Mediating Role of Fluid Intelligence Between Working Memory and Academic Achievement of University Undergraduates: Does Gender Matter?

The present study examined the mediating role of fluid intelligence between working memory (WM) and academic achievement and tested the invariance of this model across gender in a random sample of university students (N = 560, 228 boys & 332 girls). Heart and Flower task (Diamond, 2013) and Raven’s Standard Progressive MatricesTM Plus (Raven, 1998) were used to operationalize WM and fluid intelligence, respectively. Academic achievement was operationalized through the CGPAs of students. Findings of the path analysis suggested that fluid intelligence mediated between WM and CGPA. Test of the model invariance indicated that fluid intelligence was a stronger predictor of academic achievement for boys as compared to the girls, which suggested that the indirect effect of WM on academic achievement through fluid intelligence was stronger for boys. Significant gender differences were observed as girls’ mean scores on WM and academic achievement were higher than those of the boys.

Validation of the Bar-On EQ-i: YV (S) Inventory in Its Spanish Version: Gender-Based Invariance Analysis

The purpose of this work is to verify the factorial structure and analyze the reliability of the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i): Youth Version (YV) (S) by evaluating emotional intelligence in a more extensive sample of Spanish adolescents than has been used to date, since this inventory has been employed in various studies but with a very limited number of participants. For this study, 5292 adolescents from all over Spain participated—male (51.2%) and female (48.8%) secondary education students between 11 and 19 years old, with an average age of 14.33. Data analysis included a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), reliability analysis, and model invariance as a function of gender. The CFA confirms that the data empirically support the theoretical model and that the goodness-of-fit indexes are adequate. The reliability analysis of the inventory presents a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the total scale of 0.76, and reliability indexes for each of the factors range between 0.63 and 0.80. The findings show that the model indicates invariance related to gender.

Measurement invariance and validity of the Athlete Engagement Questionnaire

Engagement is a psychological construct that was originally defined in an organizational context to refer to the emotional, cognitive and physical components that drive people to get actively involved in their occupational duties. In sports science, the Athlete Engagement Questionnaire conceptualizes engagement as a multidimensional construct comprising four factors: confidence, vigor, dedication and enthusiasm. The purpose of this study was to analyze the measurement model invariance of the Athlete Engagement Questionnaire across different competitive levels and to provide evidence of construct validity in relation to burnout. To this end, we recruited 1157 athletes of both sexes, aged between 12 and 35 years, to complete the Athlete Engagement Questionnaire and Athlete Burnout Questionnaire. The results provided evidence of Athlete Engagement Questionnaire measurement model invariance and its validity with respect to burnout.

Motivational orientations of college band students: A cross-cultural examination of a collective 2 x 2 achievement goal model

The purpose of this study was to determine the cross-cultural validity of a collective achievement goal model using a sample of non-music-major college band students from the US and Singapore. The study was situated within a theoretical framework that posited individual and collective achievement goal orientations of mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance. These constructs were also examined in relation to three adaptive learning outcomes: flow, grit, and commitment to band. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that whether considering the US, the Singapore, or the entire sample, the collective 2 × 2 achievement goal framework yielded a superior fit to the data when compared with four competing dichotomous and trichotomous models. Model invariance testing found that although the collective 2 × 2 achievement goal model appears to fit fairly well to the data from both groups of participants, cross-cultural model invariance can only be claimed conditionally. Hierarchical regression indicated that independent of any variation already explained by achievement goal sub-scales from the individual perspective, scales from the collective perspective explained a small but significant increase in variance for flow.