Socioeconomic and gender group differences in early literacy skills: a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach

Socioeconomic status and gender are important demographic variables that strongly relate to academic achievement. This study examined the early literacy skills differences between 4 sociodemographic groups, namely, boys ineligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRL), girls ineligible for FRL, boys eligible for FRL, and girls eligible for FRL. Data on kindergarteners (N = 462) were analysed using multiple-group confirmatory factory analysis. Early literacy skill differences between boys and girls are more nuanced than previously reported; subsidy status and gender interact. Both boys and girls from high-poverty households performed significantly lower than the girls from low-poverty households in alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, and spelling. There were gender gaps, with a female advantage, among children from high-poverty households in alphabet knowledge and spelling and among children from low-poverty households in alphabet knowledge. These results highlight the importance of employing methodologically sound techniques to ascertain group differences in componential early literacy skills.     

The construct validity of Institutional Commitment: A confirmatory factor analysis

The present study examined the underlying structure of the variable Institutional Commitment by testing for the convergence, or lack thereof, among different indicators of the construct as represented by three theoretical frameworks (Tinto, 1975, 1987; Bean, 1985; Huselid and Day, 1991). Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that Institutional Commitment could be decomposed into two multiple indicators of the same latent construct: a general factor that groups items related to institutional quality, practical value of an education, utility of an education, fit between student and institution, and loyalty to the institution and another factor represented by items indicating similarity of values (Affinity of Values). Moreover, the study established the predictive validity of each subcomponent on different outcomes related to student persistence. While Institutional Commitment was found to have a significant direct effect on both students' intents to persist and actual persistence behavior, Affinity of Values was not as equally predictive of measures of student retention.Paper presented before the 1991 ASHE Annual Meeting. Boston, Massachusetts.     

Analyzing measurement models of latent variables through multilevel confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical linear modeling approaches

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is often used in the social sciences to estimate a measurement model in which multiple measurement items are hypothesized to assess a particular latent construct. This article presents the utility of multilevel CFA (MCFA; Muthén, 1991, 1994) and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM; Raudenbush, Rowan, & Kang, 1991) methods in testing measurement models in which the underlying attribute may vary as a function of various levels of observation. An illustrative example using a real dataset is provided in which an unconditional model specification and parameter estimates from the MCFA and HLM are shown. The article demonstrates the comparability of the two methods in estimating measurement parameters of interest (i.e., true variance at levels the measures are used and measurement errors).     

Exploring the dimensions of place: a confirmatory factor analysis of data from three ecoregional sites

Themes of place, situatedness, and locale are increasingly prominent in environmental education literature and practice. Sense-of-place research, which considers how people connect with places and the influence of those connections on engagement with the environment, may have important implications for environmental education. Prior place studies have proposed that people’s place connections have various dimensions. This paper explores four place dimensions, analyzing data from a survey (n?=?712) conducted in three ecoregional sites in which we investigated residents’ sense of place. We examine how our data fit a proposed typology of place dimensions – a four-dimension (biophysical, psychological, sociocultural, and political-economic) categorization based on previous conceptions of the dimensions of place. We use structural equation modeling to question whether a 4-factor conceptualization of the dimensions of sense of place is superior to plausible alternatives. In comparing the four-dimension model with alternative models, we find that the four-dimension model is the best fit for these data. Our findings suggest that environmental and place-based education may benefit from an understanding and consideration of this four-dimension conceptualization of place in program design, implementation, and evaluation.     

Self-regulated learning in Singaporean context: a congeneric approach of confirmatory factor analysis

The motivated strategies for learning questionnaire (MSLQ) is widely used as a self-report instrument to assess students’ motivation and self-regulation. This study utilized the MSLQ Junior High to examine the motivational beliefs and self-regulation of secondary school students (Grades 8 and 9) from Singapore. The instrument was slightly modified and administered to students (N?=?610) in mathematics and science classes. In the first sample, 314 students completed the MSLQ Junior High while a second sample of 296 students completed the revised MSLQ Junior High. Using a congeneric approach of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the five-factor measurement model was determined with the first sample. This measurement model was further supported using a second sample and its goodness-of-fit indices were compared with other CFA models. Statistical findings showed that the five-factor structure of the revised MSLQ Junior High had a good model fit. The present study contributes a novel methodological approach by investigating the parsimony confirmatory factor structure of the revised MSLQ Junior High in local academic contexts.     

A cross-cultural validity of the E-learning Acceptance Measure (ElAM) in Lebanon and England: A confirmatory factor analysis

Despite the prevalence and significance of e-learning in education, there is a dearth of published instruments for educational researchers and practitioners that measure users’ acceptance of e-learning. To meet this need, Teo (2010) developed the E-learning Acceptance Measure (ElAM). The main objective of this paper is to validate the ElAM (Teo, 2010) across two cultures, one is from a European country: England, and the other from Asia: Lebanon. A total sample of 461 university students from two private universities in Lebanon (n?=?209) and one university in England (n?=?252) participated in this study. Using confirmatory factor analyses, our findings revealed that the original 3-factor solution for ElAM (Teo, 2010) was supported and found to be adequate for the British sample, whereas the results revealed a bad fit for the Lebanese sample. Despite the differences, the ElAM was found to possess an acceptable level of internal consistency and item reliability for the pooled sample. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed at the end of the paper.     

Using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate cross-cultural research: identifying and understanding non-invariance

Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) allows researchers to determine whether a research inventory elicits similar response patterns across samples. If statistical equivalence in responding is found, then scale score comparisons become possible and samples can be said to be from the same population. This paper illustrates the use of MGCFA by examining survey results relating to practising teachers' conceptions of feedback in two very different jurisdictions (Louisiana, USA, n?=?308; New Zealand, n?=?518), highlighting challenges which can occur when conducting this kind of cross-cultural research. As the two contexts had very different policies and practices around educational assessment, it was considered possible that a common research inventory may elicit non-equivalent responding, leading to non-invariance. Independent models for each group and a joint model for all participants were tested for invariance using MGCFA and all were inadmissible for one of the two groups. Inspection of joint model differences in item loadings, scale reliabilities, and scale inter-correlations established the extent of non-invariance. This paper discusses the implications of non-invariance within this particular study and identifies difficulties in using an inventory in cross-cultural settings. It also provides suggestions about how to increase the likelihood that a common factor structure can be recovered.     

Child and adolescent multidimensional self‐concept: A five‐instrument factor analysis

The factor structure of five self‐concept scales from a hierarchical, multidimensional theoretical model was investigated. The Coopersmith Self‐Esteem Inventory, Multidimensional Self Concept Scale, Piers‐Harris Self‐Concept Scale, Self‐Esteem Index, and the Tennessee Self‐Concept Scale were administered to 221 students in Grades 5 through 8 in a counter‐balanced administration format. The five scales each yielded strong general factors and six dominant factors that coincide with the proposed theoretical model, which reflects social, affect, competence, academic, family, and physical self‐concepts. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The vicissitudes of measurement: a confirmatory factor analysis of the Emotional Autonomy Scale

This study examined the factor structure of the Emotional Autonomy Scale (EAS) as proposed by Steinberg and Silverberg. Participants were from three independent samples of adolescents in grades 6 (n = 1,842), 8 (n = 1,769), and 10 (n = 1,232), with each sample consisting of three ethnic groups: African American, European American, and Mexican American. None of the confirmatory factor analyses for these samples supported the factor structure proposed by Steinberg and Silverberg. From the three models tested, the EAS is best described by the four originally proposed factors, combined with two method factors, one consisting of the positively worded scale items and one consisting of the negatively worded scale items. Results show that the EAS exhibits poor construct validity and behaves quite differently for the different grade and ethnic groups. The strong impact of method variance on the factor structure is discussed. Although various alternative solutions to the psychometric problems in the EAS are proposed, the most credible solution may be to reexamine the conceptual foundations of emotional autonomy and develop better measures of those concepts for adolescents.     

Confirmatory factor analysis models of factorial invariance: A multifaceted approach

Typical confirmatory factor analysis studies of factorial invariance test parameter (factor loadings, factor variances/covariances, and uniquenesses) invariance across only two groups (e.g., males and females) or, perhaps, across more than two groups reflecting different levels of a single design facet (e.g., age). The present investigation extends this approach by considering invariance across groups from a two‐facet design. Data consist of multiple dimensions of self‐concept collected from eight groups of students (total N = 4,000) representing a 2 (Gender) × 4 (Age) design. The gender‐stereotypic model posits a particular pattern of gender differences in structure that varies with age. Adopting analysis‐of‐variance terminology, the model posits that structural differences will vary as a function of gender but that this gender effect interacts with age. In testing this model, I consider the lack of invariance in different sets of parameters attributable to gender, age, and their interaction.     

英语名词的实用分类及其相互转化

英语名词可以从实用的角度分为可数名词及不可数名词.可数名词又可以分为个体名词和集合名词.不可数名词还可以再分为专有名词,抽象名词,原材料名词及类属名词.但是名词的类别并非固定不变的,而是随它所出现的语境而变化的.语境决定一个词的内涵,同时也决定名词的类别.正确理解名词的类别也有助于理解其含义.     

Separating PIAAC competencies from general cognitive skills: A dimensionality and explanatory analysis

This study aims to investigate how test scores from PIAAC (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) can be interpreted, by comparing the PIAAC competencies literacy and numeracy to reasoning and perceptual speed. Dimensionality analyses supported, that the PIAAC competencies can be separated into a common factor overlapping with reasoning and perceptual speed, and domain-specific factors. For the common and specific factors, relations to other variables were analyzed. The nested factor for PIAAC literacy was as expected unrelated to age, positively related to learning opportunities during one’s lifetime, and positively related to literacy skill use. The nested factor for PIAAC numeracy was also as expected unrelated to age, against expectation unrelated to learning opportunities during one’s lifetime, and as expected positively related to numeracy skill use. Results support the validity of the intended test score interpretation for PIAAC literacy, while results for PIAAC numeracy were less clear.     

Cross‐cultural Validation of Models of Approaches to Learning: an application of confirmatory factor analysis

Six structural equation models were tested by analysing responses to the Learning Process Questionnaire of 10 samples of primary and secondary school students from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Malaysia, Beijing, Hong Kong and Canada. Confirmatory factor analyses provided general support for the cross‐cultural within‐construct validity of the questionnaire. As predicted, the dimensions of deep and surface approaches to learning received cross‐cultural support, but the positioning of the achieving dimension varied across cultures. This is in line with the notion that students who adopt an achieving approach will adopt different strategies which will be likely to maximise their achievement according to particular course and teacher characteristics.     

The quality of toddler child care and cognitive skills at 24 months: Propensity score analysis results from the ECLS-B

Over half of the toddlers in the US experience routine nonparental care, but much less is known about early care than about preschool care. This study analyzed 2-year-old child care and child outcome data from the nationally representative ECLS-B sample of children born in 2001. At two-years of age, 51% of children experienced exclusive parental care, 18% relative care, 15% family child care, and 16% center care. More children in nonparental care were in medium quality care (61%) than in high quality (26%) or low quality (13%) care. Low-income children were more likely than non-low income children to be cared for by their parents and, when in care, were more often in lower quality care. The impact of toddler care quality on cognitive skills was estimated using propensity score adjustments to account for potential selection confounds due to family and child characteristics. Children's cognitive scores were higher in high or medium quality care than in low quality care, but no evidence emerged suggesting that poverty moderated the quality effects. Nevertheless, this suggests that increasing the proportion of low-income children in high quality care could reduce the achievement gap because low-income children are very unlikely to experience high quality care.     

Assessing the validity and reliability of a quick scan for student's evaluation of teaching. Results from confirmatory factor analysis and G Theory

Using confirmatory factor analysis and G Theory analysis, this article explores the reliability and the validity of a short version of the SET37 questionnaire for students’ evaluation of teaching (SET). The results show that this instrument can be used as a valuable diagnostic instrument for gathering student feedback in internal practices and procedures aimed at both monitoring and improving the quality of instruction in higher education.     

Exploring the latent structure of the Luria model for the KABC‐II at school age: Further insights from confirmatory factor analysis

The present study examined the factor structure of the Luria interpretive model for the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children‐Second Edition (KABC‐II) with normative sample participants aged 7–18 (N = 2,025) using confirmatory factor analysis with maximum‐likelihood estimation. For the eight subtest Luria configuration, an alternative higher‐order model with Pattern Reasoning being permitted to cross‐load on the Planning and Simultaneous Processing factors provided the best fit to the normative sample data. Variance apportionment suggests that additional consideration, beyond the omnibus Mental Processing Index, of the contribution of the first‐order factor‐based scores (i.e., SQ, SM, P, and L), and in some cases the individual subtests themselves, may be warranted. Implications for clinical interpretation and the anticipated normative update of the measurement instrument are discussed.