Development and Validation of a Sensitive Survey to Identify Academic Success Factors

This study aimed to develop and validate a sensitive survey instrument to identify factors associated with academic success from the perspective of students in a technological higher education institution in Mexico. The survey was initially composed of 35 items distributed across four theoretical dimensions: psychological, socioeconomic, sociocultural, and educational factors. Content validity was assessed using the Delphi method with eight experts, achieving a high agreement rate (W > 0.84, p < 0.001). The survey was applied to a stratified sample of 300 students, and psychometric analyses included reliability testing (Cronbach's alpha = 0.882), the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin index (KMO = 0.894), Bartlett’s sphericity test (χ² = 3812.25, p < 0.001), and exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation. Five latent factors were identified, accounting for 63.7% of the total variance. The instrument proved to be valid and reliable, offering practical utility for institutional diagnosis and decision-making aimed at improving academic performance and reducing dropout rates in higher education.