What is it about?
This study develops and applies a validated Repetitive Thinking Scale among students of the Faculties of Education for Humanities and Pure Sciences at the University of Mosul, Iraq. A stratified random sample of 400 male and female students participated. The 24-item scale measures four dimensions: intrusive thoughts, repetitive thought patterns, negative emotional influence, and intellectual overlap. The scale demonstrated strong psychometric properties, with 95% face validity and 86% test-retest reliability. Results showed that students scored below the hypothetical mean (55.20 vs. 60), indicating that education faculty students do not exhibit significant repetitive thinking — a finding the researchers interpret as a sign of cognitive flexibility and adaptability rather than a deficit.
Featured Image
Photo by Europeana on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Repetitive thinking — including rumination and intrusive thoughts — is a well-established risk factor for anxiety, depression, and academic burnout in university populations. Yet validated measurement tools for this construct remain scarce in Arabic-speaking academic contexts. This research fills that gap by providing a psychometrically robust scale that can be used in future studies across Iraqi and Arab universities. The unexpected finding — that education students show low repetitive thinking — challenges assumptions about this population and highlights the role of resilience built through navigating real-world adversity. These insights can guide the design of mental health programs and cognitive training interventions in higher education institutions.
Perspectives
This research holds a special place in my scholarly journey because it required us to look beyond conventional interpretations. When students scored below the hypothetical mean on repetitive thinking, we resisted the temptation to label this simply as "low risk." Instead, we saw in it a deeper story—one of adaptation, resilience, and creative problem-solving shaped by the unique challenges of studying at the University of Mosul. I believe this scale will serve as a valuable tool for researchers and practitioners across the Arab world, and I hope future studies will build on it to explore the relationship between repetitive thinking and other cognitive and emotional variables in university contexts.
Dr. Mohammed Hashim Taha Sulaiman AL-Ogaidi
University of Mosul
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Building and Applying the Repetitive Thinking Scale among Students of the Faculties of Education for Humanities and Pure Sciences, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, January 2026, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science,
DOI: 10.47772/ijriss.2026.100300471.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Building and Applying the Repetitive Thinking Scale among Students of the Faculties of Education for Humanities and Pure Sciences
The present research aims to build and apply the Repetitive Thinking Scale among the students of the Faculties of Education for Humanities and Pure Sciences. The research sample consisted of (400) male and female students who were selected by stratified random method with equal distribution, from all academic stages of the Faculties of Education for Humanities and Pure Sciences, and to measure the research variable (Repetitive Thinking), a scale was built based on theoretical bridging (synthesis method), consisting of (24) items. The apparent validity value (95%), as well as the structural validity of the scale were extracted in terms of comparing the calculated T-value with the tabulated T-value (1.96), and all the paragraphs were functional, and the degree of stability coefficient was also extracted by the repeat method (86%), and the statistical methods used were the Social Statistical Package (SPSS). The result showed that the arithmetic average of the students' score was (55.20) with a standard deviation of (13.35) and when comparing the arithmetic average of the students' score with the hypothetical average of performance of (60) and using the T scale of one sample, it was found that the calculated T value is equalto (7.19) which is greater than the tabular T value (1.96) at the significance level of (0.05) and a degree of freedom (399). It was found that the T-value indicates the existence of a statistically significant difference, in the sense that the students of the faculties of education for the humanities and pure sciences do not have Repetitive Thinking. One of the most important findings of the research is that students' lack of Repetitive Thinking reflects an adaptation to the dynamic university environment, where students turn "apparent weakness" into a force in innovation and practical decision-making, away from stereotyping. Keywords: Repetitive Thinking, Intrusive Thoughts, Rumination, Anxiety, Emotional Distress.
Building and Applying the Repetitive Thinking Scale among Students of the Faculties of Education for Humanities and Pure Sciences
The present research aims to build and apply the Repetitive Thinking Scale among the students of the Faculties of Education for Humanities and Pure Sciences. The research sample consisted of (400) male and female students who were selected by stratified random method with equal distribution, from all academic stages of the Faculties of Education for Humanities and Pure Sciences, and to measure the research variable (Repetitive Thinking), a scale was built based on theoretical bridging (synthesis method), consisting of (24) items. The apparent validity value (95%), as well as the structural validity of the scale were extracted in terms of comparing the calculated T-value with the tabulated T-value (1.96), and all the paragraphs were functional, and the degree of stability coefficient was also extracted by the repeat method (86%), and the statistical methods used were the Social Statistical Package (SPSS).
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
