Spanish Adaptation of the Homework Approach Scale (HAS)

The way a student approaches his or her schoolwork has important consequences for learning and academic performance. The objective of the present study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Homework Approach Scale (HAS) in Spanish students in the last cycle of primary education (5^th and 6^th grade) and the two cycles of compulsory secondary education (7^th to 10^thgrade). The interest of this study lies in the fact that the HAS scale was designed with students from China, but has not been validated in other contexts that may differ culturally, such as Spain. From various schools in northern Spain (Principality of Asturias), 1,024 students participated in the study. The results indicated that the HAS scale for a western population also comprises two factors, a deep approach and a surface approach (to doing homework). The relationship between the two approaches was significant and negative. The HAS structure was invariant for gender and grade. The results confirm the relationships between motivational orientation, study approach, and academic performance, but only partially when we look at the relationship between motivational orientation and study approach. We found that a deep approach, although mainly linked to a motivational orientation towards learning, was also linked to a performance orientation. However, preferential use of a surface approach was only promoted by a performance goal orientation. In conclusion, it seems that being motivated preferentially towards learning is a protective factor against the use of a surface approach when working on homework and a promoter of a deep approach.