Psychometric Properties of the Emotional Exhaustion Scale (ECE) in Chilean Higher Education Students

The main objective of this study was to estimate the psychometric properties of the Emotional Fatigue Scale (ECE) in a sample of 1308 Chilean university students and confirm the unifactorial structure of the scale. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were carried out. The ECE assessment had an internal consistency of 0.893 (Cronbach’s Alpha). An exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation and a confirmatory analysis were performed, obtaining the factor that explains 52.3% of the variance. The results indicated that the ECE has adequate psychometric properties for use with higher education students in Chile. The ECE scale has good psychometric properties to be applied in the Chilean university context. Its usage may be very relevant to contribute to higher education institutions to emphasize students’ mental health and prevent possible severe pathologies in future professionals. It is suggested to use the ECE scale together with the EES-Int, which is the only interpretation table for this instrument.

Variability in soil properties influencing pigeonpea (Cajanus cajana L.) yield: a multivariate statistical analysis

Aims: The aim of the study was to reveal the variability in soil properties influencing pigeonpea (Cajanus cajana L.) seed yield under semi-arid rainfed condition. Methods: Soils were initially classified into series level and further these series were divided into soil-phase units. For two site years viz., 2018-19 and 2019-20, surface soil samples from each soil-phase unit were collected before sowing of pigeonpea and subsequently crop growth parameters at critical stages were recorded. Results: The principal component analysis with varimax rotation resulted in seven components for both the site years, having eigenvalues greater than one, explained more than 80% of the variability. The step wise linear regression analysis showed that the pigeonpea seed yield was linearly correlated with PC3 (p<0.01), PC4 (p<0.01) and PC7 (p<0.05) of soil properties with R2 = 0.679, during 2018-19. Whereas, during 2019-20, the seed yield was linearly correlated with PC1 (p<0.01), PC3 (p<0.01) and PC6 (p<0.05) with R2 = 0.677. In site year 1, the available P2O5, Fe, Zn, S, Cu, number of pods, surface soil moisture determined the yield. In site year 2, the available K2O, P2O5, Fe, Zn, S, clay, CEC and available water content determined the yield. All these variables together explain variability in yield.

Subjective Perceptions of South Korean Parents Regarding the Effectiveness of Taekwondo Education for Adolescents and Its Characteristics: The Q Methodology Application

This study aims to determine why Korean parents provide adolescent children with continuous physical education through Taekwondo. The Q methodology was applied. The final 25 Q-samples were selected by composing the Q-population. Twenty parents who provided their children with Taekwondo education for more than 10 years were designated as the P-sample. Q-sorting was performed on the P-sample. Centroid factor analysis and varimax rotation were performed using version 2.35 of PQ method program. The study observed four factors with a total explanatory variance of 69%. Types 1 to 4 (N = 5, 7, 5, and 3) pertained to a powerful means of enhancing mental health, the driving force behind stable school life and social development, improvement in psychological and social areas for a successful transition to adulthood, and increased awareness of the values of Taekwondo and importance of physical activity, with eigenvalues of 4.59, 6.42, 3.16, and 1.18 and explanatory variances of 0.16, 0.32, 0.12, and 0.09, respectively. Furthermore, consensus statements for each type were investigated as Q18 and Q17. These findings supported the academic foundation of proper Taekwondo education in adolescence and confirmed it as a powerful means of exerting a positive impact on adulthood.

Measuring Anticipated Loss of Aging Parents: Development of the Parent Anticipatory Loss Scale

Background and PurposeResearch indicates non-caregiving adult children with aging parents experience anticipatory loss for parents that consists of feelings of gratitude, sadness, and worry. The purpose of this research was to develop the Parent Anticipatory Loss Scale.MethodsInterview data from non-caregiving adult children and extant literature formed the basis for creating items measuring three components of Parent Anticipatory Loss. Expert content validity was established prior to administering the survey to a convenience sample of non-caregiving (N = 315), mostly Caucasian (n = 182, 57.6%) men (n = 202, 63.9%). The crowdsourcing platform, Mechanical Turk, provided an innovative method for sample recruitment.ResultsQuestions were eliminated as indicated during analysis, yielding a 19-item scale (α = 0.93) with three subscales (α = 0.897 for Gratitude, α = 0.841 for Sadness, and α = 0.833 for Worry). Exploratory factor analysis (Varimax rotation) showed gratitude accounted for 46% of the variance, with sadness and worry accounting for 9.5% and 5.3%.ConclusionsThe Parent Anticipatory Loss scale demonstrates good initial reliability and validity and can be used to measure anticipatory loss for aging parents. Further testing with cross cultural samples is warranted.

Critical indexes of compositional nutrient diagnosis (CND) and its validation in wheat fields

Plant nutrient composition of can be used as an evaluation criterion for optimum plant growth. The objectives of present study were to (a) derive critical compositional nutrient (CND) norms for survived wheat fields and sufficiency ranges as CND nutrient index for validation samples, (b) provide a squared CND threshold nutrient imbalance index (CND r2) and compare with DRIS nutrient imbalance indices, (c) determine balanced nutrients concentration with CND indices. The yield cutoff value was 4,232 kg.ha-1. The CND indexes results indicate that Zn is the most deficient nutrient in wheat, followed by Cu, Fe, Mn and B, whereas N is the most excessive nutrient, followed by K, Ca, Mg and P. In the validation trials, the yield cutoff value were reported 5.023 kg.ha-1. The calculated CND r2 in the validation population was lower than that of the survey wheat fields, indicating a more balanced concentration of nutrients due to the application of fertilizer treatments. Significant principal component (PC) loadings were obtained after the varimax rotation. The first three PCs in high- and low-yielding subgroups and whole data set indicated 52.8, 54.6 and 48.8 % total variance, respectively. This study revealed that the decline in the wheat yield was due to the nutrient imbalance associated with multi nutrient deficiency (Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn and B) and multi nutrient excess (N, K, Ca, Mg and P).

Measuring Social License to Operate the Infrastructure Project in Bangladesh

Social license to operate is a measure to engage with and gain acceptance from the stakeholders for large infrastructure projects. The object of this study is to measure social license to operate an infrastructure project in Khulna city, Bangladesh. Predicated on an established model, 16 statements were selected as the basis for measuring the social license to operate. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 44 local stakeholders. Using varimax rotation, five different components were identified: socio-political, economic, procedural fairness, interactional trust, and institutional trust. The model was statistically tested and found to be a medium fit explaining the results. The findings are that the project has gained socio-political, economic, procedural fairness, and interactional trust of the stakeholders, yet lacks institutional trust factor to achieve a social license to operate. The paper recommends the inclusion of the social license to operate concept in infrastructure planning and implementation phases in Bangladesh. Journal of Engineering Science 12(2), 2021, 1-10

Validation of a Research Instrument for Safety Leadership and Safety Knowledge-Attitude-Behaviour (KAB) for Malaysia Manufacturing Set-Up

This article provide an empirical evidence on the validity of a questionnaire designed to assess safety leadership, as well as safety knowledge-attitude-behaviour (Safety KAB) within Malaysia’s manufacturers which fall under small and medium (S & M) entrepreneurship. The questionnaire’s items were adapted from earlier research conducted in other study contexts. First, modified fuzzy delphi method (FDM) was applied for the research to obtain expert’s consensus regarding the content validity of all items. With some modifications to suit Malaysia’s SME manufacturing setting, the 5 point Likert-scale questionnaire consisting 42 items for measuring safety leadership and safety KAB were finalised. Subsequently, it was distributed to 100 production operators from the manufacturing S& M enterrpises in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) of Malaysia for pilot testing, 95 respondents had answered. They returned the questionnaires and 89 were best to be chosen for further procedures.The determined Cronbach’s alpha values were more than 0.90 for all items representing those variables, indicating that the questionnaire possessed high reliability and internal consistency. Subsequently, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) employing principal component analysis (PCA) extraction and varimax rotation was performed to determine the construct validity. According to the PCA results, each item was retained as all the factor loadings were above the decided cut-off value, which is 0.65. Henceforth, the questionnaire is considered valid and reliabile to be used by future researchers.

Analysis for Employment Preference of Undergraduate Accounting Students in Oman

The sole purpose of this study was to study the relative importance of different employment factors which affect the students’ choice for employment. In this study the factors that affect the choice of employability was studied. This was conducted among the undergraduate accounting students of the University. The factor analysis was done by using the principal component extraction method. The Varimax rotation extraction was used. This gave us three factors that explained 57.593 percent of the variance. In this study, the following factor was significant as per the factor analysis, which was named as a financial outcome. The variables were starting salary, ability to work independently and future prospects. According to this study, we can see the most important variables that were identified with the help of factor analysis, which were good income and accounting knowledge, starting salary, the ability to work independently, future prospects, and employer’s reputation, which accounted for the cumulative contribution rate that reached 57.593%.

CONSTRUCT VALIDITY OF INDONESIAN LANGUAGE VERSION OF CHILDHOOD AUTISM RATING SCALE™ SECOND EDITION

Combination of The Childhood Autism Rating Scale™ Second Edition - Standard Clinical Tool (CARS2-ST) with criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) is thought to improve diagnostic process. To meet diagnostic needs, localized, Indonesian-translated version of CARS2-ST is developed. Therefore, assessment of construct validity of the Indonesian-language translated CARS2-ST must be performed. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Child Development Center in Surabaya, Indonesia from August to December 2019. Diagnosis of ASD then performed by using CARS2-ST and DSM-5 criteria. To assess construct validity, principal components analysis and Kaiser-varimax rotation was performed for CARS2-ST in order to determine factors. DSM-5 criteria for ASD was used to compare scale.There were 201 children aged 2 - 6 years old with reported speech and behavior problems. Sixty-six children were diagnosed for ASD. Factor analysis using Kaiser-varimax rotation indicates a significant two factors: social communication and interaction factor and restrictive stereotyped behaviors and sensory factor sensitivites. The factors satisfyingly reflects the criteria for ASD in DSM-5.Construct validity of Indonesian-translated version of CARS2-ST is confirmed, as shown by its correspondence with DSM-5 criteria for diagnosing . This study supports the continued relevance of the Indonesian CARS2-ST in ASD assessment.

Saberes digitales en el profesorado universitario. Estudio en una escuela mexicana.

Se presenta una investigación empírica que evalúa los saberes digitales en profesores de educación superior, los datos fueron recopilados en una institución mexicana ubicada en el noroeste del país. La muestra es probabilística aleatoria simple compuesta por 224 profesores clasificados desde las variables Edad, Grado académico y Género, ya que, se trabajó con el hipotético de que los conocimientos tecnológicos están relacionados con estos factores. Con la finalidad de buscar relación estadística en el agrupamiento de los datos, se realizó un factorial exploratorio por Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) y prueba de esfericidad de Bartlett con el método de extracción de componentes principales y rotación varimax. Se aceptaron solo los factores con un autovalor superior a 1 y un peso factorial por ítem superior al 0.40. Posteriormente se realizaron pruebas estadísticas no paramétricas para identificar relaciones desde las variables de cruce. Los hallazgos dan cuenta de que la Edad de los profesores es un factor diferenciador para la apropiación de saberes digitales. An empirical research is presented that assesses digital knowledge in higher education teachers, the data was collected in a Mexican institution located in the northwest of the country. The sample is simple random probabilistic composed of 224 teachers classified according to the variables Age, Academic Degree and Gender, since the hypothetical was worked on that technological knowledge is related to these factors. In order to find a statistical relationship in the grouping of data, an exploratory factorial was performed by Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett's sphericity test with the principal component extraction method and varimax rotation. Only factors with an eigenvalue greater than 1 and a factorial weight per item greater than 0.40 were accepted. Subsequently, non-parametric statistical tests were performed to identify relationships from the crossover variables. The findings show that the age of the teachers is a differentiating factor for the appropriation of digital knowledge.