Confirmatory analysis of the factorial structure and validity of the service provider sociality scale

This investigation assessed the factorial structure and validity of the Service Provider Sociality Scale (SPSS). The SPSS was administered to 455 customers, including 255 undergraduate students attending a small Midwestern college and 200 residents in communities surrounding the college. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that the service provider sociality measurement model had significant composite reliability and discriminant validity. Implications and recommendations for further research are provided.     

“扩散代理”——图书馆未来的发展趋势

进入20世纪90年代后，图书馆发展分为三个阶段：90年代中期以前，以分布式计算和网络技术为特征，每个人、每个机构都可以“出版”(publication)和“创造”(creation)图书馆，信息产品和信息服务呈爆炸式增长。“内容标准”(content standard)和“智力系统”(intellectual system)使人们可以参照共同标准创造图书馆。     

Developmental Attainment of Infants and Young Children with Down Syndrome

INFANTS and young children with Down syndrome who were living at home and attending exemplary early intervention programs were assessed by trained examiners in the five domains of the Battelle Developmental Inventory. Data was compared to the 50th percentile attainment and found that infants and young children with Down syndrome are more similar to other children in Personal Social and Adaptive Domains and less similar in Communication and Cognitive Domains. These differences begin to show more dramatically as the child reaches the age of 36 months. The older the child the greater the measured differences. Documenting and understanding this uneven developmental path is significant in program planning.     

Promising Physical Activity Inclusion Practices for Chinese Immigrant Women in Vancouver,Canada

Even though the number of immigrants coming to Canada continues to rise (Statistics Canada, 2010) and there is some evidence to suggest that participation in community sport and recreation can ease the stress associated with settlement (Stodolska & Alexandris 2004), our previous research has shown there is little or no information sharing about promising inclusion practices between local, provincial, and federal sport and recreation policy makers in Canada (Thibault, Frisby, & Taylor, 2009). To begin to fill this void, interviews were conducted with 50 Chinese immigrant women, who represent the largest immigrant group in British Columbia, 11 staff from the City of Vancouver, and 5 staff from an immigration service agency called S.U.C.C.E.S.S. A Multiculturalism, Sport, and Physical Activity Workshop was subsequently held so study participants could come together to discuss promising physical activity inclusion practices for newcomers. The practices discussed here include: citizen engagement to promote mutual learning and policy/program development; working from a broader social ecological framework; improving the city's leisure access policy; and enhancing community partnerships to facilitate cross-cultural connections.     

The Scaling of Mixed-Item-Format Tests With the One-Parameter and Two-Parameter Partial Credit Models

Item response theory scalings were conducted for six tests with mixed item formats. These tests differed in their proportions of constructed response (c.r.) and multiple choice (m.c.) items and in overall difficulty. The scalings included those based on scores for the c.r. items that had maintained the number of levels as the item rubrics, either produced from single ratings or multiple ratings that were averaged and rounded to the nearest integer, as well as scalings for a single form of c.r. items obtained by summing multiple ratings. A one-parameter (IPPC) or two-parameter (2PPC) partial credit model was used for the c.r. items and the one-parameter logistic (IPL) or three-parameter logistic (3PL) model for the m.c. items, ltem fit was substantially worse with the combination IPL/IPPC model than the 3PL/2PPC model due to the former's restrictive assumptions that there would be no guessing on the m.c. items and equal item discrimination across items and item types. The presence of varying item discriminations resulted in the IPL/IPPC model producing estimates of item information that could be spuriously inflated for c.r. items that had three or more score levels. Information for some items with summed ratings were usually overestimated by 300% or more for the IPL/IPPC model. These inflated information values resulted in under-estbnated standard errors of ability estimates. The constraints posed by the restricted model suggests limitations on the testing contexts in which the IPL/IPPC model can be accurately applied.     

Attitudes about Group Work among Criminal Justice Students: The Influence of Participation in Group Projects

Past research has considered factors that contribute to students’ attitudes about group projects. Much of this research has focused on the influence of demographic characteristics such as gender, race, and age. This study extends that past research and considers whether participating in group projects potentially changes students’ attitudes about group projects. Surveys were conducted with 85 students, 48 of whom had just completed a group project. Results showed that students who just completed a group project had slightly different attitudes about group projects than those who did not. Attention was also given to the total number of group projects to which students were exposed. Analyses showed that those who were exposed to more group projects held different attitudes about group projects than those who had fewer group projects. Implications are provided.