The consequential validity of a questionnaire on learning strategies: a methodological note.

A self-assessment questionnaire on learning strategies was developed in the context of an ongoing guidance project at the University of Bologna. The aim was to identify students’ educational needs throughout their academic journey and foster a positive and enriching university experience. This tool, designed to promote students’ reflection on their self-image about key strategic competencies in work and learning, was administered in the academic year 2022/23 to approximately 4000 freshmen enrolled in bachelor’s and single-cycle master’s degree programs. The questionnaire was a self-assessment tool comprising 67 items rated on a four-level Likert scale (degree of agreement or frequency), and the results reflect the respondents’ perception of their competence in developing learning strategies. Despite the tool’s intention to provide helpful support for self-assessment and personal growth, its administration in the classroom revealed significant challenges, particularly concerning its applicability to neurodivergent students. During administration, some students expressed difficulties relating to the standardized questions and scores obtained as a reliable reflection of their competencies, leading to perceptions of unfair or decontextualized evaluation. Feedback from the students highlighted a central issue: the effect of using a standardized questionnaire on a neurotypical reality but administered to a neurodiverse population, namely its consequential validity. The relevance and urgency of addressing this critical issue–related to the tool’s consequential validity–stemmed from the fact that potentially distorted or non-inclusive evaluations could negatively impact students’ confidence in their abilities, limiting and hindering their commitment and participation in the academic realm and beyond. Consequential validity, in the context of this methodological reflection, refers to the ability of the questionnaire compilation and the use of its results to produce beneficial or harmful effects on the subjects evaluated and the broader context. Thus, it becomes a fundamental criterion for assessing the effectiveness and fairness of questionnaires used in the educational context, even more pertinent to the neurodiversity that characterizes human beings. During the project’s execution in 2023/2024, a transitional solution was adopted: an explanatory sentence on an introductory page to the questionnaire was included immediately before the start of the questions to clarify the positioning of the expressed contents. This clarification aimed to contextualize the questions and clarify the constructs measured, making the questionnaire content more accessible and understandable for all. Through this brief text, an effort was made to mitigate the effect of possible misinterpretations or negative perceptions of reading and interpretation, thus reducing performance-related anxiety and stimulating critical and conscious reflection on the questions and responses. The solution was intended to ensure that students did not feel judged solely based on neurotypical criteria and that they could perceive the questionnaire as a tool for self-reflection and personal growth rather than merely a means of assessment. Future improvements may be adopted to enhance the consequential validity of the questionnaire, such as diversifying the questionnaire questions (both in terms of content and administration methods) to make them more inclusive and representative of the diverse student realities and integrating continuous feedback from students. Moreover, future empirical research could explore the effectiveness of these changes through longitudinal studies that track the impact of the modified questionnaire on students’ self-perception and academic success. These methodological reflections are part of a broader context of ongoing research and adaptation. They highlight the importance of dialogue among disciplines, particularly between disability studies, transfeminist studies, and postcolonial studies, to develop assessment practices that reflect the intersectional horizon and promote a fair and constructive academic environment for all.