Using Exploratory Factor Analysis to Validate Students’ Independence Learning Scale in Indonesia

The advantages of learning to be independent are significant. As a result, creating an independent learning instrument for university students is necessary. This study constructs a new scale for measuring student independence, integrating theories of self-directed learning to better understand and support autonomous educational behaviors. Several phases were involved in the creation of this instrument: a review of the literature, an initial draft, a first trial, revisions, and a final draft. To demonstrate the validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was employed. 436 respondents who were Indonesian students taking online classes received the questionnaire immediately. Ages of the respondents ranged from 17 to 29. They are mostly freshmen. Through Google Form, they received an independent learning scale. 29 of the 34 elements were found to be genuine and credible, according to the results. This tool was based on three factors: planning, student responsibility, and self-evaluation. Educators can use the validated scale to tailor interventions that foster students' learning independence, adapting teaching strategies based on individual or group assessments. In order to determine whether the reliability and validity patterns, particularly the model fit, are the same across different populations, future researchers must perform as many validations as they can.