scholarly journals Measuring Students’ Motivation to Engage in Sustainable Engineering Practice

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Lanziner ◽  
David S. Strong
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Survey Instrument ◽  
Professional Organizations ◽  
National Study ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Small Pilot Study ◽  
Sustainable Engineering

Abstract – Worldwide, political and professional organizations consider engineering to be a key profession in the application of sustainable development to solve global problems. In order for engineering professionals to play a key role in sustainable development, they must be motivated to engage in such practice. The purpose of this study is to develop a measure of students’ motivation to engage in sustainable engineering practice. A survey instrument was developed by applying a mixed-method approach consisting of a survey instrument design phase, small pilot study, and national study. The proposed survey instrument includes 3 openended and 40 closed-ended questions to measure previous experiences and stereotypes, self-concept of abilities, and subjective task value with respect to sustainable engineering practice. Factor analyses of the closed-ended questions resulted in the identification of 7 factors, 5 of which can be considered to be strong factors. Evidence for validity and reliability is established through the pilot study and factor analyses.  

Towards a Validation of Multiple Features in the Assessment of Emotions

1998 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 202-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Skiffington ◽  
Ephrem Fernandez ◽  
Ken McFarland
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Cognitive Appraisal ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
The Self ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Multiple Features ◽  
Action Tendency ◽  
Intensity Range

This study extends previous attempts to assess emotion with single adjective descriptors, by examining semantic as well as cognitive, motivational, and intensity features of emotions. The focus was on seven negative emotions common to several emotion typologies: anger, fear, sadness, shame, pity, jealousy, and contempt. For each of these emotions, seven items were generated corresponding to cognitive appraisal about the self, cognitive appraisal about the environment, action tendency, action fantasy, synonym, antonym, and intensity range of the emotion, respectively. A pilot study established that 48 of the 49 items were linked predominantly to the specific emotions as predicted. The main data set comprising 700 subjects' ratings of relatedness between items and emotions was subjected to a series of factor analyses, which revealed that 44 of the 49 items loaded on the emotion constructs as predicted. A final factor analysis of these items uncovered seven factors accounting for 39% of the variance. These emergent factors corresponded to the hypothesized emotion constructs, with the exception of anger and fear, which were somewhat confounded. These findings lay the groundwork for the construction of an instrument to assess emotions multicomponentially.

Evaluation of Validity and Reliability of the High-Stress Inventory in a College Population: A Pilot Study

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linsey R. High ◽  
Nicholas K. Lim ◽  
Ruth S. O'Brien ◽  
Chelsea V. Mitchell ◽  
Samantha J. T. Ross ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
College Population ◽  
Stress Inventory

HOW STUDENTS DEFINE THEIR SUCCESS: A RESEARCH STUDY

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Ullrich ◽  
David S. Strong
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Survey Instrument ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Full Study ◽  
Definition Of Success ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Diverse Groups

How undergraduate engineering students define their success and plan for their future differs notably amongst students. With a push for greater diversity and inclusion in engineering schools, it is valuable to also better understand the differences in these areas among different students to allow institutions to better serve the needs of these diverse groups.  The purpose of this research study is to explore students’ definition of success both in the present and projecting forward 5 to 10 years, as well as to understand to what level students reflect on, and plan for, the future. The proposed survey instrument for the pilot stage of this research includes 56 closed-ended questions and 3 open-ended questions. Evidence for the validity of the research instrument is established through a mixed-method pilot study. This paper will discuss the survey instrument, the pilot study, and outline plans for the full study.

Predictors of Success Using a mHealth Intervention in Adults with Prediabetes: Results of a Pilot Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nestoras Mathioudakis ◽  
Estelle Everett ◽  
Noora Al-Hajri ◽  
Mohammed Abusamaan ◽  
Clare Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Area Deprivation ◽  
Inverse Association ◽  
Small Pilot Study ◽  
Mhealth Intervention ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Metabolic Equivalent Of Task ◽  
Mobile Intervention ◽  
The Difference

BACKGROUND About one-third of American adults have prediabetes and are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies provide a scalable approach to diabetes prevention by encouraging physical activity (PA), weight loss, and adherence to a healthy diet in large numbers of patients. OBJECTIVE To identify factors associated with improvements in PA and glycated hemoglobin (A1c) measures among prediabetic adults who received a mobile intervention program (smartphone app in combination with a digital body weight scale) in a previously completed pilot study. METHODS We conducted a post hoc analysis of a 3-month prospective, single-arm, observational study using the Sweetch™ mHealth intervention among adults with prediabetes. Change in A1C was calculated as the difference between the 3-month and baseline A1C measurements and was categorized as decrease vs. no decrease. PA was evaluated using the total minutes and metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-hours per week. Change in MET-hours/week was categorized as increase vs. no increase. Age, sex, race, education, employment status, area deprivation, smartphone usage attitudes, and PA stage of change were compared between groups by outcomes of change in A1C and change in MET-hour/week. RESULTS A total of 37 adults received the final Sweetch mobile intervention and were included in the analysis. 62% were female and 81% were white, with average age of 57 years. The median [IQR] baseline A1C was 6.0% [5.8, 6.2]. A1C measure at 3-month was decreased in 24 (65%) participants when compared to baseline A1C. There was an inverse association between average MET-hours per week and change in A1C. Among participants whose A1C decreased vs. did not decrease, the MET-hours per week in last 2 weeks of study was 18.7 (8.4) and 15.0 (7.1), respectively (P=0.19), and the change in MET-hours per week was 2.1 (7.1) and 4.1(6.1), respectively (P=0.41). There were otherwise no statistically significant differences in participant factors by A1C and PA outcomes. CONCLUSIONS In this small pilot study, Sweetch mHealth intervention achieved comparable A1C response prediabetic adults with different individual, sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics. CLINICALTRIAL ClincialTrials.gov NCT02896010; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02896010 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6xJYxrgse)

The Portuguese Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills Measure: Validity and Reliability

2021 ◽  
pp. 153944922110213
Author(s):  
Pedro L. Ferreira ◽  
Ana L. Simões ◽  
Marília Dourado ◽  
Margo B. Holm ◽  
Joan C. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Performance Assessment ◽  
Self Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Portuguese Population ◽  
Perfect Agreement ◽  
Portuguese Version ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Effective Assessment

Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills (PASS) is a performance-based scale developed in the United States. Because of cultural differences, a Portuguese version was developed, then validated in the Portuguese population and tested ensuring reliability. The objective of this study was to create and test psychometric properties of a Portuguese version of PASS. A linguistic validation on older adults with physical/cognitive disabilities enabled us to validate P-PASS. Some original tasks were changed. Data were analyzed by PASS constructs (independence-safety adequacy), age, and gender. Construct validity (known-group analyses, factor analyses), with 98 individuals yielded excellent results. Reliability between two observers for 30 participants yielded almost perfect agreement for all three constructs. Independence scores were highest, followed by safety and adequacy. Men presented greater independence, as well as participants <60 years. We obtained results comparable with the original version. Conclusion. P-PASS is valid and reliable for the Portuguese population, enabling effective assessment of function and measurement of health outcomes.

scholarly journals Validating scoring systems for fracture healing in infants and young children: pilot study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Crompton ◽  
Fabrizio Messina ◽  
Gillian Klafkowski ◽  
Christine Hall ◽  
Amaka C. Offiah
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Fracture Healing ◽  
Callus Formation ◽  
Femoral Fractures ◽  
Scoring Systems ◽  
Power Calculation ◽  
Small Pilot Study ◽  
Fractures In Children ◽  
Infants And Young Children

Abstract Background Recent studies have analysed birth-related clavicular fractures to propose time frames for healing that could be applied to dating of all fractures in cases of suspected child abuse. Objective To assess differences in healing rates between femoral fractures and birth-related clavicular fractures in infants and young children. Materials and methods A retrospective 5-year pilot study of femoral fractures in children younger than 3 years of age was performed. Anonymised radiographs were independently scored by two radiologists for stages of fracture healing. In cases of reader disagreement, radiographs were independently scored by a third radiologist. Results In total, 74 radiographs (30 children) met the inclusion criteria. Fracture healing evolved over time with subperiosteal new bone formation (SPNBF) appearing first, followed by callus then remodelling. A power calculation for a single proportion, with a level of confidence of 95% and a margin of error of 5%, showed that in a definitive study, 359 radiographs would be required. Conclusion Although the overall pattern of healing is similar, in this small pilot study, the earliest times for SPNBF and callus formation in femoral fractures appeared to lag behind healing of birth-related clavicular fractures. Remodelling appeared earlier than remodelling of clavicular fractures. A power calculation has determined numbers of femoral radiographs (359) required for a definitive study.

scholarly journals The Iranian version of theory-based intention for cesarean section (IR-TBICS) scale: development and first evaluation

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Abolhassan Naghibi ◽  
Maryam Khazaee-Pool ◽  
Mahmood Moosazadeh
Keyword(s):  
Cesarean Section ◽  
Content Validity ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Delivery Method ◽  
Northern Iran ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses

Abstract Background The rate at which mothers experience a cesarean section in the absence of medical signs is growing worldwide. Women’s beliefs and intentions play an essential role in the request or choice of a delivery method. At present, there is no comprehensive, validated scale for assessing pregnant women’s beliefs about cesarean section in the Iranian population. This study was performed to develop and assess the validity and reliability of the intention-based cesarean section scale using the theory of reasoned action (TRA) constructs as a theoretical framework for measuring intention toward the selection of a delivery method. Methods In this cross-sectional validation study, 480 pregnant women were recruited from Sari, in northern Iran, through a multistage random sampling approach. Content validity was examined using the content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR). Furthermore, both exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were applied to assess the construct validity of the developed scale. Reliability was measured by internal consistency and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Quality criteria for floor and ceiling effects were derived from existing guidelines and consensus within our research group. Results The results obtained from the factor analysis showed that the data were fit to the model (χ2 = 2298.389, P < 0.001). The TRA comprised 24 items assessing five domains, which described 62.46% of the common variance. The CFA showed a model with suitable fitness for the data. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the domains of the scale ranged from 0.609 to 0.843, and the ICC value ranged from 0.71 to 0.84, which is within the satisfactory range. The IR-TBICS scale had no floor or ceiling effect on the total score or any of the dimensions. Conclusions The belief-based cesarean section scale appears to be a reliable instrument. It is considered suitable and can be applied in other research in Iran.

scholarly journals Sustainability in Participatory Sports Events: The Development of a Research Instrument and Empirical Insights

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6034
Author(s):  
Ine Hugaerts ◽  
Jeroen Scheerder ◽  
Kobe Helsen ◽  
Joris Corthouts ◽  
Erik Thibaut ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Research Instrument ◽  
Sports Events ◽  
The Social ◽  
Development Goals

The United Nations (UN) considers sports as an important enabler of sustainable development. The popular and fast-growing Participatory Sports Event (PSE) sector can play an important role in this regard, however, research that measures and reports sustainability in PSEs is scarce. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to construct and validate a research instrument based on the UN’s sustainable development goals, and to examine sustainability in PSEs. To this end, an online survey was administered among a representative sample of 303 PSE organisers, located in Flanders, Belgium. A confirmatory factor analysis affirmed the social, economic and environmental dimensions of the instrument and provided evidence for its validity and reliability. The results reveal significant discrepancies between the three dimensions, with a noticeable lower score for environmental sustainability compared to social and economic sustainability. Furthermore, challenges are highlighted in the field of the civil society sector and in walking sports events. The findings also indicate that large-sized events are more likely to be sustainable. The current study can act as a foundation for future research on sustainability in PSEs and can assist PSE organisers and policymakers to increase the sustainability-related performance of the sector.

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