Teachers’ beliefs about children and children’s literacy development: The mediating role of responsive teaching

2021 ◽  
pp. 146879842110370
Author(s):  
Bi Ying Hu ◽  
Peishan Huang ◽  
Shuang Wang ◽  
Timothy Curby
Keyword(s):  
Literacy Development ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Responsive Teaching ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
Literacy Outcomes ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Child Centered ◽  
Children's Literacy

Many prior studies have shown that teachers’ child-centered beliefs are positively associated with children’s literacy development, but the mechanism driving this association is not well understood. The aim of the study was to examine whether teachers’ responsive teaching, a general factor of teacher–child interactions, served as a mediator between teachers’ beliefs about children and children’s literacy outcomes. A sample of 656 4-year old preschool children and their 59 head teachers was recruited. Children’s literacy assessments were conducted at baseline and six months later. The quality of responsive teaching was measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) near the baseline time point. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that the effects of teachers’ child-centered beliefs on children’s literacy development were fully mediated by responsive teaching. The finding offers insights into classroom practices and teacher training.

Reading with Angels: Improving Literacy among Children in Foster Care

2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Knight
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Literacy Outcomes ◽  
Children In Foster Care ◽  
Love Of Learning ◽  
Outcomes For Children ◽  
Children's Literacy ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Children In Care

The Pyjama Foundation is an Australian charity working to improve the literacy and numeracy outcomes for children in foster care. The foundation delivers the Pyjama Foundation Love of Learning programme, a learning-based mentoring programme in which volunteer ‘Pyjama Angels’ visit children in care each week to read books, play games and engage in other learning-based activities.This study surveyed 121 Love of Learning mentors (‘Pyjama Angels’) to assess their perceptions of the relationships they had developed with the children they mentored and of the children's improvement in their literacy skills, a key aim of the programme.The statistical data analysis based on the structural equation modelling and multiple regression approach showed that several factors had a statistically significant impact on the mentors’ perceptions of the children's improvement in literacy skills: relationship with the child, child's engagement and tenure in the programme, and frequency of meetings. Age and gender of the mentors were not found to have a statistically significant impact on mentors’ perceptions of this improvement, while mentors’ perceptions of their relationship with the children was the most important factor influencing their perceptions of improvement in literacy skills. The study did not include objective measures of the children's literacy outcomes, so its results are limited to the mentors’ perceptions. However, this study offers valuable insights for mentoring programmes working with children living in foster care.

Assessing Music Expertise

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 406-421
Author(s):  
Ziyong Lin ◽  
André Werner ◽  
Ulman Lindenberger ◽  
Andreas M. Brandmaier ◽  
Elisabeth Wenger
Keyword(s):  
Hierarchical Model ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Measurement Instrument ◽  
Second Order ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
General Factor ◽  
General Music ◽  
Professional Musicians ◽  
Unidimensional Model ◽  
Amateur Musicians

We introduce the Berlin Gehoerbildung Scale (BGS), a multidimensional assessment of music expertise in amateur musicians and music professionals. The BGS is informed by music theory and uses a variety of testing methods in the ear-training tradition, with items covering four different dimensions of music expertise: (1) intervals and scales, (2) dictation, (3) chords and cadences, and (4) complex listening. We validated the test in a sample of amateur musicians, aspiring professional musicians, and students attending a highly competitive music conservatory (n = 59). Using structural equation modeling, we compared two factor models: a unidimensional model postulating a single factor of music expertise; and a hierarchical model, according to which four first-order subscale factors load on a second-order factor of general music expertise. The hierarchical model showed better fit to the data than the unidimensional model, indicating that the four subscales capture reliable variance above and beyond the general factor of music expertise. There were reliable group differences on both the second-order general factor and the four subscales, with music students outperforming aspiring professionals and amateur musicians. We conclude that the BGS is an adequate measurement instrument for assessing individual differences in music expertise, especially at high levels of expertise.

scholarly journals Teachers’ Belief and Efficacy Toward Inclusive Education in Early Childhood Settings in Korea

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1489
Author(s):  
Sukkyung You ◽  
Eui Kim ◽  
Kyulee Shin
Keyword(s):  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Training Experience ◽  
Effective Teaching Strategies ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
And Training

In the literature, teacher self-efficacy has been found to increase teachers’ effective teaching strategies and students’ positive learning outcomes in inclusive education, which highlights the importance of identifying and fostering factors associated with increased self-efficacy. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine the relations between teachers’ demographic and background variables (i.e., age, teaching experience, and training experience), teachers’ beliefs toward inclusive education, and teachers’ self-efficacy. Specifically, this study aimed to test the mediating effects of teachers’ beliefs toward inclusive education on the relations between teachers’ demographic and background variables and their self-efficacy using structural equation modeling (SEM). Teacher beliefs toward inclusive education included the effectiveness of inclusive education on the social and cognitive development of children with disabilities and on non-disabled students’ understanding of the needs of children with disabilities. Results indicated that whereas teacher age and teaching and training experiences had no direct relations with teachers’ self-efficacy in inclusive education, teaching and training experiences had significant indirect relations with their self-efficacy through their beliefs toward inclusive education. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Domain-Specificity of Need for Cognition Among High School Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 607-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Keller ◽  
Anja Strobel ◽  
Romain Martin ◽  
Franzis Preckel
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Need For Cognition ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Specific Factor ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Specific Factors

Abstract. Need for Cognition (NFC) is increasingly investigated in educational research. In contrast to other noncognitive constructs in this area, such as academic self-concept and interest, NFC has consistently been conceptualized as domain-general. We employed structural equation modeling to address the question of whether NFC can be meaningfully and gainfully conceptualized as domain-specific. To this end, we developed a domain-specific 20-item NFC scale with parallel items for Science, Mathematics, German, and French. Additionally, domain-general NFC was assessed with five domain-general items. Using a cross-sectional sample of more than 4,500 Luxembourgish 9th graders, we found that a nested-factor model incorporating both a general factor and domain-specific factors better accounted for the data than a single-factor or a correlated-factor model. However, the influence of the general factor was markedly stronger than in corresponding models for academic self-concept and interest. When controlling for the domain-specific factors, only Mathematics achievement was significantly predicted by the domain-general factor, while all achievement measures (Mathematics, French, and German) were predicted by the corresponding domain-specific factor. The nested domain-specific NFC factors were clearly empirically distinguishable from first-order domain-specific interest factors.

Modeling the Structure of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure: Conceptual, Empirical, and Analytic Considerations

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 470-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella Somma ◽  
Serena Borroni ◽  
Laura E. Drislane ◽  
Christopher J. Patrick ◽  
Andrea Fossati
Keyword(s):  
Factor Structure ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Three Factor

This study sought to characterize the factor structure of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) using data from a sample of 1,082 community-dwelling Italian adults. Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) was used to compare the fit of a bifactor model for each TriPM scale, in which specific-content factors were specified along with a general factor, with the fit of a single, general-factor model. Robust weighted least square (WLSMV) ESEM supported a bifactor latent structure of the TriPM items for all individual scales. When we jointly factor analyzed the 58 TriPM items, a WLSMV ESEM three-factor structure showed adequate fit; the three ESEM factors were akin to TriPM Boldness, Meanness, and Disinhibition theoretical dimensions, respectively, and could be effectively replicated across gender subgroups. Our findings support the three-factor structure of TriPM items, at least in Italian community-dwelling adults, and provide further evidence for the construct validity of the TriPM.

Relative Roles of Cognitive Ability and Practical Intelligence in the Prediction of Success

2001 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 931-942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon E. Taub ◽  
B. Grant Hayes ◽  
Walter R. Cunningham ◽  
Stephen A. Sivo
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
General Factor ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Practical Intelligence ◽  
Academic Psychology ◽  
Predictor Of Success ◽  
The Relationship

Initial investigations into the construct of practical intelligence have identified a new general factor of practical intelligence ( gp), which is believed to be independent of general cognitive ability. This construct, gp, is also believed to be a better predictor of success than cognitive ability, personality, or any combination of variables independent of gp. The existence of this construct and its independence from Spearman's g is, however, under debate. The purpose of the present study is to investigate both the relationship between gp and g and the relative roles of practical intelligence and cognitive ability in the prediction of success. The participants included 197 college students. Each completed both the Multidimensional Aptitude Battery and Sternberg and Wagner's measure of practical intelligence in academic psychology. The results of structural equation modeling support Sternberg and Wagner's assertion that practical intelligence and general cognitive ability are relatively independent constructs. Results of regression analysis, however, do not support their contention that practical intelligence is related to success after controlling for general cognitive ability. Implications of these results for research and theory on practical intelligence are discussed.

scholarly journals The German Multi-Dimensional Perceived Autonomy Support Scale for Physical Education: Adaption and Validation in a Sample of Lower Track Secondary School Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (19) ◽  
pp. 7353
Author(s):  
Julia Zimmermann ◽  
Henri Tilga ◽  
Joachim Bachner ◽  
Yolanda Demetriou
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Autonomy Support ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Criterion Validity ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Perceived Autonomy Support

Teachers’ autonomy support (AS) in physical education (PE) has positive effects on students’ affective and behavioral outcomes in PE. Even though the existence of three different dimensions of AS, namely cognitive, organizational and procedural AS has been suggested in educational settings, there is a lack of multidimensional instruments for the assessment of autonomy-supportive teaching in PE. The aim of this study was to validate the German Multi-Dimensional Perceived Autonomy Support Scale for Physical Education (MD-PASS-PE). The sample comprised 1030 students of grades 6 through 10. Internal consistency was used to test the reliability of the assumed subscales. Factorial validity and measurement invariance across gender and age were examined by confirmatory factor analyses. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate criterion validity. The subscales exhibited acceptable to good internal consistency. The assumed three-factor structure was confirmed within a bi-factor model including a general factor and three specific group factors. Results strongly supported measurement invariance across gender while tentatively suggesting measurement invariance across age. Criterion validity was supported as the MD-PASS-PE explained 15% and 14% of the variance in the constructs of self-efficacy and intrinsic value, respectively. The German MD-PASS-PE provides PE teachers with deeper insights into their autonomy-supportive teaching behavior, helping them to support their students’ autonomy in a holistic way.

scholarly journals Construct Validity and Reliability of the Adult Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire: A Comparison of Three Factor Models

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Innamorati ◽  
Michela Balsamo ◽  
Beth Fairfield ◽  
Mariantonietta Fabbricatore ◽  
Antonino Tamburello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construct Validity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Rejection Sensitivity ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Sensitivity Factor ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Italian Version ◽  
The Common

Objectives and Methods. The aim of the study was to investigate the construct validity of the ARSQ.Methods. The ARSQ and self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and hopelessness were administered to 774 Italian adults, aged 18 to 64 years.Results. Structural equation modeling indicated that the factor structure of the ARSQ can be represented by a bifactor model: a general rejection sensitivity factor and two group factors, expectancy of rejection and rejection anxiety. Reliability of observed scores was not satisfactory: only 44% of variance in observed total scores was due to the common factors. The analyses also indicated different correlates for the general factor and the group factors.Limitations. We administered an Italian version of the ARSQ to a nonclinical sample of adults, so that studies which use clinical populations or the original version of the ARSQ could obtain different results from those presented here.Conclusion. Our results suggest that the construct validity of the ARSQ is disputable and that rejection anxiety and expectancy could bias individuals to readily perceive and strongly react to cues of rejection in different ways.

scholarly journals Mind-Personality Relations from Childhood to Early Adulthood

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Demetriou ◽  
George Spanoudis ◽  
Mislav Stjepan Žebec ◽  
Maria Andreou ◽  
Hudson Golino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Developmental Model ◽  
Attention Control ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
General Factor ◽  
General Factor Of Personality

We present three studies which investigated the relations between cognition and personality from 7 to 20 years of age. All three studies showed that general cognitive ability and the general factor of personality are significantly related throughout this age span. This relation was expressed in several ways across studies. The first investigated developmental relations between three reasoning domains (inductive, deductive, and scientific) and Eysenck’s four personality dimensions in a longitudinal-sequential design where 260 participants received the cognitive tests three and the personality test two times, covering the span from 9-16 years. It was found that initial social likeability significantly shapes developmental momentum in cognition and vice-versa, especially in the 9 to 11 years period. The second study involved 438 participants from 7 to 17 years, tested twice on attention control, working memory, reasoning in different domains, and once by a Big Five Factors inventory. Extending the findings of the first, this study showed that progression in reasoning is affected negatively by conscientiousness and positively by openness, on top of attention control and working memory influences. The third study tested the relations between reasoning in several domains, the ability to evaluate one’s own cognitive performance, self-representation about the reasoning, the Big Five, and several aspects of emotional intelligence, from 9 to 20 years of age (N=247). Network, Hierarchical Network, and Structural Equation modeling showed that cognition and personality are mediated by the ability of self-knowing. Emotional intelligence was not an autonomous dimension. All dimensions but emotional intelligence influenced academic performance. A developmental model for mind-personality relations is proposed.

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