contact the authors for usage permissions.

The full conference proceedings detailing the development and initial validation of the measure can be accessed via the following PDF link: WACE_IRS_2016_Refereed_Conference Proceedings.

Reference’s

Drewery, D., Pennaforte, A., & Pretti, T. J. (2016, June). Lifelong learning and cooperative education. In K. E. Zegwaard, M. Ford, & N. McRae (Eds.) Paper presented at the 2nd International Research Symposium on Cooperative and Work-Integrated Education, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (pp. 49-56). Waikato, New Zealand: University of Waikato.

Items of the Wat CACE Lifelong Learning Measure

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The specific items comprising the Wat CACE Lifelong Learning Measure were not provided in the source content.