scholarly journals Measuring difficulties in choosing an upper secondary school: Validating of the Parental Expectations, Confusion, Anxiety and Suitability Scale (PeCAS Scale)

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 588-601
Author(s):  
Diego Boerchi
Keyword(s):  
School Choice ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Concurrent Validity ◽  
Parental Expectations ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Structure Reliability ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Confirmatory Factor

This study was aimed to develop a new questionnaire, on school choice difficulties, with a limited number of items and scales to make it suitable both for pre-screening on large numbers of students and studies which use batteries of many tests. The PeCAS Scale assesses four dimensions, Parental expectations, Confusion, Anxiety, and Suitability, which could be considered the most essential according to previous literature. In total, 1495 students participated in the study. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis supported a four-dimensional factor structure. Reliability and concurrent validity, concerning the process of choosing a school and a scale on career exploration, were also adequate.

Motivating teachers’ commitment to change through transformational school leadership in Chinese urban upper secondary schools

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 735-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Liu
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
School Context ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Commitment To Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of transformational school leadership on teachers’ commitment to change and the effects of organizational and teachers’ factors on teachers’ perception of transformational school leadership in the Chinese urban upper secondary school context. Design/methodology/approach – The paper mainly uses quantitative methods to explore the relationships between different constructs. The author asks: to what extent can transformational school leadership practices in the urban upper secondary schools of a particular Chinese city explain the variation in teachers’ commitment to change during curriculum reform? What are the effects of organizational and teachers’ factors on teachers’ perceptions of transformational school leadership? Findings – The results of multiple regression analysis showed that the effect of transformational school leadership was moderate when transformational school leadership and teachers’ commitment to change were treated as single variables. Four dimensions of transformational leadership practice together explained the moderate effects on four dimensions of teachers’ commitment to change, among which the effect of managing the instructional program was the most prominent. The results of multiple regression analysis also revealed that variables like culture, strategy, environment, and teachers’ age had significant relationships with teachers’ perceptions of transformational school leadership. Culture, environment, strategy, structure, and teachers’ factors such as age and grade taught had moderate effects on different dimensions of teachers’ perceptions of transformational school leadership. Originality/value – This study is one of the first to explore the effects of transformational school leadership on teachers’ commitment to change in the Chinese urban upper secondary school context. The findings contribute to educational management in China and similar contexts, and this study advances knowledge and furthers the understandings of the transferability of theories to different contexts.

The Schoolwork Engagement Inventory

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katariina Salmela-Aro ◽  
Katja Upadaya
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Concurrent Validity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Older Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Factor Solution ◽  
Upper Secondary

This study introduces the Schoolwork Engagement Inventory (EDA), which measures energy, dedication, and absorption with respect to schoolwork. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the validity and reliability of the inventory among students attending postcomprehensive schools. A total of 1,530 (769 girls, 761 boys) students from 13 institutions (six upper-secondary and seven vocational schools) completed the EDA 1 year apart. The results showed that a one-factor solution had the most reliability and fitted best among the younger students, whereas a three-factor solution was most reliable and fit best among the older students. In terms of concurrent validity, depressive symptoms and school burnout were inversely related, and self-esteem and academic achievement were positively associated with EDA. Boys and upper-secondary-school students experienced lower levels of schoolwork engagement than girls and vocational-school students.

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