scholarly journals Reliability, Validity, and Measurement Invariance of Attitudinal and Social Norm Factors in Math

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Soung Hwa Walker

The purpose of the present study was to provide a deeper understanding of multidimensional aspects of attitudes and social norms in educational contexts. Specifically, the current investigation aimed to (1) examine reliability and validity of factorial structure of math attitudes (Affective, Behavioral, and Cognitive factors) and perceived math social norms (Parent, Peer, and Teacher factors) and (2) test whether measurement of all factors would be invariant across national groups. Three nationally representative sample data (USA, Hong Kong, and Singapore; N = 15,019) were obtained from the 2012 Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) database. High values in Cronbach’s Alpha, Composite Reliability scores, and factor loadings indicated strong internal consistency and convergent validity of all factors. Estimated correlations among latent factors were ranged from small to moderate in value (rs = .21 - .51, ps < .001) and each square root of average variance extracted turned out to be greater than all bivariate correlations (.71 - .85), which supported clear discriminant validity. Furthermore, the results of Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MGCFA) yielded that measurement of the six factors was equivalent across national groups at the level of strong (scalar) factorial invariance. Implications for math education and future research are discussed.

SAGE Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401880579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Sullivan ◽  
Andrew McConney ◽  
Laura B. Perry

This study compares rural educational disadvantage across Australia, Canada, and New Zealand using data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Across the three countries, student reading literacy and school learning environments are less positive in rural communities than in urban. Furthermore, rural disadvantage in educational outcomes (reading) and opportunities is greater in Australia than Canada or New Zealand. This could be seen as surprising as student socioeconomic status (SES), typically a strong predictor of educational outcomes, is similar for rural communities in Australia and Canada, but lower in New Zealand. Rural school principals in Australia are most likely among the three countries to report that shortages of teaching personnel hinder learning. This could suggest that policies and structures can play a role in ameliorating or exacerbating rural educational disadvantage. We conclude with questions and recommendations for future research.


Psichologija ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 44-60
Author(s):  
M. Tvarijonavičius ◽  
D. Bagdžiūnienė

Straipsnyje analizuojama darbuotojų psichologinio įgalinimo problema, pristatomas lietuviškas psichologinio įgalinimo vertinimo klausimynas ir jo psichometrinės charakteristikos. Metodas parengtas dviem etapais, naudojant empirinę skalių konstravimo strategiją. Pirmajame etape, taikant grupinio interviu ir ekspertinio vertinimo metodus, parengti psichologinio įgalinimo vertinimo teiginiai. Antrajame etape atliktas empirinis tyrimas (dalyvavo 189 tiriamieji, reprezentuojantys 8 Lietuvos organizacijas). Remiantis jo rezultatais parengtas lietuviškas psichologinio įgalinimo vertinimo klausimynas. Tiriamosios faktorių analizės metodu išskirti penki faktoriai: prasmė, entuziazmas, sprendimų priėmimas, autonomija ir pasitikėjimas kompetencija. Klausimynas pasižymi dideliu vidiniu patikimumu (bendras Cronbacho α = 0,909, atskirų subskalių nuo 0,755 iki 0,880), dideliu konvergentiniu ir diskriminantiniu konstrukto validumu tiek viso klausimyno, tiek atskirų penkių skalių lygmeniu.Pagrindiniai žodžiai: psichologinis įgalinimas, psichologinio įgalinimo klausimynas, patikimumas, validumas.EMPLOYEE PSYCHOLOGICAL EMPOWERMENT: PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE LITHUANIAN QUESTIONNAIREMantas Tvarijonavičius, Dalia Bagdžiūnienė SummaryEmployee psychological empowerment is treated as a multidimensional construct manifesting in several dimensions. It has been researched for several decades using various scales depending on the definition of psychological empowerment chosen by a reasercher. However, there is a lack of widely applicable, compact instruments for a reliable and valid assessment of psychological empowerment. Furthermore, there has been a lack of empowerment research in Lithuania. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to construct a Lithuanian psychological empowerment questionnaire and to evaluate its psychometric properties (reliability and validity).The strategy of the empirical construction of a questionnaire was used. At first, statements to describe the concept of psychological empowerment were generated, using group interviews and expert evaluation. Fifteen final items were included into the Lithuanian Psychological Empowerment Questionnaire (LPEQ). Then, an empirical research was performed: 189 respondents from 8 organizations filled up the LPEQ, G.M. Spreizer (1995) Psychological Empowerment Questionnaire (PEQ), B. E. Ashforth (1990) Helplessness Scale, Intrinsic Motivation Scale (Warr et al., 1979), and socio-demografic questions.The results of the study have revealed that the LPEQ has a high internal reliability (Cronbach α = 0.909). Five factors were extracted using the exploratoryfactor analysis, three items each. Psychological empowerment was defined based on five dimensions: meaning, enthusiasm, decision making, authonomy, and trust in competence. The Cronbach α was between 0.755 and 0.880 for the dimension level. These five dimensions show support for the existing models of psychological empowerment (Spreitzer, 1995; Menon, 2001), but also they supplement these models with for instance, the dimension of enthusiasm.The convergent validity of the LPEQ was confirmed by strong correlations (p < 0.01) between the LPEQ and the PEQ subscales, and the Intrinsic Motivation Scale. It was supported by a negative correlation between the LPEQ subscales and the Helplessness Scale. Based on the analysis of correlations, the discriminant validity of the LPEQ dimensions’ levels was confirmed.In conclusion, the Lithuanian Psychological Empowerment Questionnaire (LPEQ) can be characterized as an instrument with appropriate psychometricproperties for the use in research and practice. Directions for the future research in the field have been offered.Key words: psychological empowerment, psychological empowerment questionnaire, reliability, validity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Tisu ◽  
Zselyke Pap ◽  
Delia Virga

The present article includes two studies that have tested the reliability and validity of the Romanian adaptation of the Employee Intrapreneurship Scale (EIS). Intrapreneurship is a relatively novel concept describing proactive behaviors through which employees contribute to the growth and development of organizations they are employed in. The factorial structure and gender invariance of the EIS have been tested in the first sample, including 307 employees with diverse occupational backgrounds. The factorial structure was cross-validated in a second sample, including 122 employees with a similar composition. The second study also established convergent validity of the scale through testing its’ associations to risk-taking, innovativeness, and proactive personality. Discriminant validity was tested using the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) procedure. The results have confirmed a factor structure whereby employee intrapreneurship is composed of two latent indicators: strategic renewal and corporate venturing. Reliability indices and factor loadings have shown a consistent and valid measure of intrapreneurship at the employee level. Furthermore, the concept showed significant positive associations to other constructs in the nomological network, and the AVE indicated satisfactory discriminant validity. Overall, these studies provide a psychometrically valid measure to be used in intrapreneurship research in Romanian organizations.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blaine G Robbins

Across the social sciences, generalized trust has been one of the most frequently examined constructs since researchers first introduced measures of it in the 1950s. Despite its significance, there is growing consensus that conventional measures of generalized trust are prone to measurement invalidity and non-equivalence, which places sociological knowledge about generalized trust in serious doubt. In this article, I advance trust research in sociology by (1) refining two new self-report measures of generalized trust—the Stranger Face Trust scale (SFT) and the Imaginary Stranger Trust scale (IST)—and (2) assessing their empirical performance on a nationally representative probability sample (N = 1,264). I compare the reliability and validity of SFT, IST, and traditional measures of generalized trust across a number of measurement validation tests (convergent validity, discriminant validity, known-groups validity, and predictive validity). Results suggest that SFT provides the most accurate and consistent measure of generalized trust. I conclude by discussing the implications of my findings for sociological knowledge.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-78
Author(s):  
Mohammed A. A. Abulela ◽  
Michael Harwell

Data analysis is a significant methodological component when conducting quantitative education studies. Guidelines for conducting data analyses in quantitative education studies are common but often underemphasize four important methodological components impacting the validity of inferences: quality of constructed measures, proper handling of missing data, proper level of measurement of a dependent variable, and model checking. This paper highlights these components for novice researchers to help ensure statistical inferences are valid. We used empirical examples involving contingency tables, group comparisons, regression analysis, and multilevel modelling to illustrate these components using the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) data. For every example, we stated a research question and provided evidence related to the quality of constructed measures since measures with weak reliability and validity evidence can bias estimates and distort inferences. The adequate strategies for handling missing data were also illustrated. The level of measurement for the dependent variable was assessed and the proper statistical technique was utilized accordingly. Model residuals were checked for normality and homogeneity of variance. Recommendations for obtaining stronger inferences and reporting related evidence were also illustrated. This work provides an important methodological resource for novice researchers conducting data analyses by promoting improved practice and stronger inferences.


Author(s):  
Chiara Giberti ◽  
Andrea Maffia

Abstract This paper sets out to explore the different uses made of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Program for International Student Assessment (OECD-PISA) tests and data in mathematics education research. Through a comprehensive literature review of journals and conference papers, we show that although a large variety of topics is addressed, they do not cover all the topics considered in mathematics education research. Analysing the temporal and geographical distribution of papers, we find that there is increasing interest in the use of PISA in our field of research and that different countries are involved in different ways in mathematics education research about PISA. As a conclusion, we suggest that critical research into the effect of PISA can be developed further, especially in those countries that have joined the OECD survey in recent years. Other future research paths using data from PISA are detected.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Soung Hwa Walker ◽  
Deron Walker ◽  
Keith F. Widaman

Although the Attitudes toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI; four-factor model with 40 items) has been well-established as a viable tool to test the multidimentionality of math attitudes, studies have pointed out that the ATMI is lengthy, and analyses have typically been conducted on individual samples from either western or non-western cultural contexts. To address these concerns, the present study aimed to evaluate a shorter version of math attitude scales (three-factor model with 11 items) using data from three nationally representative samples (USA, Hong Kong, and Singapore). The primary goal of the current investigation was to establish reliabilty and validity of the factor structure of Affective-Behavioal-Cognitive math attitudes. Alpha coefficients (.74 - .91), factor loadings (.49 - .90), and inter-item correlation matrices supported strong reliability and clear convergent and discriminant validity of all three subscales of math attitudes. Findings were consistent with the well-documented theoretical model of ABC math attitudes (Eagly & Chaiken, 1998, 2007; Walker, 2018; Zan & Di Martino, 2007, 2014) as well as the classical tripartite model of attitudes from social pyschology (Breckler, 1984; Rosenberg & Hovland, 1960). Implications of the ABC model of math attitudes on math education, limitations of the present study, and future research are discussed.


Virtual instructional leadership model (VILM) consists of seven constructs namely communicating the school’s goals, supervising and evaluating instruction, monitoring students’ progress, providing incentives for teachers, providing incentives for students, integrating mobile technology and getting involved in community support. The objectives of the study were to develop a computational of measurement model, evaluate and prove the suggested construct and indicators for VILM among principals. Data from 155 respondents collected through questionnaire were analyzed using AMOS version 22. The suggested constructs and indicators were considered accepted as measurement elements by observing a regression weight for loading factor, average variance extracted (AVE) for convergent validity, composite reliability (CR) for item reliability, the square root of AVE (√AVE) for discriminant validity, and at least three fit indexes for model fitness. The findings showed that all constructs were significant (FL= 0.80-0.91; AVE= 0.646-0.944; CR= 0.834-0.960). Finally, this study was successfully developed a measurement model of virtual instructional leadership model. Therefore, these models can be used for school leaders, accessed future research or any type of program in order to improve the instructional leadership.


Author(s):  
John Jerrim ◽  
Gill Wyness

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an important international study of 15-year-olds' academic achievement. Although PISA has traditionally been used to draw comparisons across countries, there is growing interest in the production of regional (i.e. city, state, or provincial level) results. In this paper we present the first attempt to benchmark London in the PISA rankings. Pooling data across the 2009 and 2012 survey waves, we estimated a 95 per cent confidence interval for London's mathematics, reading, and science PISA scores. These are compared not only to country-level averages, but also to the scores of other major world cities and states. The paper concludes by discussing how these results should be interpreted, and possible directions for future research.


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