Validation of the Factorial Structure of Social Capital in Youth Involved in Prosocial and Political Organizations

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1359-1376
Author(s):  
Cristina Valenzuela ◽  
M. Loreto Martínez ◽  
Patricio Cumsille
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Trust ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Interpersonal Trust ◽  
Team Work ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
Political Organizations ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Multidimensional Representation

Social capital (SC) has been described as the “glue” that facilitates close social relationships among individuals, groups, and communities. However, few studies have empirically tested the structure of this concept. We report two studies that advance and test a model of SC in youth involved in social organizations. A theory-guided multidimensional representation of SC comprising six dimensions–social trust, interpersonal trust, participation processes, team work, political efficacy, and peer solidarity–was tested in a sample of 377 Chilean youth. Participants (51% males, M age = 21 years) were mostly students (90%) drawn from 41 youth organizations that pursued either prosocial or political goals. Findings from confirmatory factor analysis supported a four-factor instead of the original six-factor model. This structure was confirmed in an independent sample of 150 participants of social and political organizations. The four-factor second-order model included interpersonal trust, participation processes, team work, and peer solidarity as first-order factors.

scholarly journals BULGARIAN YOUNG PEOPLE, VOLUNTEERING AND SOCIAL CAPITAL: TRENDS IN 2019

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 1209-1213
Author(s):  
Denitsa Gorchilova
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Young People ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
Political Organizations ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Voluntary Activity ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Energy ◽  
Pro Bono

Research on the Bulgarian youth in the last two decades detect disturbing trends of sharp decline in the trust towards different public institutions, preferences towards living in the closer family and friends’ environment, prevailing consumer attitudes. There is a necessity for injecting new energy and positive life attitude which is taken account of in the national youth policies but fails to become reality.Data from the annual government reports doesn’t show significant changes in the attitudes and ways of life of the Bulgarian young people regarding the use of their free time in a positive way like acquiring new knowledge and skills, or widening their net of social contacts. Researches show very small percentage of young people who are volunteers, low levels of membership in nongovernmental, activist or even political organizations, disinterest in civic activities.These disturbing results can be discussed in the light of the social capital theories that outline volunteering and civic activism as crucial methods in building bridging and linking social capital. The latter can help young people in their professional and personal fulfillment and in bettering the quality of their lives.The article studies the results of a research done in the first half of the year 2019 among 240 young people (mostly students). The data is gathered through a structured online questionnaire. It studies the motivation of those young people to take part in voluntary activities; as well as the attitudes of youngsters who have never participated in a voluntary activity. Other researchers in Bulgaria have found that the students are the most active volunteers in the country. The current research verifies that statement. It delves deeper in the reasons why a person would / wouldn’t take part in a voluntary activity, what are the preferred causes, what are the best information channels for attracting young volunteers, what are their expectations.So far governmental policies have failed to produce significant positive changes in the behavior of the young people in Bulgaria. But there is a large number of youth organizations, nonprofit organizations committed to promoting volunteering and international organizations and programmes that slowly are shifting the trends. To add to the portfolio of volunteering forms, an international project started in 2018 is trying to popularize the pro bono programmes and to make them a part of the typical life cycle of the students in Bulgaria and other EU countries.

Conceptualization and validation of the Neighbourhood Cohesion Index using exploratory structural equation modelling

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Ross ◽  
Mark Searle
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Structural Equation Modelling ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Equation Modelling ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Phoenix Metropolitan Area ◽  
Three Factor

Abstract The Neighbourhood Cohesion Index (NCI) is a popular scale used to measure social capital and cohesion at the neighbourhood level. Despite its prevalent use, discrepancies exist with regard to the factor structure of the scale. We explore a two- versus three-factor conceptualization of the NCI by comparing results of confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) for each model among a representative sample of adults (n = 798) in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area (AS, USA). The ESEM three-factor model with the subscales of attraction, neighbouring, and sense of community was the best model fit. This three-factor model proved to be invariant across age, gender, health, and race within our sample. Given the need to determine consistent definitions and measurement of social capital and cohesion, these findings strengthen and support the use of the NCI as an instrument to measure attraction, neighbouring, and sense of community within neighbourhoods.

Psychometrical Properties of a French Version of the General Self-Efficacy Short Scale (ASKU)

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-25
Author(s):  
Jean Philippe Décieux ◽  
Philipp Emanuel Sischka ◽  
Anette Schumacher ◽  
Helmut Willems
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
German Version ◽  
French Version ◽  
Context Variable ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
German Speaking ◽  
Valid Instrument ◽  
General Self Efficacy

Abstract. General self-efficacy is a central personality trait often evaluated in surveys as context variable. It can be interpreted as a personal coping resource reflecting individual belief in one’s overall competence to perform across a variety of situations. The German-language Allgemeine-Selbstwirksamkeit-Kurzskala (ASKU) is a reliable and valid instrument to assess this disposition in the German-speaking countries based on a three-item equation. This study develops a French version of the ASKU and tests this French version for measurement invariance compared to the original ASKU. A reliable and valid French instrument would make it easy to collect data in the French-speaking countries and allow comparisons between the French and German results. Data were collected on a sample of 1,716 adolescents. Confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a good fit for a single-factor model of the data (in total, French, and German version). Additionally, construct validity was assessed by elucidating intercorrelations between the ASKU and different factors that should theoretically be related to ASKU. Furthermore, we confirmed configural and metric as well as scalar invariance between the different language versions, meaning that all forms of statistical comparison between the developed French version and the original German version are allowed.

Exploring the Multidimensional Facets of Authoritarianism: Authoritarian Aggression and Social Dominance Orientation

2008 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Passini
Keyword(s):  
Social Dominance ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Social Dominance Orientation ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
The One ◽  
Better Than

The relation between authoritarianism and social dominance orientation was analyzed, with authoritarianism measured using a three-dimensional scale. The implicit multidimensional structure (authoritarian submission, conventionalism, authoritarian aggression) of Altemeyer’s (1981, 1988) conceptualization of authoritarianism is inconsistent with its one-dimensional methodological operationalization. The dimensionality of authoritarianism was investigated using confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of 713 university students. As hypothesized, the three-factor model fit the data significantly better than the one-factor model. Regression analyses revealed that only authoritarian aggression was related to social dominance orientation. That is, only intolerance of deviance was related to high social dominance, whereas submissiveness was not.

A Psychometric Study of the Quality Perception Questionnaire

2012 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaele Cioffi† ◽  
Anna Coluccia ◽  
Fabio Ferretti ◽  
Francesca Lorini ◽  
Aristide Saggino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Fit Indices ◽  
Quality Perception ◽  
Italian Survey ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Instrument Measuring ◽  
Hospital Structures

The present paper reexamines the psychometric properties of the Quality Perception Questionnaire (QPQ), an Italian survey instrument measuring patients’ perceptions of the quality of a recent hospital admission experience, in a sample of 4400 patients (Mage = 56.42 years; SD = 19.71 years, 48.8% females). The 14-item survey measures four factors: satisfaction with medical doctors, nursing staff, auxiliary staff, and hospital structures. First, we tested two models using a confirmatory factor analysis (structural equation modeling): a four orthogonal factor and a four oblique factor model. The SEM fit indices and the χ² difference suggested the acceptance of the second model. We then did a simulation using a bootstrap with 1000 replications. Results confirmed the four oblique factor solution. Third, we tested whether there were significant differences with respect to age or sex. The multivariate general linear model showed no significant differences in the factors with respect to sex or age.

Factorial Structure of the Therapist Adherence Measure-Revised (TAM-R) Within Multisystemic Therapy

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 427-431
Author(s):  
Aurelie M. C. Lange ◽  
Marc J. M. H. Delsing ◽  
Ron H. J. Scholte ◽  
Rachel E. A. van der Rijken
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Multisystemic Therapy ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Adherence Measure ◽  
Therapist Adherence ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
The Us

Abstract. The Therapist Adherence Measure (TAM-R) is a central assessment within the quality-assurance system of Multisystemic Therapy (MST). Studies into the validity and reliability of the TAM in the US have found varying numbers of latent factors. The current study aimed to reexamine its factor structure using two independent samples of families participating in MST in the Netherlands. The factor structure was explored using an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) in Sample 1 ( N = 580). This resulted in a two-factor solution. The factors were labeled “therapist adherence” and “client–therapist alliance.” Four cross-loading items were dropped. Reliability of the resulting factors was good. This two-factor model showed good model fit in a subsequent Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) in Sample 2 ( N = 723). The current finding of an alliance component corroborates previous studies and fits with the focus of the MST treatment model on creating engagement.

The Blank in the Mind Questionnaire (BIMQ)

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Despina Moraitou ◽  
Anastasia Efklides
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Memory Failure ◽  
Temporary Memory ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Lack Of Knowledge

Metacognitive awareness of memory failure may take the form of the “blank in the mind” (BIM) experience. The BIM experience informs the person of a temporary memory failure and takes the form of a disruption in the flow of consciousness, of a moment of no content in awareness. The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Blank in the Mind Questionnaire (BIMQ) designed to tap the BIM experience and differentiate it from other memory-related experiences, such as searching but not having in memory a piece of information (i.e., lack of knowledge). The participants (N = 493) were 249 younger adults (18–30 years old) and 244 older adults (63–89 years old) of both genders. Confirmatory factor analysis applied to the BIMQ confirmed a three-factor model with interrelations between the factors. The first factor represented the experience of lack of knowledge, the second represented the experience of BIM, and the third the person’s negative affective reactions to memory failure. The internal consistency of the three factors ranged from Cronbach’s α = .80 to .88. Convergent validity was shown with correlations of the BIMQ factors with self-report measures of cognitive and memory failures, and to the negative-affect subscale of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS).

Measurement Invariance of Divergent Thinking Across Gender, Age, and School Forms

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg-Tobias Kuhn ◽  
Heinz Holling
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Specific Model ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Confirmatory Factor

The present study explores the factorial structure and the degree of measurement invariance of 12 divergent thinking tests. In a large sample of German students (N = 1328), a three-factor model representing verbal, figural, and numerical divergent thinking was supported. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses revealed that partial strong measurement invariance was tenable across gender and age groups as well as school forms. Latent mean comparisons resulted in significantly higher divergent thinking skills for females and students in schools with higher mean IQ. Older students exhibited higher latent means on the verbal and figural factor, but not on the numerical factor. These results suggest that a domain-specific model of divergent thinking may be assumed, although further research is needed to elucidate the sources that negatively affect measurement invariance.

Working Memory, Mental Prospection, Time Orientation, and Cognitive Insight

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevtap Cinan ◽  
Aslı Doğan
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Time Orientation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Cognitive Insight ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Three Factor

This research is new in its attempt to take future time orientation, morningness orientation, and prospective memory as measures of mental prospection, and to examine a three-factor model that assumes working memory, mental prospection, and cognitive insight are independent but related higher-order cognitive constructs by using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The three-factor model produced a good fit to the data. An alternative one-factor model was tested and rejected. The results suggest that working memory and cognitive insight are distinguishable, related constructs, and that both are distinct from, but negatively associated with, mental prospection. In addition, structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that working memory had a strong positive effect on cognitive insight and a moderate negative effect on mental prospection.

Factorial Structure of the SCAS and Its Relationship With the SDQ

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Di Riso ◽  
Daphne Chessa ◽  
Andrea Bobbio ◽  
Adriana Lis
Keyword(s):  
Age Differences ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Factorial Structure ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Culturally Based ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
Italian Children

The factorial structure of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS; Spence, 1997 ) was examined in a community sample of 1,397 Italian children from 8 to 10 years old. Sex and age differences as regards anxiety symptoms were also analyzed. The convergent validity of the SCAS was explored through correlations with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997 ). The use of confirmatory factor analysis supported the six correlated factor model of the SCAS with only minor differences compared to the original work by Spence (1997 ), and it was therefore named SCAS-it. Modifications to the original SCAS were supported by methodologically, theoretically, and culturally based arguments. The internal consistency of the SCAS-it was acceptable. Females displayed significantly higher levels of anxiety symptoms than males, while age differences were nonsignificant. Positive correlations were found between the SCAS-it and selected subscales of the SDQ. The results support the SCAS model, with few exceptions that do not threaten the utility of Spence’s tool.

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