Perspectives on the Validity of the Thinking Styles Inventories

Abstract

The Thinking Styles Inventories (TSI) are questionnaires for assessing individual preferences in constructingknowledge. This paper identifies several problems concerning their validity, which range from an inadequate use offactor analysis, to missing information on the measurement model, to findings indicating a low discriminationbetween the thinking style scales. Against this background, two studies are conducted providing detailed insights intothe measurement model of the TSI in German-speaking samples (Study I: 287 apprentices; Study II: 389 students).Although results indicate a high degree of reliability according to popular statistical rules, they confirm problemswith the discriminant validity and criterion validity regarding achievement. The Thinking Styles Inventories shouldas a result be used with caution.