Factorial Structure of Differences in Teaching Behavior Related To Adult/Pre-Adult Student Age Status

Based on the conception of sensation seeking as a need rather than a temperamental trait ( Hammelstein, 2004 ), we present a new assessment method, the Need Inventory of Sensation Seeking (NISS), which is considered to assess a motivational disposition. Three studies are presented: The first examined the factorial structure and the reliability of the German versions of the NISS; the second study compared the German and the English versions of the NISS; and finally, the validity of the NISS was examined in a nonclinical study and compared to the validity of conventional methods of assessing sensation seeking (Sensation Seeking Scale – Form V; SSS-V). Compared to the SSS-V, the NISS shows better reliability and validity in addition to providing new research possibilities including application in experimental areas.

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Construction and Validation of a Short Adjectives Checklist to Measure Big Five (SACBIF)

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759.12.1.33 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 33-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Marco Perugini ◽

Luigi Leone

Keyword(s):

Construct Validity ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Big Five ◽

Factor Model ◽

Five Factor Model ◽

Selection Procedure ◽

Factorial Structure ◽

Personality Dimensions

The aim of this contribution is to present a new short adjective-based measure of the Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality, the Short Adjectives Checklist of BIg Five (SACBIF). We present the various steps of the construction and the validation of this instrument. First, 50 adjectives were selected with a selection procedure, the “Lining Up Technique” (LUT), specifically used to identify the best factorial markers of the FFM. Then, the factorial structure and the psychometric properties of the SACBIF were investigated. Finally, the SACBIF factorial structure was correlated with some main measures of the FFM to establish its construct validity and with some other personality dimensions to investigate how well these dimensions could be represented in the SACBIF factorial space.

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Factorial Structure of the SCAS and Its Relationship With the SDQ

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000117 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 28-35 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

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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Academic Course Evaluation

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040.14.4.297 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 297-306 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Edith Braun ◽

Bernhard Leidner

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Education Reform ◽

Bologna Process ◽

Course Evaluation ◽

Higher Education Reform ◽

Teaching Behavior ◽

Personal Benefit ◽

Quality Of Higher Education ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

The Bologna Process

This article contributes to the conceptual and empirical distinction between (the assessment of) appraisals of teaching behavior and (the assessment of) self-reported competence acquirement within academic course evaluation. The Bologna Process, the current higher-education reform in Europe, emphasizes education aimed toward vocationally oriented competences and demands the certification of acquired competences. Currently available evaluation questionnaires measure the students’ satisfaction with a lecturer’s behavior, whereas the “Evaluation in Higher Education: Self-Assessed Competences” (HEsaCom) measures the students’ personal benefit in terms of competences. In a sample of 1403 German students, we administered a scale of satisfaction with teaching behavior and the German version of the HEsaCom at the same time. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the estimated correlations between the various scales of self-rated competences and teaching behavior appraisals were moderate to strong, yet the constructs were shown to be empirically distinct. We conclude that the self-rated gains in competences are distinct from satisfaction with course and instructor. In line with the higher education reform, self-reported gains in competences are an important aspect of academic course evaluation, which should be taken into account in the future and might be able to restructure the view of “quality of higher education.” The English version of the HEsaCom is presented in the Appendix .

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Equivalent Factorial Structure of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) in Clinical and Nonclinical Jordanian Populations

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000016 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 116-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Fawzi S. Daoud ◽

Amjed A. Abojedi

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽

Exploratory Factor Analysis ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Brief Symptom Inventory ◽

Factorial Structure ◽

Symptom Inventory ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Item Checklist ◽

General Psychological Distress

This study investigates the equivalent factorial structure of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) in clinical and nonclinical Jordanian populations, using both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The 53-item checklist was administered to 647 nonclinical participants and 315 clinical participants. Eight factors emerged from the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) for the nonclinical sample, and six factors emerged for the clinical sample. When tested by parallel analysis (PA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the results reflected a unidimensional factorial structure in both samples. Furthermore, multigroup CFA showed invariance between clinical and nonclinical unidimensional models, which lends further support to the evidence of the unidimensionality of the BSI. The study suggests that the BSI is a potentially useful measure of general psychological distress in clinical and nonclinical population. Ideas for further research are recommended.

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