A Cross‐validated Study of the Factorial Structure Underlying Intelligence Tests and Piagetian Formal Operational Tests

Based on a stratified sample of 15‐year‐old students in Singapore schools, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to identify and cross‐validate the factorial structure underlying two group intelligence tests and two group Piagetian tests. The structure of the first‐ and second‐order factors underlying the tests was first identified using exploratory factor analysis on the exploratory sample. The confirmatory approach using LISREL was then used to cross‐validate the factor structure on the validation sample. One second‐ and four first‐order factors were found. To allow for easier interpretation of the factors, a Schmid‐Leiman transformation was carried out on the first‐ and second‐order factor matrices of the pooled sample. A hierarchical factor matrix consisting of a general factor and four group factors was found.     

Cross-validation of the Norwegian Teacher's Self-Efficacy Scale (NTSES)

The study assesses the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Norwegian Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale – NTSES. Multiple group confirmatory factor analysis was used to explore the measurement invariance of the scale across two countries. Analyses performed on Italian and Norwegian samples confirmed a six-factor structure of the scale with a strong factorial invariance. The analyses conducted on the Italian sample supported good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The Italian version of the NTSES showed expected correlations with measures of job-related well-being. These results confirm the good psychometric properties of the Italian version of the NTSES.     

Reliability and validity of a Turkish version of the DELES

The primary aim of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of a Turkish version of the Distance Education Learning Environment Survey (DELES) in post-secondary distance education. The second aim was to investigate empirically the conceptualisation of the distance education learning environment as a singular latent construct, within a second-order factorial structure that consists of six first-order factors. The DELES is a 34-item instrument for assessing social-psychological perceptions among distance education students. The tested hypotheses concerned key antecedents and consequences of the factorial structure of DELES in the Turkish context using confirmatory factor analyses. Principal component analysis of the Turkish data revealed six main factors of interest, which corresponded to the hypothesised constructs in the original DELES. The data suggested good reliability and validity for the Turkish DELES (DELES-TR) relative to the original version. Further, second-order analyses were conducted with two complementary samples to demonstrate the validity of six dimensions of the DELES-TR and their contributions to an overall factorial structure of social-psychological learning environment in distance education. Initial support for the second-order factorial validity of DELES-TR was found. Results indicate that a dimensional model of DELES-TR with the six first-order factors provided a superior fit to the data than first-order DELES-TR with six factors. Additionally, an investigation was conducted regarding associations between the DELES-TR’s psychosocial scales and a student satisfaction scale. This study is unique in its focus on the learning environment in distance education in the Turkish setting.     

Assessing alumni success: income is NOT the only outcome!

Institutions may be interested in using alumni career success as evidence of institutional effectiveness, but the current study suggests that using income as the sole outcome may not be entirely capturing the occupational experience of graduates. Utilising data from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis indicated that there are two distinct components of job satisfaction for arts graduates: intrinsic satisfaction and extrinsic satisfaction. The results of ordinary least squares regression analyses for these two factors provide some relationships concerning demographic and occupational characteristics with these two areas of satisfaction. In considering overall job satisfaction, intrinsic satisfaction may play a larger role in how alumni perceive their career outcomes and success.     

Students’ perceptions of the learning environment in tertiary science classrooms in Myanmar

We investigated students’ perceptions of their science classroom environments with the use of the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire at the university level in Myanmar. The translated questionnaire was administered to 251 students in first-year science classes at a university. Both exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis supported the reliability and factorial validity of the Myanmar version of the WIHIC. The constructs of the WIHIC were significantly correlated, but gender differences were not detected in correlations between WIHIC scales. Future research is needed to see if our Myanmar version of the WIHIC fits other samples in schools and universities in this context. It is also suggested that future studies include measures of student attitudes and academic achievement to permit investigation of associations between the learning environment and student outcomes in this country.     

积极人格特质问卷PPTQ在中国大学生中的因素结构研究

探索积极人格特质问卷(PPTQ)在中国大学生中的因素结构。采用积极人格特质问卷(Positive Personality Traits Questionnaire)中文版,对648名大学生施测,对其中一半数据使用PASWStatistics18进行探索性因素分析,另一半数据使用AMOS16.0进行验证性因素分析(CFA)。探索性因素分析得出积极自我意象、外向性和文化认同三因素结构。累计解释率为50.457%,验证性因素分析结果显示:χ2/df=2.230,GFI=0.841。AGFI=0.816,CFI=0.822,RMSEA=0.062,中文版三因素结构在中国大学生人群中较为合理。     

Dimensions of cultural differences: Pancultural, ETIC/EMIC, and ecological approaches

We investigated the factorial structure of four major domains in social psychology (personality traits, social attitudes, values, and social norms) with an emphasis on cross-cultural differences. Three distinctive approaches—pancultural, multigroup, and multilevel—were applied to the data based on 22 measures that were collected from 2029 participants from 73 countries. First, in a pancultural approach, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on the entire sample of participants, disregarding country of origin. Second, in the multigroup (etic/emic) approach, nine societal clusters were fitted using a four-factor model. Several tests of invariance were applied to assess equivalence across the cultures. Finally, a multilevel approach was used to assess the structure at the individual-level and at the between-country (ecological) level. Our results show that the four-factor solution emerges from the cultural domains, and this is supported by all three approaches. The factors are Personality/Social Attitudes, Values, Social Norms, and Conservatism. In the multilevel analysis, only two factors emerge at the ecological (between) level as opposed to four factors at the individual (within) level, but due to methodological difficulties, their status needs to be studied further. We discuss our findings in terms of the inside–out view of social interactions.     

Exploring Taiwanese High School Students’ Perceptions of and Preferences for Teacher Authority in the Earth Science Classroom with Relation to their Attitudes and Achievement

Educational researchers have suggested that the tension between the learner‐centred and teacher‐centred pedagogies represents a real classroom issue that influences teaching and learning. This issue may be particularly significant in East‐Asian countries such as Taiwan due to some cultural influences. For example, teacher authority is highly valued in the culture. Accordingly, the present study aims to develop a questionnaire—the Teacher Authority Survey (TAS), with actual and preferred versions—to explore students’ perceptions/preferences regarding teacher authority in the earth science course. The relationships among students’ perceptions/preferences for teacher authority, learning attitudes, and learning achievements were investigated. Six hundred and seventeen Taiwanese high school students were administered the TAS, the earth science attitudinal questionnaire, and achievement assessment. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the TAS developed in this study has satisfactory validity and reliability measures. Correlation analysis indicated that the classrooms more oriented to learner‐centredness were correlated with more favourable attitudes toward learning. Moreover, three clusters of preferred teacher authority—namely, teacher‐centred authority, uncertain authority, and sharing authority—were identified. Students who preferred sharing authority tended to have more favourable learning attitudes, whereas students in the uncertain authority group seemed to have lower earth science attitudes and achievements.     

Cognitive Style Index: Further investigation of the factor structure with an American student sample

The present study investigates the factor structure of the Cognitive Style Index (CSI), comparing the unitary, bipolar continuum of intuition–analysis, the theory upon which the CSI is predicated, with the two‐factor theory of cognitive style. We conducted both confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses on data from a sample of 222 American university business students. There was a lack of fit for the unifactorial model. Our results suggest the instrument is tapping multiple dimensions of cognitive style, the implications of which are discussed.     

高校教师工作形塑问卷的编制及信效度检验

编制高校教师工作形塑问卷,并对其信度和效度进行检验。在项目收集和预试的基础上,通过对全国15所大学的900名高校教师进行问卷调查,采用探索性因素分析和验证性因素分析处理数据。高校教师工作形塑的结构包括三个维度:任务形塑、认知形塑和环境形塑;三因素模型在验证性因素分析中得到了较好的验证;信度分析表明高校教师工作形塑问卷的内部一致性信度系数为0.820。编制的高校教师工作形塑问卷具有较好的内部一致性,可以为高校教师人力资源管理提供理论支持。     

A longitudinal examination of the causes and effects of burnout based on the job demands-resources model

The purpose of this study is to longitudinally examine the job demands-resources model of corporate burnout, as well as the effects of burnout on intentions to quit. To achieve this goal, this study adopts a latent-growth model using panel data collected by the Work, Family, and Health Study. The results suggest that psychological job demands and work-to-family conflict, as well as control over working hours/schedule, decision-making authority, and role clarity, have significant effects on burnout. Psychological job demands, work-to-family conflict, and role clarity particularly affect burnout, and burnout and its trajectory are shown to influence intentions to quit.     

How to measure teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion: evaluation and validation of the Differentiated Attitudes Towards Inclusion Scale (DATIS)

The aim of the three different studies presented was the development and evaluation of the Differentiated Attitudes Towards Inclusion Scale as a valid, reliable and economic instrument for the measurement of teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of students with certain special educational needs (SEN). In a sample of student teachers, exploratory factor analyses on the versions of the questionnaire with focus on Learning Disabilities (LD) and Emotional and Behavioural Disturbances (EBD), respectively, indicated four first-order factors. These factors represent attitudes concerning the social and academic impact of inclusive education on students with and without SEN. They can be combined in a higher-order model with one general second order factor. Using confirmatory factor analyses, this factorial structure was replicated in another student teacher sample and in a sample of primary and secondary school teachers. Furthermore, attitudes towards the inclusion of students with EBD were significantly more negative than those towards the inclusion of students with LD. The findings emphasise the need to distinguish between certain SEN when measuring teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion. Potential applications of the new measure are discussed.     

大学生求职资源动员行为的结构与测量——基于北京高校毕业生的实证研究

本文依据北京13所不同层级高校1341名毕业生的实证调研数据,运用主成分分析法与结构方程模型比较,从资源动员视角分析了大学生求职行为的结构特征.研究发现,大学生求职行为的结构由四因素构成;中国大学生动员所属高校就业资源,是其重要的求职行为特征.     

An Assessment of the Quantitative Literacy of Undergraduate Students

Quantitative literacy (QLT) represents an underlying higher-order construct that accounts for a person's willingness to engage in quantitative situations in everyday life. The purpose of this study is to retest the construct validity of a model of quantitative literacy (Wilkins, 2010). In this model, QLT represents a second-order factor that accounts for the interrelationship among three first-order factors: mathematical beliefs, mathematical disposition, and mathematical cognition. Using data from two samples of undergraduate students (n = 186 and n = 184), a series of confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. Results supported the hierarchical three-factor structure and confirmed its factorial invariance across multiple groups of students. Latent QLT scores from the model were used to compare and rank student QLT by gender and class standing.     

Construction and Initial Validation of the Chinese Reading Motivation Questionnaire

This paper describes the development and initial validation of a Chinese reading motivation questionnaire (CRMQ) which was designed to assess Chinese students' reading motivation in Hong Kong. The development of the CRMQ consisted of two steps. In the first study, groups of items were constructed based on achievement motivation theories and existing instruments. The initial version of the CRMQ was administered to a small group of Grade 7 students in Hong Kong and exploratory factor analysis, item‐total correlation, and reliability analyses were carried out to assess its psychometric quality. The CRMQ was then revised and administered to a larger sample of Grade 7 students in the second study. Findings of confirmatory factor analysis provided further validation for the proposed factor structure of the revised questionnaire. In addition, findings indicated that students' reading motivation was positively related to their strategy use, reading comprehension, and academic achievement. The findings of this study could enrich our understanding of Chinese reading motivation among Hong Kong students. Implications of these findings for implementing effective reading instruction in Chinese language teaching are also discussed.     

Guilford's Concept of Social Intelligence Revisited

The purpose of this study was to verify, through the application of confirmatory factor analysis, Guilford's formulation of social intelligence as a multidimensional concept. O'Sullivan, Guildford and Demille (1965), using exploratory factor analysis, found six factors of cognitive social intelligence. Using LISREL, we reanalyzed their data and tested two distinctly different factor models: (1a) the orthogonal six‐factor model proposed by O'Sullivan et al., (1b) the same six‐factor model except that the factors were allowed to intercorrelate, and (2) a single‐factor model. The orthogonal six‐factor model did not fit the data and, although the oblique variant of this model was an improvement, the single‐factor model fitted the data better in addition to being more parsimonious. This suggests that Guilford's concept of social intelligence is unnecessarily complicated and exposes a weakness in his Structure of Intellect Model. On the positive side, measurement of cognitive social intelligence should be more straightforward and our findings indicate which of Guilford's recommended tests are the best to use.     

中文版数学焦虑量表的信度和效度研究

Betz编制的数学焦虑量表(MAS)在国际上得到了广泛使用,中文版MAS具有较高内部一致性信度、分半信度和重测信度;探索性因素分析的有关结果证明MAS包含两个主要的因素,验证性因素分析表明双因素结构的模型数据具有较优的拟合指数;MAS和MSES的相关课程分量表存在较高相关,表明量表具有较好的预测效度;就MAS的预测效度而言,证据仍显单薄.     

Application of Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling to Evaluate the Academic Motivation Scale

In this research, the authors examined the construct validity of scores of the Academic Motivation Scale using exploratory structural equation modeling. Study 1 and Study 2 involved 1,416 college students and 4,498 high school students, respectively. First, results of both studies indicated that the factor structure tested with exploratory structural equation modeling provides better fit to the data than the one tested with confirmatory factor analysis. Second, the factor structure was gender invariant in the exploratory structural equation modeling framework. Third, the pattern of convergent and divergent correlations among Academic Motivation Scale factors was more in line with theoretical expectations when computed with exploratory structural equation modeling rather than confirmatory factor analysis. Fourth, the configuration of convergent and divergent correlations connecting each Academic Motivation Scale factors to a validity criterion was more in line with theoretical expectations with exploratory structural equation modeling than with confirmatory factor analysis.