Writing Motivation of College Students in Basic Writing and First-Year Composition Classes: Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Scales on Goals, Self-Efficacy, Beliefs, and Affect

2021 ◽  
pp. 002221942110532
Author(s):  
Zoi A. Traga Philippakos ◽  
Chuang Wang ◽  
Charles MacArthur

The purpose of the study was to validate a writing motivation questionnaire that consists of four scales for first-year college writers including students with low writing skills in basic writing classes and students in typical first-year composition (FYC), to investigate differences between these two groups and to examine the relationship of motivational constructs with writing quality. Participants were 371 college students (142 in basic writing classes and 229 in FYC). Students completed a 49-item motivation questionnaire with scales for goal-orientation, self-efficacy, beliefs, and affect about writing and wrote an argumentative essay. Confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence for the structural construct validity of all scales for both groups. Statistically significant differences between basic writers and FYC students were found on self-efficacy for grammar and strategies and on beliefs about the importance of substance and mechanics. Structural equation modeling found statistically significant positive relationships of essay quality with all three self-efficacy scales and belief about the importance of substance to good writing, as well as negative relationships with avoidance goal orientation and belief in the importance of mechanics. Limitations and implications for motivation and instruction of basic writing students and of adults with learning disabilities are discussed.

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 751-760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojun Zhao ◽  
Xuqun You ◽  
Zhengmin Peng

In this study we assessed the regulatory emotional self-efficacy (RESE) of Chinese college students by collecting documentary resources and consulting relevant scales. The participants in the study were 927 college students from the provinces of Jiangsu, Guangdong, Anhui, and Gansu. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were both applied in the scale analysis. The RESE scale of Chinese college students consisted of perceived self-efficacy in managing inferiority, happiness or contentment, envy, dread and fear, self-confidence, curiosity, and reliance. The cross-validity of the scale was satisfied.


2019 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-13
Author(s):  
Boo-Gil Seok ◽  
Hyun-Suk Park

Background/Objectives: The purpose of this study is to find out the structural relationships among customer delight, exercise commitment, and psychological happiness to contribute developing exercise Apps. Methods/Statistical analysis: A questionnaire survey was conducted and 160 college students who are familiar with mobile exercise applications participated. The data analyzed with frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and structural correlation analysis. The validity and the reliability were obtained: customer delight (χ2=26.532, df=14, CFI=.985, TLI=.971, RMSEA=.075), exercise commitment (χ2=113.802, df=49, CFI=.956, TLI=.941, RMSEA=.091), and psychological happiness (χ2=15.338, df=8, CFI=.989, TLI=.980, RMSEA=.076, and Cronbach’s α=.906~.938).


NASPA Journal ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kellah M. Edens

College students are sleeping less during the week than reported a few years ago. Lack of sleep among college students has been identified as one of the top three healthrelated impediments to academic performance by the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment survey; and it is associated with lower grades, incompletion of courses, as well as negative moods. This research examines the underlying dynamics of lack of sleep on academic motivation, a key predictor of academic performance. Specifically, the relationship of sleep habits with self-efficacy, performance versus mastery goal orientation, persistence, and tendency to procrastinate were investigated. Findings indicate that 42% of the participants (159 students out of a total of 377) experience excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS); and those identified with EDS tend: (1) to be motivated by performance goals rather than mastery goals; (2) to engage in procrastination (a self-handicapping strategy) to a greater extent than students who are rested; and (3) to have decreased self-efficacy, as compared to students not reporting EDS. Several recommendations for campus health professionals to consider for a Healthy Campus Initiative are made based on the findings.


Author(s):  
Matthew A. Hagler ◽  
Kirsten M. Christensen ◽  
Jean E. Rhodes

Non-parent mentoring relationships are important protective factors for first-generation college students. Previous research has focused on singular mentoring relationships measured at one time point, failing to capture the breadth and dynamic nature of social networks. The current study is a longitudinal investigation of first-generation students’ mentoring networks during their transition to college at a four-year, predominantly minority-serving commuter university. At the beginning and end of their first year, students (N = 176) responded to online surveys on their mentoring relationship(s), attitudes toward help-seeking, and college experiences. Cumulative support from pre-college mentoring relationships retained across the first year was positively associated with self-efficacy. Support from newly acquired mentoring relationships was positively associated with psychological sense of school membership. Network orientation was positively associated with self-efficacy and sense of school membership. These findings highlight the importance of diverse mentoring networks and demonstrate the utility of collecting longitudinal data on multiple mentoring relationships.


2016 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente Morell-Mengual ◽  
María Dolores Gil-Llario ◽  
Jesús Castro-Calvo

AbstractSome studies have concluded there is a relationship between perceived self-efficacy and behaviors that prevent HIV transmission. This paper presents the construction and validation of the latex barrier use self-efficacy scale (LBSS), which 480 participants filled out. Exploratory factor analysis yielded two components: positive expectations of self-efficacy (ES-POS) and negative expectations of self-efficacy (ES-NEG), which together accounted for 65.59% of total variance. That structure was later verified through confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was .80 for the total scale, and .78 for each of the two factors. Moreover, the instrument had adequate convergent validity and was positively related with condom use self-efficacy, attitudes toward condom and latex barrier use, and ability to refuse sex if the partner refuses to use preventive methods. In conclusion, this instrument is a useful measure of self-efficacy in latex barrier use.


SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A121-A121
Author(s):  
Jeri Sasser ◽  
Emma Lecarie ◽  
Michaela Gusman ◽  
HyeJung Park ◽  
Leah Doane

Abstract Introduction Latinx students are the largest ethnic/racial minority group in higher education, but are also the group least likely to graduate from a four-year institution. Research suggests that heightened stress perceptions may impede college students’ ability to perform well academically. Poorer sleep may compound the impact of stress on academic functioning. The present study examined the multiplicative effect of college-stress and actigraphy-measured sleep on academic cognitions within-and-across semesters. Methods 209 Latinx college students (Mage=18.95; 64.4% female, 85.1% Mexican descent) were assessed in the spring of the first year of college (T1) and fall of the second year (T2). At T1, participants wore an actigraph watch for 7 nights to measure total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and sleep midpoint. College-stress was assessed at T1 using the College Stress Scale. At T1 and T2, participants completed the Behavioral-Emotional-Cognitive School Engagement Scale, the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, and a scale assessing academic motivation. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess the model fit of a two-factor model representing academic cognitions (engagement, self-efficacy, motivation) at T1 and T2. Latent variable path analysis models testing for moderation were conducted using Mplus. Results The CFA indicated excellent fit (χ2(5)= 2.91, p=.71, RMSEA=.00, CFI=1.00, TLI=1.01, SRMR=.02). College-stress was concurrently (β=-.19, p=.02), but not longitudinally, associated with academic cognitions. Sleep midpoint predicted academic cognitions at T1 (β=-.24, p<.01) and T2 (β=-.18, p=.03). Sleep efficiency (β=.18, p=.01) and sleep midpoint (β=-.17, p=.02) moderated associations between college-stress and T2 academic cognitions. Higher college-stress was longitudinally linked with lower academic cognitions for students with lower sleep efficiency (b=-.12, p=.01) and later sleep midpoints (b=-.14, p=.01). Conclusion Greater college-stress is concurrently linked with lower academic cognitions, whereas later sleep timing has both immediate and enduring consequences on students’ academic mindsets. The impact of college-stress on academic cognitions may depend on the quality and timing of sleep at the time of these stress perceptions. Programs that address stress reduction and sleep health may be promising interventions for improving academic well-being among first-year Latinx college students. Support (if any) This work was supported by a William T. Grant Foundation Scholars Award (184370) to L.D. Doane.


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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 676-693
Author(s):  
Dilek Unveren

The aim of this study is to develop a scale to measure Turkish reading, listening, speaking and writing self-efficacy of foreign students in Turkey. The sample group of this study consists of 412 foreign students studying in TOMER. At the first phase, four sets of items consisting of 200 items were prepared as a data collecting tool. Eliminating 90 of the items upon expert evaluations, a draft scale consisting of 110 items was applied to mentioned foreign students. The data obtained from the study were analysed by item analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods. At the end of the study, the self-efficacy scale of Turkish reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, which consists of 94 items and targets foreigners who learn Turkish as a foreign language, was found to be a reliable and valid scale. Keywords: Self-efficacy scale, learning Turkish as a foreign language.


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