School Motivation and Learning Strategies Inventory (SMALSI) Kathy Stroud, Phd and Cecil

School Motivation and Learning Strategies Inventory (SMALSI) Kathy Stroud, Phd and Cecil

School Motivation and Learning Strategies Inventory (SMALSI)
Kathy Stroud, PhD and Cecil Reynolds, PhD


“I have been using the SMALSI for initial evaluations, to monitor student progress, and to help general education students improve their study habits. I encourage our guidance counselors and parents to first address the weaknesses identified by the SMALSI before considering a referral to special education. I have to say, the SMALSI is great."
Matthew Crandell
School Psychologist
Pawling Central School District, New York
Poor study skills, ineffective learning strategies, test anxiety--all these things impede academic success. With the new SMALSI you can now measure the skills related to academic success early in a student's school career, enabling you to proactively address weaknesses.
Unlike many other learning measures, the SMALSI does not assess learning styles, preferences, or other process dimensions. Instead, it assesses the actual strategies students use in learning and test-taking--strategies shown through research to be related to academic success.
Designed for both special and general education students, this self-report inventory assesses 10 primary constructs associated with academic motivation, learning strategies, and studies--7 focusing on student strengths and 3 focusing on student liabilities.

Scores from the SMALSI scales provide enough information to identify problems that interfere with academic development. An Inconsistent Responding Index is included as a validity measure.
The SMALSI is available in two forms: the Child Form (147 items) is appropriate for students ages 8-12 years; the Teen Form (170 items) is appropriate for students ages 13-18 years. Both forms are written at a 3rd-grade reading level and can be completed in about 20-30 minutes. Both forms use a 4-point response scale, ranging from "Never" to "Almost Always."
Scored by hand or computer, the SMALSI provides multiple scores, rather than one overall score. The SMALSI was standardized on a sample of 2,921 students (1,821 aged 8-12 years for the Child Form, and 1,100 aged 13-18 years for the Teen Form). The sample reflects the U.S. population in terms of gender, ethnicity, and parental education.
The SMALSI is a quick, cost-effective way to identify students who may have ineffective or poorly developed learning strategies, low levels of academic motivation, attention and concentration problems, difficulties with test-taking, or test anxiety. It can be used for screening in regular education, pre-referral intervention, and for assessing students with learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, or ADHD.