scholarly journals Introducing a measure of perceived self-efficacy for proof (PSEP): Evidence of validity

Author(s):  
Benjamin Shongwe ◽  
Vimolan Mudaly

It is widely recognized that students encounter difficulties with proof across all grades and beyond, yet standardized instruments related specifically to students’ perceived self-efficacy for mathematical proof have not been readily available. The purpose of this study was to develop and investigate preliminary validity evidence for a new instrument for measuring self-efficacy for mathematical proof that can be of importance to the field. The new Perceived Self-Efficacy for Proof (PSEP) questionnaire is a self-administered, 8-item questionnaire that quantifies experimentation, conjecturing, inductive reasoning, justification, and validation. To validate the PSEP, two studies with 260 eleventh grade students—recruited from three Dinaledi schools in EThekwini metropolitan area, South Africa—were conducted. In Study 1 (n=128), face and content validity were evaluated, and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed. In Study 2 (n=132), a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted and external validity was investigated. In both samples, the PSEP was found to possess good internal consistency reliability with relatively high factor loadings on a single component. Although the findings in this report represent preliminary validation evidence, it can be concluded that the PSEP is a valid, reliable and sensitive measure of 11th grade students’ perceptions of their ability to construct a proof and may serve as a meaningful outcome in mathematical proof research and classroom proof education.

2021 ◽  
pp. 089033442110650
Author(s):  
Roselyn Chipojola ◽  
Cindy-Lee Dennis ◽  
Shu-Yu Kuo

Background: Only 61% of Malawian women exclusively breastfeed to the recommended 6 months. Paternal support is predictive of exclusive breastfeeding, and significantly related to paternal breastfeeding self-efficacy, defined as fathers’ confidence in their ability to assist mothers with breastfeeding. Research Aims: To (1) examine the psychometric properties of the Paternal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF) in Malawian fathers, including internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, construct validity using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and convergent validity; and (2) assess the relationship between the BSES-SF and paternal demographic and health factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a maternity hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi, and 180 fathers whose partners had delivered a singleton infant were included. Participants completed the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale and Quality of Life with confirmatory factor analysis performed to assess the construct validity. The internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability were evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and intra-class correlations. Convergent validity was also assessed. Results: A unidimensional factorial structure of the Malawian Paternal BSES-SF was identified using confirmatory factor analysis. The scale had an excellent Cronbach’s alpha of .90 and a test-retest reliability of .93. Participants’ breastfeeding self-efficacy was significantly correlated with the Quality of Life domains of psychological health ( r = .23; p < .01), social relationships ( r = .28; p < .001), and environmental health ( r = .30; p < .001). Participants who were older, married, and with ≥ two children had significantly higher breastfeeding self-efficacy and were more confident in their ability to support their partner’s breastfeeding. Conclusion: The Paternal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form was a valid and reliable measure to assess fathers’ confidence in their ability to assist mothers with breastfeeding in Malawi.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026666692199751
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Arpaci ◽  
Kadir Sevinc

This study aimed to develop a cybersecurity scale to measure individuals’ practices and perceptions regarding cybersecurity. The study tested psychometric properties of the Cybersecurity Scale (CS-S) by employing a multi-stage research design. In the first study, an Exploratory-Factor-Analysis (EFA) was conducted to explore the underlying factor structure and evaluate internal consistency reliability of the CS-S. The EFA results showed good internal consistency reliability (α = .88) and a six-factor structure. In the second study, a Confirmatory-Factor-Analysis (CFA) was conducted to verify the factor structure. The CFA results indicated that the six-factor model (i.e., confidentiality, control/possession, integrity, authenticity, availability, and utility) fits the data well. Significant individual differences were observed in each dimension of the CS-S. Results indicated that the CS-S has evidence of convergent, discriminant, and construct validity along with internal consistency reliability. The results suggested that the CS-S is a valid and reliable instrument to measure individuals’ cybersecurity practices and perceptions.


Author(s):  
Félix Neto

AbstractSaudade involves psychosocial reactions to several circumstances involving deprivation from loved people and/or familiar locations. This work concerns the development and preliminary validation of an instrument to assess general disposition to saudade, the Porto Saudade Scale (PSS). Three studies were conducted which indicated that the PSS has favorable psychometric properties. Exploratory factor analysis of the PSS demonstrated a single latent saudade factor. The confirmatory factor analysis showed that the single latent model of the PSS is adequate and possesses good internal consistency. As expected, the data also supported the convergent, discriminant, and external validity of the PSS. Saudade was more frequently reported among females than among males. These results suggest the validity of the PSS and emphasize that it is a brief measure with strong psychometric evidence for assessing saudade.


2016 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente Morell-Mengual ◽  
María Dolores Gil-Llario ◽  
Jesús Castro-Calvo

AbstractSome studies have concluded there is a relationship between perceived self-efficacy and behaviors that prevent HIV transmission. This paper presents the construction and validation of the latex barrier use self-efficacy scale (LBSS), which 480 participants filled out. Exploratory factor analysis yielded two components: positive expectations of self-efficacy (ES-POS) and negative expectations of self-efficacy (ES-NEG), which together accounted for 65.59% of total variance. That structure was later verified through confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was .80 for the total scale, and .78 for each of the two factors. Moreover, the instrument had adequate convergent validity and was positively related with condom use self-efficacy, attitudes toward condom and latex barrier use, and ability to refuse sex if the partner refuses to use preventive methods. In conclusion, this instrument is a useful measure of self-efficacy in latex barrier use.


2017 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 548-565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rina S. Fox ◽  
Teresa A. Lillis ◽  
James Gerhart ◽  
Michael Hoerger ◽  
Paul Duberstein

The DASS-21 is a public domain instrument that is commonly used to evaluate depression and anxiety in psychiatric and community populations; however, the factor structure of the measure has not previously been examined in oncologic settings. Given that the psychometric properties of measures of distress may be compromised in the context of symptoms related to cancer and its treatment, the present study evaluated the psychometric properties of the DASS-21 Depression and Anxiety scales in cancer patients ( n = 376) as compared to noncancer control participants ( n = 207). Cancer patients ranged in age from 21 to 84 years (mean = 58.3, standard deviation = 10.4) and noncancer control participants ranged in age from 18 to 81 years (mean = 45.0, standard deviation = 11.7). Multiple group confirmatory factor analysis supported the structural invariance of the DASS-21 Depression and Anxiety scales across groups; the factor variance/covariance invariance model was the best fit to the data. Cronbach’s coefficient alpha values demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliability across the total sample as well as within subgroups of cancer patients and noncancer control participants. Expected relationships of DASS-21 Depression and Anxiety scale scores to measures of suicidal ideation, quality of life, self-rated health, and depressed mood supported construct validity. These results support the psychometric properties of the DASS-21 Depression and Anxiety scales when measuring psychological distress in cancer patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 676-693
Author(s):  
Dilek Unveren

The aim of this study is to develop a scale to measure Turkish reading, listening, speaking and writing self-efficacy of foreign students in Turkey. The sample group of this study consists of 412 foreign students studying in TOMER. At the first phase, four sets of items consisting of 200 items were prepared as a data collecting tool. Eliminating 90 of the items upon expert evaluations, a draft scale consisting of 110 items was applied to mentioned foreign students. The data obtained from the study were analysed by item analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods. At the end of the study, the self-efficacy scale of Turkish reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, which consists of 94 items and targets foreigners who learn Turkish as a foreign language, was found to be a reliable and valid scale. Keywords: Self-efficacy scale, learning Turkish as a foreign language.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seockhoon Chung ◽  
Myung Hee Ahn ◽  
Sangha Lee ◽  
Solbi Kang ◽  
Sooyeon Suh ◽  
...  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people have reported experiencing anxiety in response to the viral epidemic. This study aimed to explore the validity and usefulness of the Stress and Anxiety to the Viral Epidemic-6 items (SAVE-6) scale for measuring the anxiety response to the viral epidemic of the general population. A total of 1,009 respondents participated in an online survey, and 501 (49.7%) participants were rated as having at least a mild degree of anxiety response to the viral epidemic (SAVE-6 score ≥ 15), whereas 90 (8.9%) and 91 (9.0%) were rated as having depression and anxiety, respectively. The SAVE-6 scales showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .82). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a one-factor structure for the measure. Goodness-of-fit indices (χ2/df ratio = 19.1, CFI = .92; TLI = .86; SRMR = 0.05; RMSEA = .13) were adequate. The SAVE-6 was found to be a reliable, valid, and useful brief measure that can be applied to the general population. The SAVE-6 may be useful for easily assessing the anxiety symptoms during the pandemic in the general population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 106-112
Author(s):  
Canan Kocak Altunday ◽  
Aysem Seda Yucel

Chemistry as a subject is seen by many students as an abstract and difficult lesson that bears no relationship to life. This study aimed to develop an ‘Anxiety Scale for Chemistry’, which is essential to setting an alternative for existing tools to determine anxiety for chemistry of students. This study has been carried out to develop a tool to measure the level of anxiety of students studying in the high schools in Turkey. The scale was developed as a result of the following processes: literature scan and creation of the item pool, taking expert opinions, item-total correlation, item distinctiveness features, exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency reliability, examination of correlation between sub-dimensions and confirmatory factor analysis. According to the results obtained, the scale is acceptably reliable for the research in social sciences. This study recommends that the Anxiety Scale for Chemistry should be administered to students of other fields also. Keywords: Anxiety, scale, chemistry, reliability, validity, factor analysis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Lu Liu

With the purpose of developing an instrument for measuring statistics anxiety in the online or hybrid setting, this study tested the newly developed instrument in two stages. Results on item selection and exploratory factor analysis based on pilot testing (n = 115) are presented. Results on classical item analysis, the confirmatory factor analysis, the measurement invariance test results, and the predictive and discriminant validity of the final model based on formal testing (n = 709) are presented. The resulting Statistics Anxiety Scale in the Online or Hybrid setting instrument (SASOH) has 27 items and four dimensions. The four dimensions are Class and Interpretation Anxiety (CI), Fear of Asking for Help Anxiety (FA), Online System Anxiety (OS), and Pre-Conception Anxiety (PC). The results of the confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the four-factor SASOH model represents an adequate description of statistics anxiety in an online or hybrid setting. Moreover, multiple-groups confirmatory factor analysis affirmed that the resulting model achieved at least partial measurement and structural invariance across gender and program. In addition, attitudes toward statistics significantly predicts the four factors of statistics anxiety, and the discriminant validity from mathematics anxiety was confirmed. Recommendations for future studies are also provided.


Author(s):  
Abdullah Konak ◽  
Sadan Kulturel-Konak

The lack of professional skills in project teams is one of the most important factors contributing to the high failure rate of Information Technology (IT) projects. Therefore, preparing students for increasingly complex IT projects has been an important learning objective in information sciences and technology programs. This article investigates the relationships between face-to-face students' self-efficacy of managing project tasks through online processes and their attitudes toward teamwork. The relationships among student engagement in learning experiences related to teamwork, self-efficacy of technology-mediated teamwork, and attitudes towards teamwork are investigated using confirmatory factor analysis on a data set with 344 participants. The analysis shows that self-efficacy of technology-mediated teamwork mediates the effect of learning engagement on attitudes toward teamwork. Therefore, the article postulates that mastering technology-mediated teamwork skills helps face-to-face students develop positive attitudes toward teamwork, which can be transferred to the workplace.


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