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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Posterior Predictive Model Checking Of Local Misfit For Bayesian Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Chi Hang Au
Posterior Predictive Model Checking Of Local Misfit For Bayesian Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Chi Hang Au
Masters Theses, 2010-2019
Posterior predictive model checks (PPMC) are one Bayesian model-data fit approach. Thus far, PPMC for Confirmatory Factor Analytic applications focused primarily on global fit evaluation, ignoring the nuanced information in local misfit diagnostics. This study developed a PPMC approach for local misfit and applied it to a test-taking motivation scale. If the PPMC approach is effective, fit conclusions derived from the PPMC approach should be congruent with the fit conclusions derived from the Frequentist approach. Number of item-pairs flagged as misfitting and number of disagreements were computed to evaluate congruence. Congruence is achieved if the number of item-pairs flagged as …
The Effect Of Anchoring Vignettes On Factor Structures: Student Effort As An Example, Carolyn A. Miesen
The Effect Of Anchoring Vignettes On Factor Structures: Student Effort As An Example, Carolyn A. Miesen
Masters Theses, 2010-2019
Anchoring vignettes are used as a methodological technique for removing differential interpretation of response categories (DIRC) from scores on subjective self-report measures (King, Murray, Slomon, & Tandon, 2004). This technique requires participants to read one or more short scenarios, or vignettes, designed to represent various levels of a construct. Vignette ratings are used as an indication of DIRC, which is a source of differential item functioning (DIF). Prior research primarily used indirect methods for evaluating vignette quality. In response, the present set of studies proposes using invariance testing as a more direct evaluation of how the use of anchoring vignettes …
Addressing Serial-Order And Negative-Keying Effects: A Mixed-Methods Study, Jerusha J. Gerstner
Addressing Serial-Order And Negative-Keying Effects: A Mixed-Methods Study, Jerusha J. Gerstner
Dissertations, 2014-2019
Researchers have studied item serial-order effects on attitudinal instruments by considering how item-total correlations differ based on the item’s placement within a scale (e.g., Hamilton & Shuminsky, 1990). In addition, other researchers have focused on item negative-keying effects on attitudinal instruments (e.g., Marsh, 1996). Researchers consistently have found that negatively-keyed items relate to one another above and beyond their relationship to the construct intended to be measured. However, only one study (i.e., Bandalos & Coleman, 2012) investigated the combined effects of serial-order and negative-keying on attitudinal instruments. Their brief study found some improvements in fit when attitudinal items were presented …
Assessing Ethical Reasoning Skills: Initial Validity Evidence For The Ethical Reasoning Identification Test, Kristen Lynn Smith
Assessing Ethical Reasoning Skills: Initial Validity Evidence For The Ethical Reasoning Identification Test, Kristen Lynn Smith
Masters Theses, 2010-2019
Employers, policymakers, parents and other stakeholders value ethical reasoning (ER) skills. Thus, to help students actively engage in the ER process, stakeholders at James Madison University (JMU) redefined ER, implemented campus-wide ER interventions, and created the Ethical Reasoning Identification Test (ERIT-1) to measure students’ ability to engage in a lower-level step of the ER process. The current study examined the factor structure and reliability of the ERIT-1. Confirmatory Factor Analysis results provided support for a unidimensional factor structure, meaning stakeholders can report and analyze total scores for the ERIT-1. ERIT-1 scores also demonstrated good reliability. Correlation analyses provided initial external …
Towards Construct Validity: Investigating The Structure Of The Mental Toughness In Sport Questionnaire (Mtsq-32), Kelly Jane Foelber
Towards Construct Validity: Investigating The Structure Of The Mental Toughness In Sport Questionnaire (Mtsq-32), Kelly Jane Foelber
Masters Theses, 2010-2019
In effort to gather construct validity evidence for a new measure of mental toughness, the Mental Toughness in Sport Questionnaire (MTSQ-32), confirmatory factor analyses were performed to examine the plausibility of competing theoretical models. This was done in accordance with Benson's (1998) strong program of construct validity. Four primary models were tested: a unidimensional model, a five-factor model based upon social-cognitive personality theory, a five-factor model based upon the commonly identified attributes of mental toughness, and a 10-factor multidimensional model combining the two five-factor models. Further models were tested that expanded upon the four former by including a reverse coding …
Measuring Motivation For Coursework Across The Academic Career: A Longitudinal Invariance Study, Makayla Grays
Measuring Motivation For Coursework Across The Academic Career: A Longitudinal Invariance Study, Makayla Grays
Dissertations, 2014-2019
Students must be sufficiently motivated in order to achieve the intended learning outcomes of their college courses. Research in education and psychology has found motivation to be context-dependent. Therefore, students’ motivation is likely to differ from one semester to the next according to which courses students are taking. However, there are also instances in which motivation levels may not change over time. In order to determine whether motivation for coursework changes across the academic career (and, if so, what variables may be related to that change), it is imperative to use a measure of motivation that is theoretically and psychometrically …
Effects Of Negative Keying And Wording In Attitude Measures: A Mixed-Methods Study, Chris M. Coleman
Effects Of Negative Keying And Wording In Attitude Measures: A Mixed-Methods Study, Chris M. Coleman
Dissertations, 2014-2019
Researchers often collect data on attitudes using “balanced” measurement scales—that is, scales with comparable numbers of positive and negative (i.e., reverse-scored) items. Many previous measurement studies have found the inclusion of negative items to be detrimental to scale reliability and validity. However, these studies have rarely distinguished among negatively-worded items, negatively-keyed items, and items with negative wording and keying. The purpose of the current study was to make those distinctions and investigate why the psychometric properties of balanced scales tend to be worse than those of scales with uniformly positive wording/keying. A mixed-methods approach was employed. In Study 1 (quantitative), …
Student Engagement In The Assessment Context: An Examination Of The Cognitive Engagement Scale-Extended Version (Ces-E), Ashley Brianne Charsha
Student Engagement In The Assessment Context: An Examination Of The Cognitive Engagement Scale-Extended Version (Ces-E), Ashley Brianne Charsha
Masters Theses, 2010-2019
Increasing pressure on institutions of higher education to demonstrate what students are learning has resulted in an increase in assessment testing. Because these assessments are often low-stakes for students, educators often question whether inferences based on the resulting student scores are valid. Not unexpectedly, questions often arise regarding the extent to which students are engaged on low-stakes assessments. Additionally, how their level of engagement impacts their performance is also questioned. These questions are empirical in nature. Before such questions can be examined, a psychometrically sound instrument of cognitive engagement appropriate for the assessment context must be identified. This study sought …
Introducing The Unified Measure Of University Mattering: Instrument Development And Evidence Of The Structural Integrity Of Scores For Transfer And Native Students, Megan Katharine France
Introducing The Unified Measure Of University Mattering: Instrument Development And Evidence Of The Structural Integrity Of Scores For Transfer And Native Students, Megan Katharine France
Dissertations, 2014-2019
The psychological construct university mattering is defined as the feeling that one makes a difference and is significant to his or her university’s community. University mattering emerged from the theory of general mattering, which describes mattering as a complex construct consisting of the facets awareness, importance, ego-extension and reliance. The Revised University Mattering Scale (RUMS), created by writing items to represent these facets, was developed for use in the current study. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, the model-data fit of the RUMS was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Five a priori models were tested using two …
An Examination Of The Construct Validity Of The Hong Psychological Reactance Scale, Allison Brown
An Examination Of The Construct Validity Of The Hong Psychological Reactance Scale, Allison Brown
Masters Theses, 2010-2019
The purpose of the current study was to investigate the construct validity of a measure of trait reactance: the Hong Psychological Reactance Scale (HPRS). Investigating the functioning of this measure was particularly important, as the conclusions drawn from studies relating reactance to affect, attitudes, and behavior hinge on the legitimacy and quality of the HPRS. Using two samples of undergraduates, the current study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the factor structure of the HPRS and relate it to conformity, the Big Five personality traits, and entitlement. Results supported modeling the HPRS via a modified incomplete bifactor model. As …