Attitudes Toward Statistics Among Swiss Psychology Students

2012 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 149-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Zimprich

Students’ attitude toward statistics plays an important role in their statistics achievement. The present research tests the factorial structure and predictors as well as outcomes of the Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics in a sample of 346 Swiss psychology students. A confirmatory factor analysis validated the four-factor structure of the questionnaire (Affect, Cognitive Competence, Value, and Difficulty). Last math grade and sex were predictors of students’ attitude toward statistics, which in turn explained 30% of the variance in statistics achievement. The results demonstrate the importance of students’ feelings and opinions about statistics, over and above competence variables.

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-36
Author(s):  
Carmen Bento ◽  
Ana Telma Pereira ◽  
Julieta Azevedo ◽  
Jorge Saraiva ◽  
Gordon L. Flett ◽  
...  

The objective of the present study was to develop and assess the validity of a short form of the Child–Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (CAPS). Two Portuguese samples composed of 756 adolescents were used to cross-validate the factorial structure of a nine-item Child–Adolescent Perfectionism Scale—Short Form (CAPS–SF). The CAPS–SF consists of a four-item self-oriented perfectionism subscale and a five-item socially prescribed perfectionism subscale. Both subscales demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the CAPS–SF supported the same two-factor structure and represented a very good fit to the data for both groups. Other analyses found that the brief measure of socially prescribed perfectionism was associated with measures of distress and forms of self-criticism. The CAPS–SF appears to represent a reliable and valid alternative to the original CAPS. Overall, the CAPS-SF is considerably briefer than the original CAPS and it offers an economical and valid alternative when measuring perfectionism in children and adolescents.


2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 239-243
Author(s):  
Roberto Nuevo ◽  
Andrés Losada ◽  
María Márquez-González ◽  
Cecilia Peñacoba

The Worry Domains Questionnaire was proposed as a measure of both pathological and nonpathological worry, and assesses the frequency of worrying about five different domains: relationships, lack of confidence, aimless future, work, and financial. The present study analyzed the factor structure of the long and short forms of the WDQ (WDQ and WDQ-SF, respectively) through confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of 262 students (M age = 21.8; SD = 2.6; 86.3% females). While the goodness-of-fit indices did not provide support for the WDQ, good fit indices were found for the WDQ-SF. Furthermore, no source of misspecification was identified, thus, supporting the factorial validity of the WDQ-SF scale. Significant positive correlations between the WDQ-SF and its subscales with worry (PSWQ), anxiety (STAI-T), and depression (BDI) were found. The internal consistency was good for the total scale and for the subscales. This work provides support for the use of the WDQ-SF, and potential uses for research and clinical purposes are discussed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fawzi S. Daoud ◽  
Amjed A. Abojedi

This study investigates the equivalent factorial structure of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) in clinical and nonclinical Jordanian populations, using both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The 53-item checklist was administered to 647 nonclinical participants and 315 clinical participants. Eight factors emerged from the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) for the nonclinical sample, and six factors emerged for the clinical sample. When tested by parallel analysis (PA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the results reflected a unidimensional factorial structure in both samples. Furthermore, multigroup CFA showed invariance between clinical and nonclinical unidimensional models, which lends further support to the evidence of the unidimensionality of the BSI. The study suggests that the BSI is a potentially useful measure of general psychological distress in clinical and nonclinical population. Ideas for further research are recommended.


Author(s):  
Sarah Beale ◽  
Silia Vitoratou ◽  
Sheena Liness

Abstract Background: Effective monitoring of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) competence depends on psychometrically robust assessment methods. While the UK Cognitive Therapy Scale – Revised (CTS-R; Blackburn et al., 2001) has become a widely used competence measure in CBT training, practice and research, its underlying factor structure has never been investigated. Aims: This study aimed to present the first investigation into the factor structure of the CTS-R based on a large sample of postgraduate CBT trainee recordings. Method: Trainees (n = 382) provided 746 mid-treatment audio recordings for depression (n = 373) and anxiety (n = 373) cases scored on the CTS-R by expert markers. Tapes were split into two equal samples counterbalanced by diagnosis and with one tape per trainee. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted. The suggested factor structure and a widely used theoretical two-factor model were tested with confirmatory factor analysis. Measurement invariance was assessed by diagnostic group (depression versus anxiety). Results: Exploratory factor analysis suggested a single-factor solution (98.68% explained variance), which was supported by confirmatory factor analysis. All 12 CTS-R items were found to contribute to this single factor. The univariate model demonstrated full metric invariance and partial scalar invariance by diagnosis, with one item (item 10 – Conceptual Integration) demonstrating scalar non-invariance. Conclusions: Findings indicate that the CTS-R is a robust homogenous measure and do not support division into the widely used theoretical generic versus CBT-specific competency subscales. Investigation into the CTS-R factor structure in other populations is warranted.


Author(s):  
Patricia Imbarack Dagach ◽  
Cristian Brotfeld ◽  
Joaquín García-Alandete

AbstractAdolescents are challenged to take decisions about issues associated to the vital circle and the comprehension of the world. Meaning in life (MiL) takes a leading role in adolescence. Reker and Peacock developed the Life Attitude Profile (LAP) for assessing MiL, and Erci developed a revised version (LAP-R). The main objective of this study was to analyze the factorial structure, reliability, invariance across gender, and absence/presence of assessment bias of a Spanish adaptation of the Turkish LAP-R among 2138 Chilean adolescents (1205 boys, 912 girls, and 8 others), who were studying in 3rd and 4th year. The LAP-R showed an acceptable structural validity, acceptable internal consistency, and invariance across gender. MiL as a significant domain of human experience in adolescents.


2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-157
Author(s):  
Pau García-Grau ◽  
Daniel Ayora Pérez ◽  
Ferran Calabuig Moreno ◽  
Vicente Javier Prado-Gascó

The purpose of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of a brief version of the AF5 questionnaire (García & Musitu, 2001) using exploratory and confirmatory techniques on a preadolescent population in the Valencian community (Spain). The sample was made up of 541 participants between 10 and 12 years old, 55.1% (298) boys and 44.9% (243) girls. After observing the results of different reliability and validity analyses (exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)), it was found that the reduced scale consisting of 20 items showed a similar reliability and validity to the original scale. The factorial structure also fits that of the original model established a priori. According to the results of the study, the use of this diagnostic tool with Spanish children seems justified.


1988 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-59
Author(s):  
Joanne M. Gardner

The purpose of this study was to examine the construct validity (internal structure) of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) for use with Cantonese, English, and Punjabi speaking Canadians. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the sequential/simultaneous theoretical model was supported by the English and Punjabi data: however, the Cantonese data did not exhibit a good fit with this model. Similarly, the results of the exploratory factor analysis suggested that sequential and simultaneous factors could apply when describing the factor structure of the English and Punjabi data, but not for the Cantonese data. Implications of these findings are discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 735-755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Ponce-Garcia ◽  
Amy N. Madewell ◽  
Shelia M. Kennison

This research developed the Scale of Protective Factors (SPF-24) to measure protective factors contributing to resilience. We investigated the factor structure of 35 items. After exploratory factor analysis, we subjected 25 items representing 2 social-interpersonal and 2 cognitive-individual factors to confirmatory factor analysis. The sample consisted of 942 college students from 3 studies and 2 institutions. To examine the diagnostic function of the SPF, we used clinical criteria to identify a subsample of participants who had experienced violent trauma and scored low, moderate, or high on an established resilience scale. Results showed that the low-resilient group scored significantly lower on all subscales of the SPF with marked differences in prioritizing/planning behavior. Implications for the research and clinical settings are discussed.


Author(s):  
Hepi Wahyuningsih ◽  
Dyna Rahayu Suci Pertiwi

This study aims to adapt the Sanctification of Marriage Questionnaire for Muslims inIndonesia. Adaptation of the Sanctification of Marriage Questionnaire is carried out throughthe stages: translation, providing evidence of construct validity and reliability. Evidence of construct validity was carried out by exploratory factor analysis followed by MGCFA (Multi-Group Confirmatory factor Analysis). In this study, we used a composite reliability. Subjects to reveal the factor structure of sanctification of marriage were 160 married individuals, while the subjects to test the stability of factor structure consisted of 102 husbands and 111 wives. The result of exploratory factor analysis shows that the construct of sanctification of marriage has three factors / dimensions, namely: belief, perceived sacred qualities and manifestation of God. The structure stability of sanctification of marriage was then empirically tested by MGCFA. The results of MGCFA showed that the three factors / dimensions of sanctification of marriage proved stable. The composite reliability coefficient of the Sanctification of Marriage Questionnaire was in a good category. Further research can be carried out to provide evidence of construct validity with predictive validity and concurrent validity of the Sanctification of Marriage Questionnaire. Limitations in this study are discussed further.Keywords: exploratory factor analysis, multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, muslim,sanctification of marriage, scale adaptation


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