Measuring Math Anxiety Among Predominantly Underrepresented Minority Undergraduates Using the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale

2022 ◽  
pp. 073428292110632
Author(s):  
Kit W. Cho

Many students experience math anxiety, which can negatively affect their academic achievement and even their career choices. One of the most commonly used methods to assess math anxiety is the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS). Despite the ubiquity of this measure, there is a lack of studies assessing its validity. Moreover, almost all studies have administered the AMAS to a predominantly (>75%) White sample. The present study assessed the validity of the AMAS in a largely underrepresented minority-student (Hispanics and Blacks) sample. The construct validity of the scale was established by showing that students’ AMAS was predictive of both their actual (objective) and predicted (subjective) performance on an arithmetic task. The factor structure of the measure was validated by confirming that the two-factor model was a better fit than the one-factor model. Gender invariance was supported using multi-group confirmatory factor analyses. Overall, the results of the present study provide further evidence on the validity of the AMAS and its use among underrepresented minority college students.

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-217
Author(s):  
Leilani A. Madrigal ◽  
Vincenzo Roma ◽  
Todd Caze ◽  
Arthur Maerlender ◽  
Debra Hope

This study aimed to provide further psychometric validation of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) by assessing the factor structure, invariance across gender, and convergent and divergent validity of the SAS-2 by correlating both related (i.e., anxiety sensitivity, brief fear of negative evaluation, intolerance of uncertainty, and negative affect) and unrelated constructs (i.e., positive affect, self-confidence). A total of 542 current and former competitive athletes completed a questionnaire through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk system. All data were collected via online survey. Participants were randomly assigned to an exploratory factor analysis (n = 271) and confirmatory factor analysis group (n = 271). Results indicated that both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the three-factor model of anxiety involving somatic anxiety, worry, and concentration disruption. Additionally, this study found the SAS-2 to be reliable, gender invariant, and have strong construct validity. Our findings extend the generalizability of the SAS-2 in more varied populations of athletic backgrounds.


2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 725-735
Author(s):  
Qingqing Zhu ◽  
Patricia A. Lowe

The purpose of this study was to adapt the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale–Second Edition (RCMAS-2) into Mandarin and to examine its psychometric properties among Chinese adolescents. The participants included 436 Chinese students in Grades 7 to 12 who were administered the Chinese version of the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS-2-C). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were performed to examine the factor structure of the RCMAS-2-C. Results indicated a modified four-factor model (Worry and Social Anxiety factors combined, Physiological Anxiety, Defensiveness I, and Defensiveness II factors) provided an adequate model fit to the data. Categorical omegas were computed and ranged from .68 to .90 for the RCMAS-2 scale scores. Convergent evidence of validity for the RCMAS-2-C anxiety scores was also found. Implications of the findings of the study for clinicians and researchers are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seongkwan Cho ◽  
Hunhyuk Choi ◽  
Robert C. Eklund ◽  
Insu Paek

AbstractThe main purpose of the present study was to examine the validation and reliability of the Korean version of the Sport Anxiety Scale (SAS-2Kr) by evaluating its factorial invariance across gender. A total of 303 Korean collegiate athletes (198 males and 105 females) from 9 sports participated in the study, and they completed the demographic questionnaire and the SAS-2Kr containing 15 items to measure multidimensional trait anxiety and individual differences in the cognitive and somatic anxiety experienced by athletes. The results of this study indicated that the construct validity in the SAS-2Kr was well established in that the values of the standardized factor loadings, composite reliability, and average variance extracted values were above the recommended cutoff points. The multiple-sample confirmatory factor analyses showed the SAS-2Kr could be generalizable across gender in college samples. The results also indicated that the SAS-2Kr supported the original 3-factor model of SAS-2 in English consisting of somatic anxiety, worry, and concentration disruption, and thus this study provides useful information for researchers to understand the athletes’ tendency to experience anxiety reactions in sport situations. Suggestions for future research on competitive trait anxiety are provided in the discussion section.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0245200
Author(s):  
Ahmed M. Megreya ◽  
Denes Szűcs ◽  
Ahmed A. Moustafa

Science anxiety refers to students’ negative emotions about learning science. Across two studies, we investigated the psychometric properties of the newly developed Abbreviated Science Anxiety Scale (ASAS), which was adapted from the modified Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (m-AMAS) (Carey E., 2017). Using a sample of students in grades 7 to 10 (N = 710), Study 1 reported a two-factor structure of the ASAS (learning science anxiety and science evaluation anxiety) and negative associations between the ASAS factors and science achievement. Study 2 replicated this two-factor model in students in grades 11 and 12 (N = 362) and found that students in the “Arts” track were more anxious about science than those in “Sciences” track. Both studies consistently reported positive inter-correlations between the ASAS factors, with good internal reliabilities and modest meaningful associations with test anxiety and general anxiety, suggesting that science anxiety might be a distinct construct. Further, female students had higher science anxiety (especially science evaluation anxiety) than male students, even when test anxiety and general anxiety were considered in models. In summary, the ASAS is a brief, valid, and reliable instrument that can be used to guide and improve science education.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio A. Silverio ◽  
Siân M. Davies ◽  
Paul Christiansen ◽  
Marta E. Aparicio-García ◽  
Alessandra Bramante ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Global crises inevitably increase levels of anxiety in postpartum populations. Effective and efficient measurement is therefore essential. This study aimed to create a 12-item research short form of the 51-item Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale [PSAS] and validate it for use in rapid response research at a time of global crises [PSAS-RSF-C]. We also present the same 12-items, in five other languages (Italian, French, Chinese, Spanish, Dutch) to increase global accessibility of a psychometric tool to assess maternal mental health. Methods Twelve items from the PSAS were selected on the basis of a review of their factor loadings. An on-line sample of UK mothers (N = 710) of infants up to 12 weeks old completed the PSAS-RSF-C during COVID-19 ‘lockdown’. Results Principal component analyses on a randomly split sample (n = 344) revealed four factors, identical in nature to the original PSAS, which in combination explained 75% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analyses (n = 366) demonstrated the four-factor model fit the data well. Reliability of the overall scale and of the underlying factors in both samples proved excellent. Conclusions Findings suggest the PSAS-RSF-C may prove useful as a clinical screening tool and is the first postpartum-specific psychometric scale to be validated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This offers psychometrically sound assessment of postpartum anxiety. By increasing the accessibility of the PSAS, we aim to enable researchers the opportunity to measure maternal anxiety, rapidly, at times of global crisis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-236
Author(s):  
Figen Kasapoğlu

The purpose of this research is to develop the Counselor Attitude Scale for Spirituality in Counseling. The study group consists of 386 (253 female, 133 male) counselors. The methods of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are used to determine the construct validity of the scale. A single-factor structure consisting of seven items has been obtained as a result of the exploratory factor analysis. The compatibility the one-dimensional model has with the data is tested using confirmatory factor analysis. The single-factor model has been determined to have good fit indexes as a result of the analysis (RMSEA = .04, RMR = .03, GFI = .98, AGFI = .95, CFI = .99, IFI = .99, NFI = .98). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient has been calculated as .89 for the reliability analysis of the scale and the test-retest coefficient as .88; the 27% lower-upper group t values are found to be significant (p<.001). The findings show the developed scale to be psychometrically valid and reliable, and useful for assessing counselors’ attitudes towards spirituality in counseling interactions.


Author(s):  
Francisco J. Ruiz ◽  
Paula Odriozola-González ◽  
Juan C. Suárez-Falcón

Abstract. Rule-governed behavior is a central concept to explain complex human behavior from a functional-analytic standpoint. Recently, a self-report measure of a functional type of rule-following called generalized pliance has been developed – the Generalized Pliance Questionnaire (GPQ). The GPQ has two versions with 18 and 9 items, respectively. This study aimed to analyze the factor structure and psychometric properties of both GPQ versions in a Spanish online sample ( N = 846). Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the one-factor model obtained an acceptable fit in the GPQ-18, but an inadequate fit in the GPQ-9. The GPQ-18 showed measurement invariance across gender, excellent internal consistency, and convergent construct validity. According to the results, the GPQ-18 showed good psychometric properties in Spanish samples.


2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Gremigni ◽  
Nicola Mobilio ◽  
Giulia Casu ◽  
Santo Catapano

About 7–12% of individuals experience high dental anxiety and it represents a barrier to dental care. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) is a brief measure of dental anxiety which is widely used in clinical practice as well as in research. The principal aims of this study were to create and validate an Italian version of the MDAS and to determine whether its validity was influenced by gender and different methods of data collection (on paper or electronically). A secondary objective was to collect further evidence of criterion validity and reliability of the scale. A self-report battery of standardized psychological measures, including the Italian MDAS and other measures, was completed on paper by 126 patients attending a dental clinic and electronically by 108 respondents plus 40 dentists. Fifty-nine percent of all subjects were female. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a two-factor model for the Italian MDAS and measurement invariance across gender and method of administration. Both internal consistency and 4-week test-retest estimates of reliability were good. The Italian MDAS was shown to be differentially correlated in expected ways with other constructs. Women showed higher dental anxiety than men and online respondents reported higher dental anxiety than dental patients.


1997 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 359-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen A. Martin ◽  
W. Jack Rejeski ◽  
Mark R. Leary ◽  
Edward McAuley ◽  
Susan Bane

Recent research has suggested that the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS) is a multidimensional rather than a unidimensional measure. The present study challenged this position on both conceptual and empirical grounds. After deleting three questionable items from the SPAS, a series of confirmatory factor analyses were conducted across four samples of women who had completed the scale. Across all samples, the model fit indices (i.e., all > .90) suggested that a nine-item, single factor model of the SPAS is more parsimonious and conceptually clear than a two-factor model. It is recommended that researchers of social physique anxiety begin to use the nine-item version of the SPAS described in this paper.


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