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.     

Assessing the SB‐V factor structure in a sample of preschool children

The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure of the Stanford‐Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB‐V), based on the Cattell‐Horn‐Carroll (CHC) theory of intelligence using a sample of 200 preschool children. The CHC framework uses three different models: one similar to Spearman's g, one similar to the Gf‐Gc model, and one representing the hierarchical three‐stratum CHC model. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), utilizing these three models, was conducted to determine which theoretical model best described the ability structure measured by the SB‐V. Results of the CFA revealed that, although the two‐stratum model provided the best fit statistics, a large amount of overlap existed among the broad CHC factors in this model. Therefore, these results suggested that a simple, overall ability model may be the best representation of ability for preschool children when using the SB‐V because the factors appeared to be indistinct with this age group. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

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.     

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Iowa tests of basic skills

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to explore the internal structural validity of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) using three samples: (a) the third‐grade standardization sample, (b) a fourth‐grade sample reported by Klein (1981), and (c) a new sample of third graders. Results showed that a four‐factor structure provided a better representation of the relations among the 11 subtests than Klein's one‐factor model, a two‐factor model, or the three‐factor model described in the ITBS manual. The four‐factor model was refined using the new sample and was cross‐validated using the other two samples. A hierarchical model with a single, second‐order general achievement factor was also found to fit the data well. Decomposition of subtest variance into common, specific, and error components indicated that little specific variance is associated with several ITBS subtests, raising the question of whether interpretation of individual subtests is warranted.     

Confirmatory factor analysis of achieving the beginning teacher standards inventory

The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial validity and reliability of the Achieving the NASPE Standards Inventory (ANSI) that assesses pre-service physical education teachers' perceptions of achieving the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) beginning teacher standards (2003). Four hundred fifty-two pre-service teachers from 15 Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) programs voluntarily and anonymously completed the inventory. The hypothesized measurement models were analyzed by means of a confirmatory factor analysis. The Goodness-of-fit statistics indicated that the modified 3-factor model with 38 items represented a best fitting model with the data. The scores generated by the total and the 3 subscales of the 38-item ANSI demonstrated a high level of internal consistency.     

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Values Aspired for the Future Scale in grandparents

Although the engagement of grandparents in grandchildren’s life has increased, there is a lack of research that explores the values that grandparents desire to transmit to their grandchildren. The aim of this study was to analyze the factor structure, the validity, and the reliability of the Values Aspired for the Future Scale in a sample of grandparents. Three hundred grandparents participated in this study. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a three-factor structure with an excellent overall fit: personal and relationship values, abilities and knowledge values, and materialistic values. Grandparents’ sex did not have a moderating effect on the factor structure. An adequate internal consistency was obtained. Signi?cant associations between values, health-related quality of life, social support, and psychological well-being were found, with the exception of the materialistic values. This scale should be tested in different cultural contexts in order to confirm the results found. The implications of the results are discussed.     

Confirmatory factor analysis of word recognition and process measures in the Colorado Reading Project

Measures of word recognition (REC) and two component skills, phonological coding (PHON) and orthographic coding (ORTH), were subjected to multivariate behavioral genetic analysis. Data were obtained from a sample of identical and fraternal twin pairs wherein at least one member of each pair was reading disabled (RD), and from a sample of twins wherein both members of each pair read in the normal range. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to fit the genetic, common environmental, and specific environmental covariance components for REC, PHON, and ORTH within the RD and normal simples. The resulting heritability estimates for REC, PHON, and ORTH were 0.59, 0.41, and 0.05 in the RD sample, and 0.35, 0.52, and 0.20 in the normal sample. After dropping the nonsignificant common environment parameters from the models, the genetic correlations between REC and PHON and between REC and ORTH were respectively 0.81 and 0.45 in the RD sample, and 0.68 and 0.45 in the normal sample. Differences between the genetic correlations were significant in the RD sample (p<0.005), marginally significant in the normal sample (p<0.10), and highly significant in the combined sample (p<0.001), indicating that genetic influences on individual differences in REC are more strongly related to genetic variance in PHON than in ORTH. These results are consistent with previous demonstrations of substantial genetic covariance between the disabled group's deficits in REC and PHON, but not between REC and ORTH (Olson et al., 1989; Olson and Rack, 1990).     

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.     

Confirmatory tetrad analysis in SAS

Bollen and Ting (1993) proposed confirmatory tetrad analysis (CTA) as a method for testing structural equation models. CTA holds promise as a complementary method to the conventional model testing methodology. It applies to some underidentified models and nonnested models that cannot be tested in the conventional approach, and it is a noniterative estimator that does not have nonconvergence problems. This article illustrates an SAS macro, named CTA‐SAS, that implements the CTA testing methodology. Essential elements of the test and the syntax of the program are discussed, and an example is used to illustrate the application of the program.     

Relationships between peer interactive play and social competence in at‐risk preschool children

Relationships between peer interactive play and social competence in a sample of preschool children (N = 85) considered at risk for academic difficulties were examined. Ratings of peer interactive play and social emotional development were collected from parents and teachers on the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale and Vineland Social‐Emotional Early Childhood Scale. Multivariate techniques revealed significant correlations between parent and teacher ratings on the measures. Results are discussed within the context of conducting multifaceted, ecological assessments of preschool children. Implications for school psychologists are noted with regard to the important associations between peer interactive play and social–emotional development. The psychometric integrity of the PIPPS is further validated and extended beyond the initial standardization sample to include a sample of primarily Caucasian children living in a more rural area. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 173–189, 2004.     

Using the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children-Short form (TSCC-SF) on abused children in South Africa: Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch models

BackgroundWhile assessment measures of trauma-related symptoms in children exist, few of them are at once brief, self-reports, normed, comprehensive (i.e., cover both general and trauma-specific symptoms), and thus suitable for poorly resourced clinical contexts.ObjectiveThis study validated the short form of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC-SF) in a sample of children and adolescents.Participants and settingsParticipants were school-age children and adolescents (N = 270; M_age = 12.55 yrs., SD = 1.19; 67% = Female) exposed to different types of abuse (i.e., sexual, physical, emotional and neglect) receiving counselling at a non-governmental organisation.MethodsThe TSCC-SF’s factor structure and Differential Item Functioning (DIF) across sexes were examined using confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis.ResultsResults revealed a satisfactory construct validity of the scale, while internal consistency was also adequate. No DIF was found across the sexes.ConclusionsThe TSCC-SF appears to be a viable option for use with children exposed to different types of abuse, particularly in low resource clinical contexts.     

Comprehension monitoring in preschool children

This study examined the ability of 2 1/2-4 1/2-years-olds to recognize comprehension difficulties and to implement strategies for resolving them. In the course of a play interaction, an adult female experimenter made a series of requests, some of which were designed to be difficult for the child to understand or to execute. Children's responses to these requests were compared with their responses to control requests that were easy to comprehend and comply with 3-year-olds exhibited appropriate and selective monitoring responses for some kinds of problems but not others, while 4-year-olds displayed discriminative monitoring for all types of problems presented. In contrast to previous experimental findings, these results indicate that young children are capable of detecting a variety of comprehension problems and possess appropriate strategies for resolving these difficulties with a partner in communication.     

An evaluation of the preschool PATHS curriculum on the development of preschool children

This study evaluated the efficacy of preschool Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS), an early years curriculum designed to improve children’s social and emotional competence, and reduce problem behaviour. Fifty-seven children aged three to four years took part in the study over one academic year. The control group (Group 1) received no preschool PATHS curriculum, Group 2 received an adapted version, and Group 3 received the full preschool PATHS curriculum. Relevant vocabulary and perspective-taking skills were assessed before and after the intervention alongside behavioural questionnaires completed by preschool staff and parents. Staff views were investigated. Group 3 significantly improved on some measures, but Groups 1 and 2 showed no significant improvements. Children who received the full version of the preschool PATHS curriculum exhibited less problem behaviour, showed better emotional knowledge, better attentional skills, and better prosocial behaviour. The contribution of the local Educational Psychology Service to the initiative is discussed.     

Type A behavior in preschool children

Type A behaviors were observed in a group of 48 preschool children in different free-play and competitive situations. Interrater reliability was assessed on the Matthews Youth Test for Health (MYTH), and the children's and their parents' type A scores were compared. Scores on the MYTH were used to classify children as either type A or type B. Comparisons were made between type A and type B children's play in classroom and in laboratory situations. For the laboratory situations, 24 same-sex type A-type B dyads were formed, and the dyads were observed in free play, followed by car racing, by a tower-building contest, and by an interview. Type A children more frequently showed annoyed facial expressions, gross motor activity, interruptions during classroom free play, and gross motor activity and aggressive play with an inflatable Bobo doll during the laboratory free-play situation. Type A children more often won the car race and the tower-building contest, and they answered a greater number of questions and more frequently answered first during the interviews. These data are consistent with other findings on type A behavior in preschool children and suggest that the behavioral dimensions of type A (competitiveness and impatience-aggression) may emerge as early as the preschool years, particularly in competitive situations.     

‘Good-fit’ teacher-child play interactions and the subsequent autonomous play of preschool children

The purpose of this study was to test a model of adult-child play interactions in preschool classrooms, based on the work of Vygotsky and neo-Vygotskian scholars. The model predicts that adults will tailor the play support they provide to the immediate needs of individual children, and that this will lead to subsequent independent play. Classroom interactions between eight preschool teachers and 32 students were videotaped, transcribed, and analyzed over a six-month period. Interviews were conducted with the eight adult participants to confirm and elucidate findings from observed classroom behaviors. Distinct types of play support needed by children and given by teachers were identified. These were operationally defined; definitions were used to create a coding system that was found to have high inter-rater reliability. Sequential analyses were conducted to determine goodness-of-fit between teacher responses and children's needs. Behavioral outcomes of a good fit were also examined. Findings support the model tested here. Teachers often responded to children's play with behaviors matching the level of support needed. Good-fit interactions more frequently led to autonomous subsequent play than poor-fit interactions.     

Confirmatory factor analyses of Chinese students' evaluations of university teaching

Chinese University of Hong Kong students (N = 844) selected a “good” and a “poor” teacher, and rated each using a Chinese translation of the Students' Evaluations of Educational Quality (SEEQ) instrument. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models, based on a 3 × 2 design, were constructed to test the invariance of the SEEQ factor structure across 3 discipline groups (a between‐group comparison of ratings by students in arts, social sciences, and education; in business administration; and in engineering, medicine, and science) and across ratings of good and poor teachers (via within‐subjects comparison). The selected model imposed between‐group invariance constraints on factor loadings, factor correlations, and factor variances across the 3 discipline groups and within‐subjects invariance constraints on factor loadings across ratings of good and poor teachers. The results support the use of SEEQ in this Chinese setting, demonstrating the generality of North American research findings and the usefulness of CFA in this research area.