Physics Metacognition Inventory Part II: Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis

The Physics Metacognition Inventory was developed to measure physics students’ metacognition for problem solving. In one of our earlier studies, an exploratory factor analysis provided evidence of preliminary construct validity, revealing six components of students’ metacognition when solving physics problems including knowledge of cognition, planning, monitoring, evaluation, debugging, and information management. The college students’ scores on the inventory were found to be reliable and related to students’ physics motivation and physics grade. However, the results of the exploratory factor analysis indicated that the questionnaire could be revised to improve its construct validity. The goal of this study was to revise the questionnaire and establish its construct validity through a confirmatory factor analysis. In addition, a Rasch analysis was applied to the data to better understand the psychometric properties of the inventory and to further evaluate the construct validity. Results indicated that the final, revised inventory is a valid, reliable, and efficient tool for assessing student metacognition for physics problem solving.     

中国汉语水平考试与实用汉语水平认定考试构想效度检验

构想效度(construct validity)一直是效度研究的核心问题,本文对中国汉语水平考试(HSK[高等])和实用汉语水平认定考试(C.TEST)的构想效度进行了探讨。文章首先梳理了这两种考试的构想模型,并初步提出了操作性定义。研究样本为550名同时参加了这两种考试的考生,我们使用因素分析法对所得数据进行分析。结果显示,目前我们只能有把握地说,这两种考试都测到了考生的"阅读理解"能力,对其他能力的检验本文还不能给出明确的结论。     

Student Engagement and School Burnout in Finnish Lower-Secondary Schools: Latent Profile Analysis

Self-ratings of behavioural engagement, cognitive engagement and school burnout were used in person-centred analyses to identify latent profiles among 2,485 Finnish lower-secondary school students. Three profiles were identified: high-engagement/low-burnout (40.6% of the sample), average-engagement/average-burnout (53.9%), and low-engagement/high-burnout (5.5%). Another sample of lower-secondary school students was used to validate the 3 profiles. The factors most strongly associated with the high-engagement/low-burnout profile of lower-secondary school students’ were high levels of support from teachers and family, good academic performance, and lack of truancy. The study indicated that teacher and family support and students’ academic achievement are pivotal in understanding student engagement and school burnout.     

Self-assessment instrument to measure the competencies of Namibian graduates: Testing of validity and reliability

Namibia has been reported to be one of the countries with the highest unemployment rates. In this work, the reliability and validity of the self-assessment instrument used to measure competencies of graduates in Namibia were assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The EFA results demonstrated that the twenty indicators can be categorized into five factors, namely, “management and resilience”, “professional and communication”, “teamwork and critical thinking”, “self-control”, and “achievement motive”. The CFA results showed that all of the factors and indicators are highly reliable with good construct validity. Students and graduates could employ this validated self-assessment instrument to assess or diagnose a pattern of strengths and weaknesses in their own competencies and provide themselves with a realistic and objective estimate of their employability, as well as help them increase effectiveness in their workplace.     

大学生英语课程学习投入问卷编制

为研究大学生英语课程学习投入情况,编制本问卷并探讨问卷的信度与效度。问卷参考相关成熟问卷,通过课堂观察和开放式问卷等方法收集题项,以西北农林科技大学非英语专业大一、大二学生为调查对象,经预测修订后编制了大学英语课程学习投入问卷。该问卷共含22个题项（其中2题为测谎题）,包含3个维度（认知、情感和行为）;验证性因素分析表明该量表具有较好的拟合指标（χ2/df=2.026, NFI=0.929, NNFI=0.954, CFI=0.960, IFI=0.960, RMR=0.089, RMSEA=0.052）;三维度分问卷信度介于0.836-0.899之间,总问卷信度0.944。可见,该问卷具有良好的信效度,达到测量学的要求,可用于调查学生大学英语课程的学习过程。     

《大学教师教学关键环节行为评价问卷》的验证性因素分析

对某高校942名学生进行了《大学教师教学关键环节行为评价问卷》的测量,采用Anos4．0程序进行验证性因素分析,结果表明,该问卷的模型建构比较理想且各因子指标拟合较好,可以作为下一步研究的良好测量工具。     

高职学生学习投入评价量表构建及 检验研究

学业学习是高职学生在校的主要任务, 关系着高职学生的职业能力养成和后续职业生涯的发展,是影响高职教育质量的最重要因素。根据大学生学习投入理论、结合高职学生学习特点,构建了“高职学生学习投入评价量表”,并经预测后正式施测获得1"080 个有效样本,将有效样本随机分成三组分别进行探索性因素分析、验证性因素分析和复核效化检验。分析结果发现,探索性因素分析所修正的四因素、18 项题的学习投入评价量表模型具有良好的拟合度、内容结构信度、收敛和区别效度以及跨样本稳定性,能为高职院校开展学生学习投入评价提供有效、可靠的工具。     

Moving beyond academic achievement goal measures: A study of social achievement goals

The current research explored the theory of social goal orientation. More specifically, we conducted three studies utilizing six-independent university student samples to evaluate the construct validity of the Social Achievement Goal Orientation Scale (SAGOS; Ryan & Hopkins, 2003), a measure representing the construct of social goal orientation. The purpose of Study 1 was to: (1) compare the three-dimensional (mastery, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance) model of social goal orientation to three theoretically based competing models, (2) examine item functioning, and (3) assess generalizability of the factor structure. The fit of the proposed three-factor model was promising; however, areas of misfit and problematic items were identified. Stronger support for the three-factor structure of goal orientation was found using scores from an abbreviated 13-item SAGOS. In Study 2, item wording was altered slightly to evaluate a revised Social Achievement Goal Scale (SAGS), yet resulted in similar findings. Study 3 examined external validity evidence for the SAGS, garnering some support for the meaning of the scores. Although continued refinement of the SAGOS and SAGS is recommended, the findings help contribute to our general understanding and conceptualization of social goal theory and the role that social goals may play in academic contexts.     

Students' Behavioral and Emotional Participation in Academic Activities in the Mathematics Classroom: A Multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis

In this research, the authors raised the issue that prior studies had failed to address the nested structure of data in examining the construct validity of an instrument measuring students' behavioral and emotional participation in academic activities in the classroom. To address this question, the authors illustrated the utility of the multilevel confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA) approach to reexamine the construct validity of this instrument. The sample consisted of 2,041 students in 5th grade from 67 classes in Hong Kong. First, the results justified the requirement of MCFA and indicated that the 4-factor model tested with MCFA provided better fit to the data than that tested with a single-level confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Second, the study also provided adequate support for a multilevel second-order two-factor model that distinguished engagement from disaffection. Third, the factor structure was invariant across the student level and the classroom level for both the 4-factor model and the second-order two-factor model. Fourth, the results highlighted the presence of ambiguity in differentiating between the dimensions at the classroom level and supported the unidimensionality of the classroom-level construct. Fifth, student engagement was significantly and positively correlated with mathematics test scores, teachers' classroom-management practices, teacher support, and student order in the classroom. Finally, the authors discuss the implications of the study and its limitations and offer suggestions for model selection and explorations for future research.     

中小学教师胜任特征的结构维度

本研究在理论构想的基础上自编教师胜任力问卷,对1019名中小学教师进行调查,探索了中小学教师胜任特征的结构维度。结果表明我国中小学教师胜任特征的结构可以从四个维度来描述,即情感道德特征、教学胜任力、动机与调节、管理胜任力.     

家庭受教育水平对大学生学习投入 影响的实证分析

基于2016年中国大学生学习与发展追踪研究的调查数据,分析了以父母是否受过高等教育为代表的家庭受教育水平与大学生学习投入之间的关系。研究发现:父母受过高等教育与父母未受过高等教育大学生的学习投入存在显著差异;在引入性别、年级、专业、生源地等控制变量后,父亲是否受过高等教育对大学生学习投入没有显著影响,母亲是否受过高等教育对大学生学习投入影响显著;母亲是否受过高等教育对大学生教育经验丰富度的影响最为明显,对生师互动、主动合作学习水平不存在显著影响。家庭受教育水平较丰富的大学生,在高等教育场域中仍占有一定的优势。     

Extension Procedures for Confirmatory Factor Analysis

We present factor extension procedures for confirmatory factor analysis that provide estimates of the relations of common and unique factors with external variables that do not undergo factor analysis. We present identification strategies that build upon restrictions of the pattern of correlations between unique factors and external variables. The first restriction minimizes the sum of squared correlations between unique factors and external variables. This approach is similar to the traditional factor extension procedure. The second restriction minimizes the complexity of the pattern of external correlations of unique factors. This approach has similarities with the simple structure ideal imposed on most factor rotation strategies. The procedures are illustrated with a real data example that demonstrates their applicability to real-world research questions.     

Model Misspecification and Invariance Testing Using Confirmatory Factor Analytic Procedures

Confirmatory factor analytic procedures are routinely implemented to provide evidence of measurement invariance. Current lines of research focus on the accuracy of common analytic steps used in confirmatory factor analysis for invariance testing. However, the few studies that have examined this procedure have done so with perfectly or near perfectly fitting models. In the present study, the authors examined procedures for detecting simulated test structure differences across groups under model misspecification conditions. In particular, they manipulated sample size, number of factors, number of indicators per factor, percentage of a lack of invariance, and model misspecification. Model misspecification was introduced at the factor loading level. They evaluated three criteria for detection of invariance, including the chi-square difference test, the difference in comparative fit index values, and the combination of the two. Results indicate that misspecification was associated with elevated Type I error rates in measurement invariance testing.     

A Typology of Student Engagement for American Colleges and Universities

The Carnegie classification system has served as a framework for research on colleges and universities for more than 30 years. Today, the systems developers are exploring criteria that more effectively differentiate among institutions. One approach being considered is classifying institutions based on students educational experiences. This study explored whether it is possible to create a typology of institutions based on students experiences. Results indicated that such a typology could be created, and the types were somewhat independent of institutional mission (i.e., Carnegie classification)Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, Boston, MA (May 2004)     

Cross-National Validation of the What is Happening in this Class? (WIHIC) Questionnaire using Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Learning Environments Research - The What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire was validated cross-nationally using a sample of 3980 high school students from Australia, the UK and...     

Student Group Project Work: A Pioneering Experiment in Interactive Engagement

Fully half of the curriculum of Roskilde University, Denmark(RUC), is student-driven group research project work, often interdisciplinary. I shall describe the practice of group project work in the sciences at RUC, and evaluate implications for educational practice in the U.S.     

乐观主义-悲观主义量表的编制及信效度研究

对自编的乐观主义-悲观主义量表的项目及其信效度的初步研究结果表明,乐观主义-悲观主义量表包括乐观主义和悲观主义两个因子,因子之间相关为-0.458;量表具有较高的内部一致性信度:乐观主义、悲观主义和总量表的α系数分别为0.7236、0.7440和0.8008;具有较理想的结构效度和实证效度。     

The Math and Science Engagement Scales: Scale development,validation, and psychometric properties

There is an urgent need to develop appropriate instruments to measure student engagement in math and science for the fields of research and practice. The present study developed and validated student- and teacher-report survey measures of student engagement in math and science. The measures are built around a multidimensional perspective of engagement by using a bifactor modeling approach. The sample was recruited from an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse middle and high school student population in the United States. The findings confirmed that student engagement is comprised of multiple related yet distinct dimensions, with evidence to support a bifactor structural model. There was also empirical evidence supporting measurement invariance and predictive validity. The results demonstrate the soundness of the psychometric properties of the Math and Science Engagement Scales.     

The Two Cultures of Undergraduate Academic Engagement

Using data on upper-division students in the University of California system, we show that two distinct cultures of engagement exist on campus. The culture of engagement in the arts, humanities and social sciences focuses on interaction, participation, and interest in ideas. The culture of engagement in the natural sciences and engineering focuses on improvement of quantitative skills through collaborative study with an eye to rewards in the labor market. The two cultures of engagement are strongly associated with post-graduate degree plans. The findings raise questions about normative conceptions of good educational practices in so far as they are considered to be equally relevant to students in all higher education institutions and all major fields of study.

Laboratory Approach to Secondary Teacher Professional Development: Impacting Teacher Behavior and Student Engagement

Abstract

The Literacy Lab Professional Development provided a laboratory approach to professional development for 42 high school teachers in two schools. Three main activities included: (1) planning and professional development days, (2) lab and professional development days, and (3) individual coaching. The targets of the Literacy Lab Professional Development and its associated guiding questions focused on student engagement and understanding, teaching students how to make meaning from text, teaching students to write, and the structures, systems, routines, and rituals needed to create a classroom culture of thinking and learning. Results from this study point to positive differences between participating and matched-nonparticipating teachers in their instruction, student grouping, nature of tasks, task demands, types of knowledge expectations, personalization, tone, and authority structures.