Young children's knowledge of fair sharing as an informal basis for understanding division: A latent profile analysis

This study examined patterns of individual differences in young children's early understanding of division. Two hundred and thirty-seven 5- and 6-year-old children completed division tasks that assessed their understanding of the direct and inverse relations in division in two different situations – partitive and quotitive. Two main results emerged from our latent profile analyses. First, all children who had good performance in the inverse-relation problems also performed well in the direct-relation problems, but the converse was not true. Second, all children who performed well in the inverse-relation problems in quotitive situations also performed well in the inverse-relation problems in partitive situations, but not vice versa. The findings highlight the importance of situations in determining children's success in recognizing the inverse relation in division. Several theoretical implications for the development of children's division concepts and educational implications for assessment and teaching are discussed.     

A latent profile analysis of college students’ achievement goal orientation

Achievement goal research has grown increasingly complex with the number of proposed goal orientations that motivate students. As the number of proposed goal constructs proliferates, a variety of data analytic challenges have emerged, such as profiling students on different types of goal pursuit as well as evaluating the relationships of multiple goal pursuit with different educational outcomes. The purpose of the current article is to showcase the advantages of using latent profile analysis (LPA) over other traditional techniques (such as multiple regression and cluster analysis) when analyzing multidimensional data like achievement goals. Specifically, we review the advantages of LPA over traditional person- and variable-centered analyses and then provide a critical look at three different conceptualizations of goal orientation (2-, 3-, and 4-factor) using LPA.     

Changes in self-regulated learning profiles during an undergraduate peer-based intervention: A latent profile transition analysis

University students often have insufficient strategies to regulate their own learning independently, suggesting the need for adequate support. This study examined developmental changes in students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) profiles during their participation in Supplemental Instruction, a peer-based intervention, over the course of a semester and predictive variables of these changes. Latent profile transition analysis of a sample of 352 undergraduates revealed three distinct SRL profiles which emerged identically across time points: competent regulators, self-confident regulators, and goal-oriented regulators. Students in the competent regulators profile were most stable over time, while those in the goal-oriented regulators profile were most malleable, but in a positive sense. Results also indicate that students who attributed SI attendance to mastery goals were more likely to transition beneficially between SRL profiles. The observed predictors of transitions between profiles also highlighted the relative importance of motivational variables as opposed to cognitive-metacognitive variables in accounting for SRL development.     

Do secondary school-leaving English examination results predict university students’ academic writing performance? A latent profile analysis

Abstract

Secondary school-leaving English examination results are often regarded as indicators of students’ competence to study in English-medium universities, which is usually demonstrated through source-based academic writing. In English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) contexts, many English-medium universities require local undergraduates to enrol in an academic writing course, unless they received outstanding English results in secondary school-leaving examinations. This study investigates the relationship between ESL undergraduates’ secondary school-leaving English examination results and their academic writing performance through latent profile analysis. Results show that students can be grouped into four classes of academic writing performer (AWP), namely Complex-AWP, High-AWP, Medium-AWP and Low-AWP. Surprisingly, the Complex-AWP group had the highest means in structure, argument and language, but the lowest in citation. Secondary school-leaving English examination results can generally predict students’ class membership in language, argumentation and, to some extent, structure, but not citation. An important implication is that students with high English proficiency do not necessarily do well in all aspects of academic writing. This study can inform university senior management on how to set policies about who needs an academic writing course and provide appropriate training in various aspects of academic writing for university students with diverse English proficiency.     

Identifying dyslexia with confirmatory latent profile analysis

Confirmatory latent profile analysis (CLPA) was used with the normative sample from the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, 3rd ed. (KTEA‐3) to determine whether it was possible to identify a latent class of individuals whose scores were consistent with the academic strengths and weaknesses related to dyslexia. The CLPA identified a class of individuals consistent with dyslexia across four‐grade level groups (first–second, third–fifth, sixth–eighth, and ninth–twelfth). The results of the CLPA were applied to the KTEA‐3 clinical samples of those with known clinical diagnoses. Individuals with Specific Learning Disorder in Reading and/or Written Expression had a higher probability of being in the dyslexia latent class. The use of CLPA as a tool for learning disability diagnosis appears plausible, though much more research is needed. The strengths, limitations, and future directions for the use of CLPA in diagnosis are discussed.     

Identifying maltreatment subgroups with patterns of maltreatment subtype and chronicity: A latent class analysis approach

Maltreatment experiences are complex, and it is difficult to characterize the heterogeneity in types of maltreatment. Subtypes, such as emotional maltreatment, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect commonly co-occur and may persist across development. Therefore, treating individual maltreatment subtypes as independently occurring is not representative of the nature of maltreatment as it occurs in children’s lives. Latent class analysis (LCA) is employed herein to identify subgroups of maltreated children based on commonalities in maltreatment subtype and chronicity. In a sample of 674 low-income urban children, 51.6% of whom experienced officially documented maltreatment, our analyses identified four classes of children, with three distinct classes based on maltreatment subtypes and chronicity, and one group of children who did not experience maltreatment. The largest class of maltreated children identified was the chronic, multi-subtype maltreatment class (57% of maltreated children); a second class was characterized by only neglect in a single developmental period (31% of maltreated children), and the smallest class was characterized by a single subtype of maltreatment (emotional maltreatment, physical, or sexual abuse) occurring in a single developmental period (12% of maltreated children). Characterization of these groups confirms the overlapping nature of maltreatment subtypes. There were notable differences between latent classes on child behavioral and socio-emotional outcomes measured by child self-report and camp counselors report during a one-week summer camp. The largest differences were between the non-maltreated class and the chronic maltreatment class. Children who experienced chronic, multi-subtype maltreatment showed higher levels of externalizing behavior, emotion dysregulation, depression, and anxiety.     

Family profiles of maltreated children in Singapore: A latent class analysis

Children who enter the child protection system often have complex family problems and have experienced early adverse experiences. Using latent class analysis, this study aimed to identify family classes of child protection cases in Singapore, to ascertain the prevalence of these family classes, and to test the association of family class membership to subsequent recurrence of harm. A sample of 440 cases who entered the Child Protective Service in Singapore was analyzed based on eight familial factors on the household and caregiver levels. A four-class solution was found to demonstrate the best fit: (a) the large household group was intergenerational and majority lived with extended family members, (b) the harsh parenting group showed high levels of parenting problems and the caregiver justifying his abuse/neglect, (c) the high criminality group had high levels of caregiver substance abuse and caregiver arrest and incarceration history, and (d) the low disadvantage group rated low on all the familial factors. A Cox Regression revealed that in comparison to the low disadvantage group, the harsh parenting group was twice as likely to have recurrence of harm. There were also differences across family classes with regard to age at entry into child protection, gender composition and abuse types. The findings and practice implications are discussed.     

A cross-cultural study of student self-efficacy profiles and the associated predictors and outcomes using a multigroup latent profile analysis

Based on PISA 2018 data, this study utilized multigroup latent profile analyses to explore the profiles of self-efficacy (SE) and its associations with gender, socioeconomic status, fear of failure and academic achievements among students from China, USA and Finland (N = 22,545). Results indicated (1) Three SE profiles were identified across countries: Low SE, Moderate SE and High SE; (2) Proportions of students categorized into each of the three profiles differed across countries, with USA and Finland having higher prevalence of High SE, whereas China Moderate and Low SE; (3) Girls in USA and Finland had greater likelihood of being classified into higher SE profiles, whereas greater likelihood for Chinese boys; (4) Higher socioeconomic status was associated with greater likelihood of membership into higher SE profiles across countries; (5) Different patterns emerged across countries regarding the relations of SE profiles to fear of failure and academic achievements.     

Risk of re-report: A latent class analysis of infants reported for maltreatment

A key challenge facing child protective services (CPS) is identifying children who are at greatest risk of future maltreatment. This analysis examined a cohort of children with a first report to CPS during infancy, a vulnerable population at high risk of future CPS reports. Birth records of all infants born in California in 2006 were linked to CPS records; 23,871 infants remaining in the home following an initial report were followed for 5 years to determine if another maltreatment report occurred. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify subpopulations of infants based on varying risks of re-report. LCA model fit was examined using the Bayesian information criterion, a likelihood ratio test, and entropy. Statistical indicators and interpretability suggested the four-class model best fit the data. A second LCA included infant re-report as a distal outcome to examine the association between class membership and the likelihood of re-report. In Class 1 and Class 2 (lowest risk), the probability of a re-report was 44%; in contrast, the probability in Class 4 (highest risk) was 78%. Two birth characteristics clustered in the medium- and highest-risk classes: lack of established paternity and delayed or absent prenatal care. Two risk factors from the initial report of maltreatment emerged as predictors of re-report in the highest-risk class: an initial allegation of neglect and a family history of CPS involvement involving older siblings. Findings suggest that statistical techniques can be used to identify families with a heightened risk of experiencing later CPS contact.     

Children's interpretations of covariation data: Explanations reveal understanding of relevant comparisons

This research investigates children's understanding of the significance of comparisons between data categories for judgments of covariation. Past studies showed that children sometimes neglect some of the relevant data categories. This may occur because children fail to understand the relevance of the comparisons between data categories. To investigate this interpretation, 51 second graders and 43 fourth graders were tested in a between-subject design. In the standard condition, children were asked to explain their own covariation judgments. In the explain-correct condition, children were told the correct judgments and asked to explain them. Children in the explain-correct condition often provided explanations that were consistent with the correct judgments; children in the standard condition did so less often. Thus, when asked to explain correct judgments, elementary school children's explanations reveal that they possess a basic conceptual understanding of inference from covariation data.     

Co-occurrence of adverse childhood experiences and its association with family characteristics. A latent class analysis with Dutch population data

BackgroundAlthough adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are relatively common among children, there is limited knowledge on the co-occurrence of such experiences.ObjectiveThe current study therefore investigates co-occurrence of childhood adversity in the Netherlands and whether specific clusters are more common among certain types of families.Participants and SettingRepresentative data from the Family Survey Dutch population 2018 (N = 3,128) are employed.MethodWe estimate Latent Class Analysis (LCA) models to investigate co-occurrence of ACEs. As ACEs we examine maltreatment, household dysfunction, demographic family events, as well as financial and chronic health problems. Gradual measures for maltreatment and financial problems are studied to make it possible to differentiate with regard to the severity of experiences.ResultsOur results show that four ACE clusters may be identified: ‘Low ACE’, ‘Moderate ACE: Household dysfunction’, ‘Moderate ACE: Maltreatment’ and ‘High ACE’. Regression analyses indicated that mother’s age at first childbirth and the number of siblings were related to experiencing childhood adversity. We found limited evidence for ACEs to be related to a family’s socioeconomic position.ConclusionThe found clusters of ACEs reflect severity of childhood adversity, but also the types of adversity a child experienced. For screening and prevention of childhood adversity as well as research on its consequences, it is relevant to acknowledge this co-occurrence of types and severity of adversity.     

The co-occurrence of adverse childhood experiences among children investigated for child maltreatment: A latent class analysis

Children investigated for maltreatment are particularly vulnerable to experiencing multiple adversities. Few studies have examined the extent to which experiences of adversity and different types of maltreatment co-occur in this most vulnerable population of children. Understanding the complex nature of childhood adversity may inform the enhanced tailoring of practices to better meet the needs of maltreated children. Using cross-sectional data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II (N = 5870), this study employed latent class analysis to identify subgroups of children who had experienced multiple forms of maltreatment and associated adversities among four developmental stages: birth to 23 months (infants), 2–5 (preschool age), 6–10 (school age), and 11–18 years-old (adolescents). Three latent classes were identified for infants, preschool-aged children, and adolescents, and four latent classes were identified for school-aged children. Among infants, the groups were characterized by experiences of (1) physical neglect/emotional abuse/caregiver treated violently, (2) physical neglect/household dysfunction, and (3) caregiver divorce. For preschool-aged children, the groups included (1) physical neglect/emotional abuse/caregiver treated violently, (2) physical neglect/household dysfunction, and (3) emotional abuse. Children in the school-age group clustered based on experiencing (1) physical neglect/emotional neglect and abuse/caregiver treated violently, (2) physical neglect/household dysfunction, (3) emotional abuse, and (4) emotional abuse/caregiver divorce. Finally, adolescents were grouped based on (1) physical neglect/emotional abuse/household dysfunction, (2) physical abuse/emotional abuse/household dysfunction, and (3) emotional abuse/caregiver divorce. The results indicate distinct classes of adversity experienced among children investigated for child maltreatment, with both stability across developmental periods and unique age-related vulnerabilities. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

Control-value appraisals,achievement emotions,and foreign language performance: A latent interaction analysis

Based on control-value theory (CVT), this study (N = 550 Chinese university students) examined relations between control-value appraisals, subsequent achievement emotions, and resulting performance in foreign language (FL) learning. The results show that perceived control and value related positively to positive emotions (enjoyment, hope, pride) and FL performance, and negatively to negative emotions (anger, anxiety, shame, hopelessness, boredom). Control and value interacted in predicting all eight emotions and FL performance. The multiplicative impact of the appraisals on performance was mediated by four of the focal emotions. These findings elucidate the impact of appraisals and emotions on achievement and support the generalizability of CVT to foreign language learning. Directions for future research and implications for education are discussed.     

Abilities and skill acquisition: A latent growth curve approach

The relationship between abilities and skill acquisition has been the subject of numerous controversies in psychology. However, while most researchers implicitly or explicitly accept the idea that abilities and skill acquisition should be related, empirical research has failed to provide evidence for a consistently strong correlation between the two constructs. Based on the reanalysis of a study on skill acquisition using the air traffic controller task TRACON [Ackerman, P. L., Kanfer, R., and Goff, M. (1995). Cognitive and Noncognitive Determinants and Consequences of Complex Skill Acquisition. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Applied, 1(4), 270–304], it will be shown how latent growth curve modeling can help to gain a better understanding of the relationship between human abilities and skill acquisition. A brief introduction into the basic concepts of latent growth curve modeling will be given, particularly with regard to the advantages for the analysis of skill acquisition and its determinants. The goal is thereby to provide evidence for a much closer association than commonly assumed and to offer a new, differential, perspective formerly obscured by traditional between-subject analyses.     

A multi-user virtual environment to support students' self-efficacy and interest in science: A latent growth model analysis

Using latent growth models, we explored: (a) The effect of middle school students' (n = 189) pre-intervention science self-efficacy and science interest on their initial interest in an Ecosystems Multi-User Virtual Environment (EcoMUVE) and the rate of change in their interest in EcoMUVE; and (b) the mediating effect of students' initial interest in EcoMUVE and rate of change in interest on students' post-intervention science self-efficacy and interest in science. Results showed that: (1) students' pre-intervention self-efficacy for science had an effect both on students' triggered situational interest for EcoMUVE and on students' maintained situational interest for EcoMUVE; (2) both triggering and maintaining situational interest in EcoMUVE were important in developing students' science self-efficacy. In fact, maintained situational interest was the stronger predictor; and (3) maintained situational interest for EcoMUVE translated into individual interest for the science content. Results support and extend social cognitive theory as well as models of interest development.     

A typology of student reading engagement: Preparing for response to intervention in the school curriculum

This study seeks to develop a typology of students’ reading engagement through secondary analysis of international sampled survey data. It aims at providing research-based evidences informing teachers how to help readers advance in reading performance. It hopes that when students complete junior secondary schooling (Grade 7–9) at age 15, more students can read happily, widely and skillfully. After establishing that Fondness for reading, Aspiration for reading, and Good at reading are three pertinent facets of reading engagement affecting reading literacy performance, the effects of variables pertaining to these facets are examined using Macao-China data drawn from the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 Reading Literacy Study. The present study adopts a person-centered approach to arrive at a typology of eight latent clusters of students, each of which is identified with specific reading engagement characteristics. Response to reading intervention can then be proposed to help successive cohorts of junior secondary students enhance their reading literacy performance.     

Outcomes related to adverse childhood experiences in college students: Comparing latent class analysis and cumulative risk

The aims of this study were to identify latent classes of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in a large sample of college students (N = 8997), investigate the relations between ACEs classes and life functioning, and compare results using latent class analysis to analyses using cumulative risk scores. Nine types of ACEs were assessed (three types of child abuse and six types of household dysfunction). Outcomes were self-report measures of mental health, physical health, alcohol consequences, and academic performance. Latent class analysis (LCA) results indicated that four classes fit the data best across random halves of the sample and were labeled High ACEs, Moderate Risk of Non-Violent Household Dysfunction, Emotional and Physical Child Abuse, and Low ACEs. Comparing across latent classes, the largest differences in outcomes were between the High ACEs and Low ACEs classes. There were no differences in outcomes between the Moderate Risk of Non-Violent Household Dysfunction and Emotional and Physical Child Abuse classes. The largest between-class differences were found for mental health and the smallest differences were found for academic performance. Comparing results using LCA latent classes and cumulative ACEs scores, the differences between the High and Low ACEs latent classes were similar to the differences between those with zero ACEs and those with 5 or more ACEs. Both approaches also accounted for roughly equivalent amounts of variance in all outcomes. Thus, latent class and cumulative risk analyses provided similar results with regard to predicting outcomes of interest among college students.     

The association between school exclusion,delinquency and subtypes of cyber- and F2F-victimizations: Identifying and predicting risk profiles and subtypes using latent class analysis

This purpose of this paper is to identify risk profiles of youth who are victimized by on- and offline harassment and to explore the consequences of victimization on school outcomes. Latent class analysis is used to explore the overlap and co-occurrence of different clusters of victims and to examine the relationship between class membership and school exclusion and delinquency. Participants were a random sample of youth between the ages of 12 and 18 selected for inclusion to participate in the 2011 National Crime Victimization Survey: School Supplement. The latent class analysis resulted in four categories of victims: approximately 3.1% of students were highly victimized by both bullying and cyberbullying behaviors; 11.6% of youth were classified as being victims of relational bullying, verbal bullying and cyberbullying; a third class of students were victims of relational bullying, verbal bullying and physical bullying but were not cyberbullied (8%); the fourth and final class, characteristic of the majority of students (77.3%), was comprised of non-victims. The inclusion of covariates to the latent class model indicated that gender, grade and race were significant predictors of at least one of the four victim classes. School delinquency measures were included as distal outcomes to test for both overall and pairwise associations between classes. With one exception, the results were indicative of a significant relationship between school delinquency and the victim subtypes. Implications for these findings are discussed.     

Maltreatment in childhood and intimate partner violence: A latent class growth analysis in a South African pregnancy cohort

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant global problem, prevalent in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). IPV is particularly problematic during the perinatal and early postnatal period, where it is linked with negative maternal and child health outcomes. There has been little examination of profiles of IPV and early life adversity in LMIC contexts. We aimed to characterize longitudinal IPV and to investigate maternal maltreatment in childhood as a predictor of IPV exposure during pregnancy and postnatally in a low resource setting. This study was nested in the Drakenstein Child Health Study, a longitudinal birth cohort. Maternal IPV (emotional, physical and sexual) was measured at six timepoints from pregnancy to two years postpartum (n = 832); sociodemographic variables and maternal maltreatment in childhood were measured antenatally at 28–32 weeks’ gestation. Associations between maternal maltreatment in childhood and IPV latent class membership (to identify patterns of maternal IPV exposure) were estimated using multinomial and logistic regression. We observed high levels of maternal maltreatment during childhood (34%) and IPV during pregnancy (33%). In latent class analysis separating by IPV sub-type, two latent classes of no/low and moderate sexual IPV and three classes of low, moderate, and high emotional and physical IPV (separately) were detected. In combined latent class analysis, including all IPV sub-types together, a low, moderate and high exposure class emerged as well as a high antenatal/decreasing postnatal class. Moderate and high classes for all IPV sub-types and combined analysis showed stable intensity profiles. Maternal childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect, and emotional abuse predicted membership in high IPV classes, across all domains of IPV (aORs between 1.99 and 5.86). Maternal maltreatment in childhood was associated with increased probability of experiencing high or moderate intensity IPV during and around pregnancy; emotional neglect was associated with decreasing IPV class for combined model. Intervening early to disrupt this cycle of abuse is critical to two generations.     

Adaptive and maladaptive work-related motivation among teachers: A person-centered examination and links with well-being

The primary aim of this study was to identify profiles of motivation among teachers. Using latent profile analysis among n = 519 Australian teachers, we considered multidimensional motivation by examining adaptive (self-efficacy, valuing, mastery orientation) and maladaptive motivation (anxiety, uncertain control, performance avoidance). Results revealed five distinct profiles of teachers' motivation. The study's secondary aim involved determining how the profiles are associated with well-being outcomes (work enjoyment, workplace buoyancy, work disengagement) and teachers' personal and job characteristics. Results revealed significant differences across the profiles. Together, the findings underscore the importance of attending to teachers' motivation in both research and practice.