Do Turkish teachers feel personal accountability the same way? Measurement invariance and latent mean comparisons across gender, tenure, teacher branches and school grades

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Coşkun Erdağ

PurposeThe primary purpose of this study is to test the measurement invariance and the latent mean differences of the personal accountability measure (PAM) constructs.Design/methodology/approachObtained through the Turkish version of the PAM from a random sample of 453 teachers working in elementary and secondary schools in Aksaray province, data were analyzed using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the measurement invariance and latent mean differences of the internal and external accountability constructs across gender, tenure, school grade and teacher branches, respectively.FindingsTeacher internal and external accountability constructs were demonstrated in this study to be fully equivalent across gender and tenure, and partially equivalent across school grade and teacher branches. Latent mean comparisons showed that less-experienced tenure teachers, class teachers and ESL teachers in Turkey felt more internally accountable compared to their peers in other groups. No significant latent mean differences of teacher external accountability were observed across genders, tenures, school types or teacher branches.Originality/valueThis study contributes to research by providing further valuable information on the equivalencies of the external and internal accountability constructs across gender, tenure, school grade and branch for future research studying multigroup comparisons and structural relationships of personal accountability constructs. It also provides school principals and policymakers with more accurate, multigroup comparisons of teacher external and internal accountability dispositions across gender, tenure, school grade and branch.

Methodology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holger Steinmetz

Although the use of structural equation modeling has increased during the last decades, the typical procedure to investigate mean differences across groups is still to create an observed composite score from several indicators and to compare the composite’s mean across the groups. Whereas the structural equation modeling literature has emphasized that a comparison of latent means presupposes equal factor loadings and indicator intercepts for most of the indicators (i.e., partial invariance), it is still unknown if partial invariance is sufficient when relying on observed composites. This Monte-Carlo study investigated whether one or two unequal factor loadings and indicator intercepts in a composite can lead to wrong conclusions regarding latent mean differences. Results show that unequal indicator intercepts substantially affect the composite mean difference and the probability of a significant composite difference. In contrast, unequal factor loadings demonstrate only small effects. It is concluded that analyses of composite differences are only warranted in conditions of full measurement invariance, and the author recommends the analyses of latent mean differences with structural equation modeling instead.


2020 ◽  
pp. 003329412097263
Author(s):  
Meilin Di ◽  
Xinping Deng ◽  
Jingjing Zhao ◽  
Feng Kong

The aim of this study was to validate the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) in Chinese adolescents by examining factor structure, sex-related measurement invariance and latent mean differences, reliability, and criterion-related validity.A total of 1674 Chinese adolescents aged 12–17 years old (Mage = 15.26, SD = .58) were recruited. Results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the four-factor model of the WLEIS as the best fit to the data. Multi-group CFA suggested that the measurement structure of the WLEIS was invariant across sex. Testing for the latent mean differences showed that male adolescents scored lower on the Other-Emotional Appraisal subscale, but scored higher on the Regulation of Emotion subscale than female adolescents. Furthermore, all the subscales of male and female adolescents had satisfactory composite reliability. Finally, the WLEIS had favorable criterion-related validity with self-esteem, life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect and perceived stress. These findings suggested that the WLEIS is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing trait emotional intelligence of adolescents and can be generalized across sex.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 270-286
Author(s):  
Yue Zhao ◽  
Jenny M.Y. Huen ◽  
Michael Prosser

Purpose Hong Kong has undergone extensive curriculum reform and shifted from a three-year to a four-year university system. With a nuanced look at the impact of the curriculum reform, the purpose of the present study was to compare two concurrent cohorts by examining the extent to which the students in each cohort perceived their learning environment and learning outcomes differently and to what extent their perceptions differed. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 3,102 first-year students enrolled at a Hong Kong university responded to the student learning experience questionnaire (SLEQ). The perceived learning experiences between the two cohorts were tapped through several latent factors and validated through tests of measurement invariance. Latent mean differences were then compared. A multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach was used. Findings The findings suggested that measurement invariance of the scales of the SLEQ was established and that the two cohorts of students perceived largely similar learning experiences. The latent mean differences were statistically significant on the scales of feedback from teacher, clear goals and standards, personal integrity and ethics, intercultural competence, global perspective and civic commitment. Practical implications The results facilitate the understanding of perceived student learning experiences with evidence-based implications for enhancing student learning experiences and refining the four-year curriculum under the new curriculum reform conditions. Originality/value This is the first institution-wide study that compares student learning experiences of two concurrent cohorts under curriculum reform initiatives of Hong Kong. It provides a meaningful and pertinent example for educators and researchers worldwide to analyze the impact of curriculum reform from the perspective of students’ perceived learning experiences. Similar studies adopting rigorous approaches in the measurement of students’ perceived learning experiences are relatively rare in higher education. Such efforts are encouraged for accountability and quality improvement purposes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 863-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuyi Yang ◽  
Jianzhong Xu

This study validated the Homework Expectancy Value Scale (HEVS) based on 918 middle school students from China. The factor analytic results showed that the HEVS consisted of two distinct yet related subscales: Expectancy and Value. Results further revealed that latent factor means for the HEVS were invariant across gender. Finally, consistent with theoretical expectations, Expectancy and Value were negatively correlated with homework distraction, and positively correlated with homework effort, emotion regulation, completion, and academic achievement.


Assessment ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 508-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Whisman ◽  
Regina Miranda ◽  
David M. Fresco ◽  
Richard G. Heimberg ◽  
Elizabeth L. Jeglic ◽  
...  

Although women demonstrate higher levels of rumination than men, it is unknown whether instruments used to measure rumination have the same psychometric properties for women and men. To examine this question, we evaluated measurement invariance of the brooding and reflection subscales from the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) by gender, using data from four samples of undergraduates from three universities within the United States ( N = 4,205). A multigroup confirmatory factor analysis revealed evidence for configural, metric, and scalar invariance of the covariance structure of the 10-item version of the RRS. There were statistically significant latent mean differences between women and men, with women scoring significantly higher than men on both brooding and reflection. These findings suggest that the 10-item version of the RRS provides an assessment of rumination that is psychometrically equivalent across gender. Consequently, gender differences in brooding and reflection likely reflect valid differences between women and men.


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