A Cross-Cultural Assessment of School Connectedness: Testing Measurement Invariance With United States and Chilean Adolescents

2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 428-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A. Sass ◽  
Felicia Castro-Villarreal ◽  
Benedict T. McWhirter ◽  
Ellen Hawley McWhirter ◽  
Michael J. Karcher
Assessment ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 107319112110345
Author(s):  
Joevarian Hudiyana ◽  
Tania M. Lincoln ◽  
Steffi Hartanto ◽  
Muhammad A. Shadiqi ◽  
Mirra N. Milla ◽  
...  

The UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-20) and its short version (ULS-8) are widely used to measure loneliness. However, the question remains whether or not previous studies using the scale to measure loneliness are measuring the construct equally across countries. The present study examined the measurement invariance (MI) of both scales in Germany, Indonesia, and the United States ( N = 2350). The one-, two-, and three-factor structure of the ULS-20 did not meet the model fit cut-off criteria in the total sample. The ULS-8 met the model fit cut-off criteria and has configural, but not metric invariance because two items unrelated to social isolation were not MI. The final six items (ULS-6) exclusively related to social isolation had complete MI. Participants from the United States scored highest in the ULS-6, followed by participants from Germany and then Indonesia. We conclude that the ULS-6 is an appropriate measure for cross-cultural studies on loneliness.


2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suman Ambwani ◽  
Cortney S. Warren ◽  
David H. Gleaves ◽  
Antonio Cepeda-Benito ◽  
Mari Carmen Fernandez

To understand the relevance of the fear of fatness construct across culture and gender, we translated the Goldfarb Fear of Fat Scale (GFFS) and examined its psychometric properties in English and Spanish languages in a sample of Euro-American male (n = 111) and female (n = 100), and Spanish male (n = 114) and female (n = 544) college students in the United States and Spain. Confirmatory and exploratory analyses tested the measurement equivalence of the instrument across samples by gender and culture. Eight of the 10 items appeared to demonstrate measurement invariance. Mean comparisons on the eight-item version suggested that there was a gender by country interaction, with Euro-American women scoring substantially higher than the three other groups. Overall, these results highlight the need for additional examinations of cross-cultural instrument invariance and explorations of the fear of fatness construct.


Author(s):  
David Weiss ◽  
Manfred Diehl

Abstract Objectives We validated an aging mindset measure that captures beliefs about the process of aging. Specifically, we introduce a brief 4-item and an extended 10-item measure assessing (non)essentialist beliefs about aging. Methods We report findings from one longitudinal and one cross-cultural study, including young, middle-aged, and older adults between 18 and 88 years. The studies established (retest) reliability and measurement invariance as well as convergent and discriminant validity of the measures. Results First, in a longitudinal study (N = 124, 50–84 years) including 4 measurement occasions, we showed that the 4-item scale assessing (non)essentialist beliefs about aging has good retest reliability and convergent as well as discriminant validity (e.g., awareness of age-related change). Second, in a large cross-cultural sample (N = 1,080, 18–82 years) of participants in the United States and Germany, we established an extended 10-item measure of (non)essentialist beliefs about aging, providing support for a 2-factor structure as well as measurement invariance across samples within and across countries (the United States and Germany), age groups (young, middle-aged, and older adults), as well as across men and women. Discussion Our results highlight the importance of distinguishing between fixed versus malleable aging beliefs in research on aging and life-span development.


Author(s):  
Moh Abdul Hakim ◽  
James H. Liu

Abstract. Parasocial theory views ordinary people’s emotional bonding with political figures as a form of parasocial relationship (PSR). Despite the insights it offers, existing measures of PSR have been criticized conceptually and psychometrically. We developed a new scale of PSR with political figures (PSR-P) and examined the construct validity, factor replicability, and measurement invariance based on samples from culturally and politically diverse countries (i.e., Indonesia, New Zealand, and the United States). In three studies using a panel of experts ( N = 20; Study 1), a convenience adult sample ( N = 212; Study 2), and representative and cross-cultural samples ( N = 897; Study 3), we found that the four-item PSR-R scale provides satisfying construct validity, as well as a replicable factor structure and scalar invariance across countries. The PSR-P scale can be utilized to advance the measurement and application of parasocial theory in the field of social and political psychology. The policy implications of the findings are also discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 383-394
Author(s):  
Saki C. Nakai ◽  
Regan A. R. Gurung

In the present study, we tested the factor structure of the 20-item Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBS; Cheek & Melichor, 1985) in a U.S. sample and used measurement invariance analysis to explore its cross-cultural validity in a previously collected Japanese sample (Sato et al., 2018). We additionally measured related personality traits (Big Five; Locus of Control, LOC; and Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System, BIS/BAS) to examine whether each predicted shyness. Participants were undergraduate students in the United States (N = 525) and Japan (N = 508). Exploratory factor analysis (n = 261) revealed a unidimensional structure for shyness to be the best fit. Measurement invariance analysis (n = 256 for United States) showed that the RCBS did not establish configural invariance, the weakest level in measurement invariance, suggesting that it may not be a cross-culturally valid and reliable tool to assess shyness. We thus did not perform any cross-cultural comparisons of variables, as initially intended. Results from a hierarchical multiple regression in the U.S. sample foundextraversion to negatively predict shyness, β = −.59, p < .001, and neuroticism, β = .18, p < .001, LOC (external), β = .14, p < .001, and BIS, β = .19, p < .001, to positively predict shyness. Gender was not a significant predictor, β = .09, p = .075. Future work may focus on the development of a Japanese shyness measure independent from U.S. conceptualizations to improve the cross-cultural validity and reliability of shyness measures.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Lakshman ◽  
Linh Chi Vo ◽  
Aarti Ramaswami

International Business researchers have recently become interested in attributional complexity (AC) in the context of cross-cultural leadership effectiveness. Despite this recent surge in interest in this construct, we know very little about its measurement properties in cross-cultural situations. Given that attributions vary across cultures, verifying the validity (measurement invariance and nomological validity) of the Attributional Complexity Scale (ACS) is a research imperative. In study I, we examine the measurement invariance of ACS using a reduced version of the original scale (ACS-18) in five countries. The results suggest that the ACS shows metric invariance in that it has a similar factor structure across the five societies examined and in two other independent samples. In study II (France), we provide evidence of AC’s predictive validity based on its relationship to a key construct in its nomological network, namely, isomorphic attribution. In study III (United States), we provide additional evidence of nomological validity by showing the relationship between AC and biculturalism. Our results demonstrate the importance of AC and imply that researchers in cross-cultural contexts can safely use the ACS-18 without risking substantive misinterpretation. We discuss results, future research directions, implications, and limitations of the study.


Assessment ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-43
Author(s):  
Eunike Wetzel ◽  
Felix J. Lang ◽  
Mitja D. Back ◽  
Michele Vecchione ◽  
Radoslaw Rogoza ◽  
...  

With a recent surge of research on narcissism, narcissism questionnaires are increasingly being translated and applied in various countries. The measurement invariance of an instrument across countries is a precondition for being able to compare scores across countries. We investigated the cross-cultural measurement invariance of three narcissism questionnaires (Brief Pathological Narcissism Inventory [B-PNI], Narcissistic Personality Inventory [NPI], and Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire [NARQ]) and mean-level differences across samples from the United States ( N = 2,464), the United Kingdom ( N = 307), and Germany ( N = 925). Overall, the B-PNI and NARQ functioned equivalently for the U.S. and U.K. participants. More violations of measurement invariance were found between Germany and the combined U.S. and U.K. samples, and for the NPI. In the B-PNI and NARQ, Americans scored higher than individuals from the United Kingdom regarding agentic aspects (self-sacrificing self-enhancement, admiration), while Germans scored lower than both Americans and U.K. individuals regarding antagonistic (entitlement rage, rivalry) and neurotic (hiding the self, contingent self-esteem) aspects. More inconsistent results were found for NPI facets. When noninvariance was present, observed means yielded biased results. Thus, the degree of measurement invariance across translated instrument versions should be considered in cross-cultural comparisons, even with culturally similar countries.


Assessment ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 107319112110214
Author(s):  
Veljko Jovanović ◽  
Mohsen Joshanloo ◽  
Marta Martín-Carbonell ◽  
Corrado Caudek ◽  
Begoña Espejo ◽  
...  

The Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) is widely used to measure emotional experiences, but not much is known about its cross-cultural utility. The present study evaluated the measurement invariance of the SPANE across adult samples ( N = 12,635; age range = 18-85 years; 58.2% female) from 13 countries (China, Colombia, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Turkey, and the United States). Configural and partial scalar invariance of the SPANE were supported. Three items capturing specific negative emotions (sad, afraid, and angry) were found to be culturally noninvariant. Our findings suggest that the SPANE’s positive emotion terms and general negative emotion terms (e.g., negative and unpleasant) might be more suitable for cross-cultural studies on emotions and well-being, whereas caution is needed when comparing countries using the SPANE’s specific negative emotion items.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gino Casale ◽  
Robert J. Volpe ◽  
Brian Daniels ◽  
Thomas Hennemann ◽  
Amy M. Briesch ◽  
...  

Abstract. The current study examines the item and scalar equivalence of an abbreviated school-based universal screener that was cross-culturally translated and adapted from English into German. The instrument was designed to assess student behavior problems that impact classroom learning. Participants were 1,346 K-6 grade students from the US (n = 390, Mage = 9.23, 38.5% female) and Germany (n = 956, Mage = 8.04, 40.1% female). Measurement invariance was tested by multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) across students from the US and Germany. Results support full scalar invariance between students from the US and Germany (df = 266, χ2 = 790.141, Δχ2 = 6.9, p < .001, CFI = 0.976, ΔCFI = 0.000, RMSEA = 0.052, ΔRMSEA = −0.003) indicating that the factor structure, the factor loadings, and the item thresholds are comparable across samples. This finding implies that a full cross-cultural comparison including latent factor means and structural coefficients between the US and the German version of the abbreviated screener is possible. Therefore, the tool can be used in German schools as well as for cross-cultural research purposes between the US and Germany.


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