Mathematics Teachers' Attitudes toward the Computers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ocak, Mehmet A.

2005-01-01

This study reports an investigation of the effects of gender, age, and racial and ethnicity on the attitudes of mathematics teachers towards computer use. The participants of the study were mathematics teachers working in a wide range of New York public schools (n = 50). A Confidence with Computers in Mathematics Teachers (CCMT) rating scale was…

Psychology of computer use: XXIV. Computer-related stress among technical college students.

PubMed

Ballance, C T; Rogers, S U

1991-10-01

Hudiburg's Computer Technology Hassles Scale, along with a measure of global stress and a scale on attitudes toward computers, were administered to 186 students in a two-year technical college. Hudiburg's work with the hassles scale as a measure of "technostress" was affirmed. Moderate, but statistically significant, correlations among the three scales are reported. No relationship between the hassles scale and achievement as measured by GPA was detected.

A comparison of African-American and Caucasian college students' attitudes toward computers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luckett, Pamela Gail

1997-09-01

As computer usage becomes mandatory on college campuses across the world, the issue of examining students' attitudes toward computers becomes very important. The major goal of this study was to examine the relationship between gender and ethnicity and African American and Caucasian college students attitudes toward computers. The Computer Attitude Scale instrument was used to measure the students' attitudes. During the Summer of the 1996 academic year, a university in the southeastern United States was selected to participate in this study. A total of 230 African American and Caucasian undergraduate students participated in the study. The students were pre-tested during the first week of the semester to access their initial computer attitudes. The students were enrolled in one of the mandatory computer literacy courses (Computer Literacy Awareness Course or C, Pascal or FORTRAN Programming Course) for 12 weeks. There were a total of seven different instructors for the courses. During the 12th week of class, the students were post-tested to access their computer attitudes after completing one of the computer literacy courses. Results were analyzed using ANCOVA. While both African Americans and Caucasian students showed a slight increase in their attitudes toward computers after completing the course, no significant difference between the groups was found. However, all groups were found to have positive attitudes toward computers in general. Data analysis also indicated no significant gender difference among African American and Caucasian undergraduate students. This confirmed findings of previous studies in which no significant gender difference was found to exist among college students.

Interaction in Distance Nursing Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boz Yuksekdag, Belgin

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine psychiatry nurses' attitudes toward the interactions in distance nursing education, and also scrunize their attitudes based on demographics and computer/Internet usage. The comparative relational scanning model is the method of this study. The research data were collected through "The Scale of Attitudes of…

Saudi high school students' attitudes and barriers toward the use of computer technologies in learning English.

PubMed

Sabti, Ahmed Abdulateef; Chaichan, Rasha Sami

2014-01-01

This study examines the attitudes of Saudi Arabian high school students toward the use of computer technologies in learning English. The study also discusses the possible barriers that affect and limit the actual usage of computers. Quantitative approach is applied in this research, which involved 30 Saudi Arabia students of a high school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The respondents comprised 15 males and 15 females with ages between 16 years and 18 years. Two instruments, namely, Scale of Attitude toward Computer Technologies (SACT) and Barriers affecting Students' Attitudes and Use (BSAU) were used to collect data. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) of Davis (1989) was utilized. The analysis of the study revealed gender differences in attitudes toward the use of computer technologies in learning English. Female students showed high and positive attitudes towards the use of computer technologies in learning English than males. Both male and female participants demonstrated high and positive perception of Usefulness and perceived Ease of Use of computer technologies in learning English. Three barriers that affected and limited the use of computer technologies in learning English were identified by the participants. These barriers are skill, equipment, and motivation. Among these barriers, skill had the highest effect, whereas motivation showed the least effect.

Assessing attitudes toward computers and the use of Internet resources among undergraduate microbiology students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Delia Marie Castro

Computer literacy and use have become commonplace in our colleges and universities. In an environment that demands the use of technology, educators should be knowledgeable of the components that make up the overall computer attitude of students and be willing to investigate the processes and techniques of effective teaching and learning that can take place with computer technology. The purpose of this study is two fold. First, it investigates the relationship between computer attitudes and gender, ethnicity, and computer experience. Second, it addresses the question of whether, and to what extent, students' attitudes toward computers change over a 16 week period in an undergraduate microbiology course that supplements the traditional lecture with computer-driven assignments. Multiple regression analyses, using data from the Computer Attitudes Scale (Loyd & Loyd, 1985), showed that, in the experimental group, no significant relationships were found between computer anxiety and gender or ethnicity or between computer confidence and gender or ethnicity. However, students who used computers the longest (p = .001) and who were self-taught (p = .046) had the lowest computer anxiety levels. Likewise students who used computers the longest (p = .001) and who were self-taught (p = .041) had the highest confidence levels. No significant relationships between computer liking, usefulness, or the use of Internet resources and gender, ethnicity, or computer experience were found. Dependent T-tests were performed to determine whether computer attitude scores (pretest and posttest) increased over a 16-week period for students who had been exposed to computer-driven assignments and other Internet resources. Results showed that students in the experimental group were less anxious about working with computers and considered computers to be more useful. In the control group, no significant changes in computer anxiety, confidence, liking, or usefulness were noted. Overall, students in the experimental group, who responded to the use of Internet Resources Survey, were positive (mean of 3.4 on the 4-point scale) toward their use of Internet resources which included the online courseware developed by the researcher. Findings from this study suggest that (1) the digital divide with respect to gender and ethnicity may be narrowing, and (2) students who are exposed to a course that augments computer-driven courseware with traditional teaching methods appear to have less anxiety, have a clearer perception of computer usefulness, and feel that online resources enhance their learning.

Instruction of Statistics via Computer-Based Tools: Effects on Statistics' Anxiety, Attitude, and Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ciftci, S. Koza; Karadag, Engin; Akdal, Pinar

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of statistics instruction using computer-based tools, on statistics anxiety, attitude, and achievement. This study was designed as quasi-experimental research and the pattern used was a matched pre-test/post-test with control group design. Data was collected using three scales: a Statistics…

Second Chance School Students' Attitudes toward the Use of Computers in Domokos Prison, Greece

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giannoukos, Georgios; Armaos, Remos

2016-01-01

This paper is an attempt to explore educational issues in a school operating in a prison in the hope that findings will be useful in further and larger-scale research. The objective of the study was to investigate the attitudes of inmates attending the Second Chance School, Domokos prison, Greece, towards the use of computers with the help of the…

Nurses' attitudes towards computers: cross sectional questionnaire study.

PubMed

Brumini, Gordan; Kovic, Ivor; Zombori, Dejvid; Lulic, Ileana; Petrovecki, Mladen

2005-02-01

To estimate the attitudes of hospital nurses towards computers and the influence of gender, age, education, and computer usage on these attitudes. The study was conducted in two Croatian hospitals where integrated hospital information system is being implemented. There were 1,081 nurses surveyed by an anonymous questionnaire consisting of 8 questions about demographic data, education, and computer usage, and 30 statements on attitudes towards computers. The statements were adapted to a Likert type scale. Differences in attitudes towards computers were compared using one-way ANOVA and Tukey-b post-hoc test. The total score was 120+/-15 (mean+/-standard deviation) out of maximal 150. Nurses younger than 30 years had a higher total score than those older than 30 years (124+/-13 vs 119+/-16 for 30-39 age groups and 117+/-15 for>39 age groups, P<0.001). Nurses with a bachelor's degree (119+/-16 vs 122+/-14, P=0.002) and nurses who had attended computer science courses had a higher total score compared to the others (124+/-13 vs 118+/-16, P<0.001). Nurses using computers more than 5 hours per week had higher total score than those who used computers less than 5 hours (127+/-13 vs 124+/-12 for 1-5 h and and 119+/-14 for <1 hour per day, P<0.001, post-hoc test). Nurses in general have positive attitudes towards computers. These results are important for the planning and implementing an integrated hospital information system.

Students, Computers and Mathematics the Golden Trilogy in the Teaching-Learning Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

García-Santillán, Arturo; Escalera-Chávez, Milka Elena; López-Morales, José Satsumi; Córdova Rangel, Arturo

2014-01-01

In this paper we examine the relationships between students' attitudes towards mathematics and technology, therefore, we take a Galbraith and Hines' scale (1998, 2000) about mathematics confidence, computer confidence, computer and mathematics interaction, mathematics motivation, computer motivation, and mathematics engagement. 164 questionnaires…

Development and testing of a scale to assess physician attitudes about handheld computers with decision support.

PubMed

Ray, Midge N; Houston, Thomas K; Yu, Feliciano B; Menachemi, Nir; Maisiak, Richard S; Allison, Jeroan J; Berner, Eta S

2006-01-01

The authors developed and evaluated a rating scale, the Attitudes toward Handheld Decision Support Software Scale (H-DSS), to assess physician attitudes about handheld decision support systems. The authors conducted a prospective assessment of psychometric characteristics of the H-DSS including reliability, validity, and responsiveness. Participants were 82 Internal Medicine residents. A higher score on each of the 14 five-point Likert scale items reflected a more positive attitude about handheld DSS. The H-DSS score is the mean across the fourteen items. Attitudes toward the use of the handheld DSS were assessed prior to and six months after receiving the handheld device. Cronbach's Alpha was used to assess internal consistency reliability. Pearson correlations were used to estimate and detect significant associations between scale scores and other measures (validity). Paired sample t-tests were used to test for changes in the mean attitude scale score (responsiveness) and for differences between groups. Internal consistency reliability for the scale was alpha = 0.73. In testing validity, moderate correlations were noted between the attitude scale scores and self-reported Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) usage in the hospital (correlation coefficient = 0.55) and clinic (0.48), p < 0.05 for both. The scale was responsive, in that it detected the expected increase in scores between the two administrations (3.99 (s.d. = 0.35) vs. 4.08, (s.d. = 0.34), p < 0.005). The authors' evaluation showed that the H-DSS scale was reliable, valid, and responsive. The scale can be used to guide future handheld DSS development and implementation.

Spontaneous Movements of a Computer Mouse Reveal Egoism and In-group Favoritism.

PubMed

Maliszewski, Norbert; Wojciechowski, Łukasz; Suszek, Hubert

2017-01-01

The purpose of the project was to assess whether the first spontaneous movements of a computer mouse, when making an assessment on a scale presented on the screen, may express a respondent's implicit attitudes. In Study 1, the altruistic behaviors of 66 students were assessed. The students were led to believe that the task they were performing was also being performed by another person and they were asked to distribute earnings between themselves and the partner. The participants performed the tasks under conditions with and without distractors. With the distractors, in the first few seconds spontaneous mouse movements on the scale expressed a selfish distribution of money, while later the movements gravitated toward more altruism. In Study 2, 77 Polish students evaluated a painting by a Polish/Jewish painter on a scale. They evaluated it under conditions of full or distracted cognitive abilities. Spontaneous movements of the mouse on the scale were analyzed. In addition, implicit attitudes toward both Poles and Jews were measured with the Implicit Association Test (IAT). A significant association between implicit attitudes (IAT) and spontaneous evaluation of images using a computer mouse was observed in the group with the distractor. The participants with strong implicit in-group favoritism of Poles revealed stronger preference for the Polish painter's work in the first few seconds of mouse movement. Taken together, these results suggest that spontaneous mouse movements may reveal egoism (in-group favoritism), i.e., processes that were not observed in the participants' final decisions (clicking on the scale).

Attitudinal Study of User and Non-User Teachers' towards ICT in Relation to Their School Teaching Subjects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lal, Chhavi

2014-01-01

The present study aimed to know the attitude towards ICT of user and non-user teachers of ICT. The data were collected from 40 (20 male and 20 Female) user and non-user of ICT secondary school teachers from Agra city. Attitude towards ICT was measured by Computer Attitude Scale (CAS), originally developed by Loyd and Gressard (1984). Data were…

Analysing attitude data through ridit schemes.

PubMed

El-rouby, M G

1994-12-02

The attitudes of individuals and populations on various issues are usually assessed through sample surveys. Responses to survey questions are then scaled and combined into a meaningful whole which defines the measured attitude. The applied scales may be of nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio nature depending upon the degree of sophistication the researcher wants to introduce into the measurement. This paper discusses methods of analysis for categorical variables of the type used in attitude and human behavior research, and recommends adoption of ridit analysis, a technique which has been successfully applied to epidemiological, clinical investigation, laboratory, and microbiological data. The ridit methodology is described after reviewing some general attitude scaling methods and problems of analysis related to them. The ridit method is then applied to a recent study conducted to assess health care service quality in North Carolina. This technique is conceptually and computationally more simple than other conventional statistical methods, and is also distribution-free. Basic requirements and limitations on its use are indicated.

Gender Differences in Computer Use and Attitudes on a Ubiquitous Computing Campus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCoy, Leah P.; Heafner, Tina L.; Burdick, Matthew G.; Nagle, Laura M.

As colleges and universities consider various options for wide scale "computerization," one southern liberal arts university has instituted a technology program that insures that all students have equal access to laptop computers. At this university, each student is issued his or her own IBM ThinkPad, and activities involving this computer are…

Spontaneous Movements of a Computer Mouse Reveal Egoism and In-group Favoritism

PubMed Central

Maliszewski, Norbert; Wojciechowski, Łukasz; Suszek, Hubert

2017-01-01

The purpose of the project was to assess whether the first spontaneous movements of a computer mouse, when making an assessment on a scale presented on the screen, may express a respondent’s implicit attitudes. In Study 1, the altruistic behaviors of 66 students were assessed. The students were led to believe that the task they were performing was also being performed by another person and they were asked to distribute earnings between themselves and the partner. The participants performed the tasks under conditions with and without distractors. With the distractors, in the first few seconds spontaneous mouse movements on the scale expressed a selfish distribution of money, while later the movements gravitated toward more altruism. In Study 2, 77 Polish students evaluated a painting by a Polish/Jewish painter on a scale. They evaluated it under conditions of full or distracted cognitive abilities. Spontaneous movements of the mouse on the scale were analyzed. In addition, implicit attitudes toward both Poles and Jews were measured with the Implicit Association Test (IAT). A significant association between implicit attitudes (IAT) and spontaneous evaluation of images using a computer mouse was observed in the group with the distractor. The participants with strong implicit in-group favoritism of Poles revealed stronger preference for the Polish painter’s work in the first few seconds of mouse movement. Taken together, these results suggest that spontaneous mouse movements may reveal egoism (in-group favoritism), i.e., processes that were not observed in the participants’ final decisions (clicking on the scale). PMID:28163689

Development of the caregivers attitude scale on home care of schizophrenics (CASHS)

PubMed Central

Balasubramanian, N; Sathyanarayana Rao, T. S.; D’Sa, Juliana Linnette

2014-01-01

Background: Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that elicits feelings of strangeness and discomfort, which may create stigma and lead to the social exclusion of the mentally ill and of the people relating with them. In the past decade, there has been an increase in the number of research studies on attitudes toward mental disorders. Materials and Methods: An instrument was developed to assess the attitude of primary caregivers on home care of schizophrenics. This article describes the development of a Likert scale, the Caregivers Attitude Scale on Home Care of Schizophrenics CASHS, which is a 31-item self-reported instrument that quantifies three aspects of home care, that is, attitude towards patient, towards treatment, and towards social interaction. The steps involved in its development are the review of literature, development of items, content validation, translation and language validity, pretesting, and reliability. Results: After establishing the content validity, the CASHS was pretested with five subjects. To establish the reliability of the CASHS, 21 primary caregivers were recruited through purposive sampling technique. In order to measure the stability between scores obtained, a test-retest reliability was computed using Karl Pearson correlation coefficient and the r value was 0.78. The internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlation and the r value was 0.789. The item discrimination analysis was also computed and the value was of above 0.35. These statistical measurements indicate that the CASHS was reliable. Conclusions: The CASHS is a valid and reliable tool that can be utilized for assessing the attitude of primary caregivers on home care of schizophrenics. PMID:24574561

Scale to Measure Attitudes toward Information Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gokhale, Anu A.; Paul E. Brauchle; Kenton F. Machina

2013-01-01

The current post-secondary graduation rates in computing disciplines suggest American universities are only training enough students to fill one third of the projected 1.4 million technology and computing jobs available (National Center for Women and Information Technology, 2011). Pursuit of information technology (IT) majors depends, to a great…

[Reliability and Validity of the Scale for Homophobia in Medicine Students].

PubMed

Campo-Arias, Adalberto; Lafaurie, María Mercedes; Gaitán-Duarte, Hernando G

2012-12-01

There are several scales to quantify homophobia in different populations. However, the reliability and validity of these instruments among Colombian students are unknown. Consequently, this work is intended to assess reliability (inner consistency) as well as the validity of the Scale for Homophobia in Medicine students from a private university in Bogotá (Colombia). Methodological study with 199 Medicine students from 1st to 5th semester that filled out the Homophobia Scale form, the general welfare questionnaire, the Attitude Towards Gays and Lesbians Scale (ATGL), WHO-5 (divergent validity) and the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity (nomologic validity). Pearson's correlations were computed, the Cronbach's alfa coefficient, the omega coefficient (construct's reliability) and confirmatory factorial analysis. The Scale for Homophobia showed an alpha Cronbach coefficient of 0,785, an omega coefficient of 0,790 and a Pearson correlation with the ATGL of 0,844; with WHO-5, -0,059; and a Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity, 0,187. The Scale toward Homophobia exhibited a relevant factor of 44,7% of the total variance. The Scale for Homophobia showed acceptable reliability and validity. New studies should investigate the stability of the scale and the nomologic validity regarding other constructs. Copyright © 2012 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

The Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale: An empirical investigation

PubMed Central

Rosen, L.D.; Whaling, K.; Carrier, L.M.; Cheever, N.A.; Rokkum, J.

2015-01-01

Current approaches to measuring people’s everyday usage of technology-based media and other computer-related activities have proved to be problematic as they use varied outcome measures, fail to measure behavior in a broad range of technology-related domains and do not take into account recently developed types of technology including smartphones. In the present study, a wide variety of items, covering a range of up-to-date technology and media usage behaviors. Sixty-six items concerning technology and media usage, along with 18 additional items assessing attitudes toward technology, were administered to two independent samples of individuals, comprising 942 participants. Factor analyses were used to create 11 usage subscales representing smartphone usage, general social media usage, Internet searching, e-mailing, media sharing, text messaging, video gaming, online friendships, Facebook friendships, phone calling, and watching television in addition to four attitude-based subscales: positive attitudes, negative attitudes, technological anxiety/dependence, and attitudes toward task-switching. All subscales showed strong reliabilities and relationships between the subscales and pre-existing measures of daily media usage and Internet addiction were as predicted. Given the reliability and validity results, the new Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale was suggested as a method of measuring media and technology involvement across a variety of types of research studies either as a single 60-item scale or any subset of the 15 subscales. PMID:25722534

The Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale: An empirical investigation.

PubMed

Rosen, L D; Whaling, K; Carrier, L M; Cheever, N A; Rokkum, J

2013-11-01

Current approaches to measuring people's everyday usage of technology-based media and other computer-related activities have proved to be problematic as they use varied outcome measures, fail to measure behavior in a broad range of technology-related domains and do not take into account recently developed types of technology including smartphones. In the present study, a wide variety of items, covering a range of up-to-date technology and media usage behaviors. Sixty-six items concerning technology and media usage, along with 18 additional items assessing attitudes toward technology, were administered to two independent samples of individuals, comprising 942 participants. Factor analyses were used to create 11 usage subscales representing smartphone usage, general social media usage, Internet searching, e-mailing, media sharing, text messaging, video gaming, online friendships, Facebook friendships, phone calling, and watching television in addition to four attitude-based subscales: positive attitudes, negative attitudes, technological anxiety/dependence, and attitudes toward task-switching. All subscales showed strong reliabilities and relationships between the subscales and pre-existing measures of daily media usage and Internet addiction were as predicted. Given the reliability and validity results, the new Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale was suggested as a method of measuring media and technology involvement across a variety of types of research studies either as a single 60-item scale or any subset of the 15 subscales.

Pressurizing the STEM Pipeline: an Expectancy-Value Theory Analysis of Youths' STEM Attitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ball, Christopher; Huang, Kuo-Ting; Cotten, Shelia R.; Rikard, R. V.

2017-08-01

Over the past decade, there has been a strong national push to increase minority students' positive attitudes towards STEM-related careers. However, despite this focus, minority students have remained underrepresented in these fields. Some researchers have directed their attention towards improving the STEM pipeline which carries students through our educational system and into STEM careers. Previous research has shown that expectancy-value theory (EVT) is useful for examining the short-term as well as long-term academic motivations and intentions of elementary age minority students. These findings provide insights into ways we may be able to potentially "patch" particular STEM pipeline leaks. In the current study, we advance this research by using EVT as a framework to examine the STEM attitudes of young students directly. We hypothesize that students' academic-related expectancies for success and subjective task values will be associated with an increase in STEM attitudes. Data for this study was gathered over the course of a large-scale computing intervention which sought to increase students' STEM interest. This computing intervention took place in an urban elementary school district located within the southeastern USA. Results from this study indicate that both intrinsic values and utility values predict students' STEM attitudes but they influence attitudes related to the various dimensions of STEM differently. These findings demonstrate that EVT provides a useful framework, which can be integrated into future computing interventions, to help encourage positive STEM attitudes in young children, thus increasing the internal pressure (or flow) within the STEM pipeline.

A cross-sectional evaluation of computer literacy among medical students at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Mumbai, Bombay.

PubMed

Panchabhai, T S; Dangayach, N S; Mehta, V S; Patankar, C V; Rege, N N

2011-01-01

Computer usage capabilities of medical students for introduction of computer-aided learning have not been adequately assessed. Cross-sectional study to evaluate computer literacy among medical students. Tertiary care teaching hospital in Mumbai, India. Participants were administered a 52-question questionnaire, designed to study their background, computer resources, computer usage, activities enhancing computer skills, and attitudes toward computer-aided learning (CAL). The data was classified on the basis of sex, native place, and year of medical school, and the computer resources were compared. The computer usage and attitudes toward computer-based learning were assessed on a five-point Likert scale, to calculate Computer usage score (CUS - maximum 55, minimum 11) and Attitude score (AS - maximum 60, minimum 12). The quartile distribution among the groups with respect to the CUS and AS was compared by chi-squared tests. The correlation between CUS and AS was then tested. Eight hundred and seventy-five students agreed to participate in the study and 832 completed the questionnaire. One hundred and twenty eight questionnaires were excluded and 704 were analyzed. Outstation students had significantly lesser computer resources as compared to local students (P<0.0001). The mean CUS for local students (27.0±9.2, Mean±SD) was significantly higher than outstation students (23.2±9.05). No such difference was observed for the AS. The means of CUS and AS did not differ between males and females. The CUS and AS had positive, but weak correlations for all subgroups. The weak correlation between AS and CUS for all students could be explained by the lack of computer resources or inadequate training to use computers for learning. Providing additional resources would benefit the subset of outstation students with lesser computer resources. This weak correlation between the attitudes and practices of all students needs to be investigated. We believe that this gap can be bridged with a structured computer learning program.

An application of the TROFLEI in secondary-school science classes in New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhan Koul, Rekha; Fisher, D. L.; Shaw, Toni

2011-07-01

Background and purpose: The present study reports on the findings of a study conducted in New Zealand using the actual and preferred forms of a classroom environment instrument, the Technology-Rich Outcomes-focussed Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI) and three affective outcome scales. Main aims of this study were to validate the instrument for use in New Zealand; to investigate differences between students' perceptions of (a) actual and preferred learning environments, (b) year levels and (c) gender; and to investigate associations between science classroom learning environment, attitude and self-efficacy. Sample TROFLEI was administered to 1027 high-school students from 30 classes. Design and method The 80-item TROFLEI assesses 10 classroom environment dimensions: student cohesiveness, teacher support, involvement, investigation, task orientation, cooperation, equity, differentiation, computer usage and young adult ethos. The three affective outcome scales used in the study are attitude to subject, attitude to computers and academic efficacy. Results The validity and reliability of the TROFLEI and three affective outcome scales for use in New Zealand were established. Differences in actual and preferred scores confirmed that students participating in the study sought better learning environments. Female students generally perceived their technology-related learning environment more positively. Year-13 students had consistently higher means for most (8 out of 13) of the learning environment dimensions. Statistically significant associations were found between the scales of TROLFLEI and three affective outcome scales. Conclusions The results of this study assist us in understanding the psychosocial learning environments in New Zealand in a technology-supported classroom and to determine its effectiveness in terms of selected learner outcomes.

Development and validation of a tool to assess knowledge and attitudes towards generic medicines among students in Greece: The ATtitude TOwards GENerics (ATTOGEN) questionnaire.

PubMed

Domeyer, Philip J; Aletras, Vassilis; Anagnostopoulos, Fotios; Katsari, Vasiliki; Niakas, Dimitris

2017-01-01

The use of generic medicines is a cost-effective policy, often dictated by fiscal restraints. To our knowledge, no fully validated tool exploring the students' knowledge and attitudes towards generic medicines exists. The aim of our study was to develop and validate a questionnaire exploring the knowledge and attitudes of M.Sc. in Health Care Management students and recent alumni's towards generic drugs in Greece. The development of the questionnaire was a result of literature review and pilot-testing of its preliminary versions to researchers and students. The final version of the questionnaire contains 18 items measuring the respondents' knowledge and attitude towards generic medicines on a 5-point Likert scale. Given the ordinal nature of the data, ordinal alpha and polychoric correlations were computed. The sample was randomly split into two halves. Exploratory factor analysis, performed in the first sample, was used for the creation of multi-item scales. Confirmatory factor analysis and Generalized Linear Latent and Mixed Model analysis (GLLAMM) with the use of the rating scale model were used in the second sample to assess goodness of fit. An assessment of internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, and construct validity was also performed. Among 1402 persons contacted, 986 persons completed our questionnaire (response rate = 70.3%). Overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.871. The conjoint use of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a six-scale model, which seemed to fit the data well. Five of the six scales, namely trust, drug quality, state audit, fiscal impact and drug substitution were found to be valid and reliable, while the knowledge scale suffered only from low inter-scale correlations and a ceiling effect. However, the subsequent confirmatory factor and GLLAMM analyses indicated a good fit of the model to the data. The ATTOGEN instrument proved to be a reliable and valid tool, suitable for assessing students' knowledge and attitudes towards generic medicines.

Determination of nursing students' attitudes towards the use of technology.

PubMed

Terkes, Nurten; Celik, Ferya; Bektas, Hicran

2018-03-11

The use of technology is increasingly important in nursing education and practice. For this reason, it is necessary to determine the attitudes of nursing students towards technology. This study was conducted with 508 nursing students. A personal information form that was prepared by the researchers and the Attitudes Toward Technology Scale were used as the data collection tools. The mean score that was obtained by the nursing students from the Attitudes Toward Technology Scale was 61.53 ± 1.13. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was found to be 0.90. There was a statistically significant difference between the sexes, using a computer, tablet, or laptop, using technology to reach health-related information, and for professional development, using mobile applications related to drug information. There was also a statistical difference between using the Periscope and Scorpio accounts from social media and using Excel and PowerPoint from Microsoft programs. Nursing students are capable of technology-based teaching, which can be expanded as a result. © 2018 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

Psychometric Properties of Difficulties of Working with Patients with Personality Disorders and Attitudes Towards Patients with Personality Disorders Scales.

PubMed

Eren, Nurhan

2014-12-01

In this study, we aimed to develop two reliable and valid assessment instruments for investigating the level of difficulties mental health workers experience while working with patients with personality disorders and the attitudes they develop tt the patients. The research was carried out based on the general screening model. The study sample consisted of 332 mental health workers in several mental health clinics of Turkey, with a certain amount of experience in working with personality disorders, who were selected with a random assignment method. In order to collect data, the Personal Information Questionnaire, Difficulty of Working with Personality Disorders Scale (PD-DWS), and Attitudes Towards Patients with Personality Disorders Scale (PD-APS), which are being examined for reliability and validity, were applied. To determine construct validity, the Adjective Check List, Maslach Burnout Inventory, and State and Trait Anxiety Inventory were used. Explanatory factor analysis was used for investigating the structural validity, and Cronbach alpha, Spearman-Brown, Guttman Split-Half reliability analyses were utilized to examine the reliability. Also, item reliability and validity computations were carried out by investigating the corrected item-total correlations and discriminative indexes of the items in the scales. For the PD-DWS KMO test, the value was .946; also, a significant difference was found for the Bartlett sphericity test (p<.001). The computed test-retest coefficient reliability was .702; the Cronbach alpha value of the total test score was .952. For PD-APS KMO, the value was .925; a significant difference was found in Bartlett sphericity test (p<.001); the computed reliability coefficient based on continuity was .806; and the Cronbach alpha value of the total test score was .913. Analyses on both scales were based on total scores. It was found that PD-DWS and PD-APS have good psychometric properties, measuring the structure that is being investigated, are compatible with other scales, have high levels of internal reliability between their items, and are consistent across time. Therefore, it was concluded that both scales are valid and reliable instruments.

Influence of direct computer experience on older adults' attitudes toward computers.

PubMed

Jay, G M; Willis, S L

1992-07-01

This research examined whether older adults' attitudes toward computers became more positive as a function of computer experience. The sample comprised 101 community-dwelling older adults aged 57 to 87. The intervention involved a 2-week computer training program in which subjects learned to use a desktop publishing software program. A multidimensional computer attitude measure was used to assess differential attitude change and maintenance of change following training. The results indicated that older adults' computer attitudes are modifiable and that direct computer experience is an effective means of change. Attitude change as a function of training was found for the attitude dimensions targeted by the intervention program: computer comfort and efficacy. In addition, maintenance of attitude change was established for at least two weeks following training.

Associations Between Attitudes Toward Physical Education and Aerobic Capacity in Hungarian High School Students.

PubMed

Kaj, Mónika; Saint-Maurice, Pedro F; Karsai, István; Vass, Zoltán; Csányi, Tamás; Boronyai, Zoltán; Révész, László

2015-06-26

The purpose of this study was to create a physical education (PE) attitude scale and examine how it is associated with aerobic capacity (AC). Participants (n = 961, aged 15-20 years) were randomly selected from 26 Hungarian high schools. AC was estimated from performance on the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular and Endurance Run test, and the attitude scale had 31 items measured on a Likert scale that ranged from 1 to 5. Principal component analysis was used to examine the structure of the questionnaire while several 2-way analyses of variance and multiple linear regression (MLR) were computed to examine trends in AC and test the association between component scores obtained from the attitude scale and AC, respectively. Five components were identified: health orientation in PE (C1), avoid failure in PE (C2), success orientation in PE (C3), attitude toward physical activity (C4), and cooperation and social experience in PE (C5). There was a statistically significant main effect for sex on C3 (p < .05), C4 (p < .001), and C5 (p < .05) indicating that boys' scores were higher than girls. The Sex × Age interaction was also statistically significant (p < .05) and follow-up comparisons revealed sex differences in C5 for 15-year-old participants. Girls showed statistically significant higher values than boys in C5 at the age of 16 years. MLR results revealed that component scores were significantly associated with AC (p < .05). Statistically significant predictors included C1, C2, C3, and C4 for boys and C2 and C4 for girls. The 5-component scale seems to be suitable for measuring students' attitudes toward PE. The design of the study does not allow for direct associations between attitudes and AC but suggests that these 2 might be related.

Water Landing Characteristics of a Reentry Capsule

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1958-01-01

Experimental and theoretical investigations have been made to determine the water-landing characteristics of a conical-shaped reentry capsule having a segment of a sphere as the bottom. For the experimental portion of the investigation, a 1/12-scale model capsule and a full-scale capsule were tested for nominal flight paths of 65 deg and 90 deg (vertical), a range of contact attitudes from -30 deg to 30 deg, and a full-scale vertical velocity of 30 feet per second at contact. Accelerations were measured by accelerometers installed at the centers of gravity of the model and full-scale capsules. For the model test the accelerations were measured along the X-axis (roll) and Z-axis (yaw) and for the full-scale test they were measured along the X-axis (roll), Y-axis (pitch), and Z-axis (yaw). Motions and displacements of the capsules that occurred after contact were determined from high-speed motion pictures. The theoretical investigation was conducted to determine the accelerations that might occur along the X-axis when the capsule contacted the water from a 90 deg flight path at a 0 deg attitude. Assuming a rigid body, computations were made from equations obtained by utilizing the principle of the conservation of momentum. The agreement among data obtained from the model test, the full-scale test, and the theory was very good. The accelerations along the X-axis, for a vertical flight path and 0 deg attitude, were in the order of 40g. For a 65 deg flight path and 0 deg attitude, the accelerations along the X-axis were in the order of 50g. Changes in contact attitude, in either the positive or negative direction from 0 deg attitude, considerably reduced the magnitude of the accelerations measured along the X-axis. Accelerations measured along the Y- and Z-axes were relatively small at all test conditions.

Water-Landing Characteristics of a Reentry Capsule

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGehee, John R.; Hathaway, Melvin E.; Vaughan, Victor L., Jr.

1959-01-01

Experimental and theoretical investigations have been made to determine the water-landing characteristics of a conical-shaped reentry capsule having a segment of a sphere as the bottom. For the experimental portion of the investigation, a 1/12-scale model capsule and a full-scale capsule were tested for nominal flight paths of 65 deg and 90 deg (vertical), a range of contact attitudes from -30 deg to 30 deg, and a full-scale vertical velocity of 30 feet per second at contact. Accelerations were measured by accelerometers installed at the centers of gravity of the model and full-scale capsules. For the model test the accelerations were measured along the X-axis (roll) and Z-axis (yaw) and for the full-scale test they were measured along the X-axis (roll), Y-axis (pitch), and Z-axis (yaw). Motions and displacements of the capsules that occurred after contact were determined from high-speed motion pictures. The theoretical investigation was conducted to determine the accelerations that might occur along the X-axis when the capsule contacted the water from a 90 deg flight path at a 0 deg attitude. Assuming a rigid body, computations were made from equations obtained by utilizing the principle of the conservation of momentum. The agreement among data obtained from the model test, the full-scale test, and the theory was very good. The accelerations along the X-axis, for a vertical flight path and 0 deg attitude, were in the order of 40g. For a 65 deg flight path and 0 deg attitude, the accelerations along the X-axis were in the order of 50g. Changes in contact attitude, in either the positive or negative direction from 0 deg attitude, considerably reduced the magnitude of the accelerations measured along the X-axis. Accelerations measured along the Y- and Z-axes were relatively small at all test conditions.

Influence of parental attitudes towards Internet use on the employment of online safety measures at home.

PubMed

Floros, Georgios; Siomos, Konstantinos; Dafouli, Evaggelia; Fisoun, Virginia; Geroukalis, Dimitrios

2012-01-01

In this paper we present the results of a cross-sectional study of the entire adolescent student population aged 12-18 of the island of Kos and their parents, on Internet safety-related practices and attitudes towards the Internet. Total sample was 2017 students and 1214 parent responders. Research material included extended demographics and an Internet security questionnaire, the Internet Attitudes Scale (IAS) for parents and the Adolescent Computer Addiction Test (ACAT) for children and both parents. Both parents thus provided their views on their children's computer use and an estimate for their degree of computer addiction which was tested against their child's self-report. Results indicated that fathers and mothers who had negative views of the Internet, tended to encourage less their children to engage in online activities and worried more for the possibility that their child is addicted to computer use; their worries weren't correlated with their children's results. Parental views on the Internet had no effect on the level of security precautions they employed at home. Those parents who reported a low level of security knowledge and were unsure as to what their children were doing online, tended to consider their children more likely to be addicted to computer use; those views were confirmed by their children' self-reported results.

Development and validation of the computer technology literacy self-assessment scale for Taiwanese elementary school students.

PubMed

Chang, Chiung-Sui

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the development and validation of an instrument to identify various dimensions of the computer technology literacy self-assessment scale (CTLS) for elementary school students. The instrument included five CTLS dimensions (subscales): the technology operation skills, the computer usages concepts, the attitudes toward computer technology, the learning with technology, and the Internet operation skills. Participants were 1,539 elementary school students in Taiwan. Data analysis indicated that the instrument developed in the study had satisfactory validity and reliability. Correlations analysis supported the legitimacy of using multiple dimensions in representing students' computer technology literacy. Significant differences were found between male and female students, and between grades on some CTLS dimensions. Suggestions are made for use of the instrument to examine complicated interplays between students' computer behaviors and their computer technology literacy.

Gender and Computers: Two Surveys of Computer-Related Attitudes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilder, Gita; And Others

1985-01-01

Describes two surveys used to (1) determine sex differences in attitudes toward computers and video games among schoolchildren and the relationship of these attitudes to attitudes about science, math, and writing; and (2) sex differences in attitudes toward computing among a select group of highly motivated college freshmen. (SA)

Landing Characteristics of a Reentry Capsule with a Torus-Shaped Air Bag for Load Alleviation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGehee, John R.; Hathaway, Melvin E.

1960-01-01

An experimental investigation has been made to determine the landing characteristics of a conical-shaped reentry capsule by using torus-shaped air bags for impact-load alleviation. An impact bag was attached below the large end of the capsule to absorb initial impact loads and a second bag was attached around the canister to absorb loads resulting from impact on the canister when the capsule overturned. A 1/6-scale dynamic model of the configuration was tested for nominal flight paths of 60 deg. and 90 deg. (vertical), a range of contact attitudes from -25 deg. to 30 deg., and a vertical contact velocity of 12.25 feet per second. Accelerations were measured along the X-axis (roll) and Z-axis (yaw) by accelerometers rigidly installed at the center of gravity of the model. Actual flight path, contact attitudes, and motions were determined from high-speed motion pictures. Landings were made on concrete and on water. The peak accelerations along the X-axis for landings on concrete were in the order of 3Og for a 0 deg. contact attitude. A horizontal velocity of 7 feet per second, corresponding to a flight path of 60 deg., had very little effect upon the peak accelerations obtained for landings on concrete. For contact attitudes of -25 deg. and 30 deg. the peak accelerations along the Z-axis were about +/- l5g, respectively. The peak accelerations measured for the water landings were about one-third lower than the peak accelerations measured for the landings on concrete. Assuming a rigid body, computations were made by using Newton's second law of motion and the force-stroke characteristics of the air bag to determine accelerations for a flight path of 90 deg. (vertical) and a contact attitude of 0 deg. The computed and experimental peak accelerations and strokes at peak acceleration were in good agreement for the model. The special scaling appears to be applicable for predicting full-scale time and stroke at peak acceleration for a landing on concrete from a 90 deg. flight path at a 0 deg. It appears that the full-scale approximately the same as those obtained from the model for the range of attitudes and flight paths investigated.

Assessing Attitude towards Religion: The Astley-Francis Scale of Attitude towards Theistic Faith

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Astley, Jeff; Francis, Leslie J.; Robbins, Mandy

2012-01-01

This study builds on the research tradition modelled by the Francis Scale of Attitude towards Christianity, the Katz-Francis Scale of Attitude towards Judaism, the Sahin-Francis Scale of Attitude towards Islam and the Santosh-Francis Scale of Attitude towards Hinduism to propose a generic instrument concerned with attitudes towards theistic faith.…

Development and validation of a tool to assess knowledge and attitudes towards generic medicines among students in Greece: The ATtitude TOwards GENerics (ATTOGEN) questionnaire

PubMed Central

Katsari, Vasiliki; Niakas, Dimitris

2017-01-01

Introduction The use of generic medicines is a cost-effective policy, often dictated by fiscal restraints. To our knowledge, no fully validated tool exploring the students’ knowledge and attitudes towards generic medicines exists. The aim of our study was to develop and validate a questionnaire exploring the knowledge and attitudes of M.Sc. in Health Care Management students and recent alumni’s towards generic drugs in Greece. Materials and methods The development of the questionnaire was a result of literature review and pilot-testing of its preliminary versions to researchers and students. The final version of the questionnaire contains 18 items measuring the respondents’ knowledge and attitude towards generic medicines on a 5-point Likert scale. Given the ordinal nature of the data, ordinal alpha and polychoric correlations were computed. The sample was randomly split into two halves. Exploratory factor analysis, performed in the first sample, was used for the creation of multi-item scales. Confirmatory factor analysis and Generalized Linear Latent and Mixed Model analysis (GLLAMM) with the use of the rating scale model were used in the second sample to assess goodness of fit. An assessment of internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, and construct validity was also performed. Results Among 1402 persons contacted, 986 persons completed our questionnaire (response rate = 70.3%). Overall Cronbach’s alpha was 0.871. The conjoint use of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a six-scale model, which seemed to fit the data well. Five of the six scales, namely trust, drug quality, state audit, fiscal impact and drug substitution were found to be valid and reliable, while the knowledge scale suffered only from low inter-scale correlations and a ceiling effect. However, the subsequent confirmatory factor and GLLAMM analyses indicated a good fit of the model to the data. Conclusions The ATTOGEN instrument proved to be a reliable and valid tool, suitable for assessing students’ knowledge and attitudes towards generic medicines. PMID:29186163

An investigation of the use of microcomputer-based laboratory simulations in promoting conceptual understanding in secondary physics instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomshaw, Stephen G.

Physics education research has shown that students bring alternate conceptions to the classroom which can be quite resistant to traditional instruction methods (Clement, 1982; Halloun & Hestenes, 1985; McDermott, 1991). Microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) experiments that employ an active-engagement strategy have been shown to improve student conceptual understanding in high school and introductory university physics courses (Thornton & Sokoloff, 1998). These (MBL) experiments require a specialized computer interface, type-specific sensors (e.g. motion detectors, force probes, accelerometers), and specialized software in addition to the standard physics experimental apparatus. Tao and Gunstone (1997) have shown that computer simulations used in an active engagement environment can also lead to conceptual change. This study investigated 69 secondary physics students' use of computer simulations of MBL activities in place of the hands-on MBL laboratory activities. The average normalized gain in students' conceptual understanding was measured using the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE). Student attitudes towards physics and computers were probed using the Views About Science Survey (VASS) and the Computer Attitude Scale (CAS). While it may be possible to obtain an equivalent level of conceptual understanding using computer simulations in combination with an active-engagement environment, this study found no significant gains in students' conceptual understanding ( = -0.02) after they completed a series of nine simulated experiments from the Tools for Scientific Thinking curriculum (Thornton & Sokoloff, 1990). The absence of gains in conceptual understanding may indicate that either the simulations were ineffective in promoting conceptual change or problems with the implementation of the treatment inhibited its effectiveness. There was a positive shift in students' attitudes towards physics in the VASS dimensions of structure and reflective thinking, while there was a negative shift in students' attitudes towards computers in the CAS subscales of anxiety and usefulness. The negative shift in attitudes towards computers may be due to the additional time and work required by the students to perform the simulation experiments with no apparent reward in terms of their physics grade. Suggestions for future research include a qualitative element to observe student interactions and alternate formats for the simulations themselves.

Intentions of hospital nurses to work with computers: based on the theory of planned behavior.

PubMed

Shoham, Snunith; Gonen, Ayala

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine registered nurses' attitudes related to intent to use computers in the hospital setting as a predictor of their future behavior. The study was further aimed at identifying the relationship between these attitudes and selected sociological, professional, and personal factors and to describe a research model integrating these various factors. The study was based on the theory of planned behavior. A random sample of 411 registered nurses was selected from a single large medical center in Israel. The study tool was a Likert-style questionnaire. Nine different indices were used: (1) behavioral intention toward computer use; (2) general attitudes toward computer use; (3) nursing attitudes toward computer use; (4) threat involved in computer use; (5) challenge involved in computer use; (6) organizational climate; (7) departmental climate; (8) attraction to technological innovations/innovativeness; (9) self-efficacy, ability to control behavior. Strong significant positive correlations were found between the nurses' attitudes (general attitudes and nursing attitudes), self-efficacy, innovativeness, and intentions to use computers. Higher correlations were found between departmental climate and attitudes than between organizational climate and attitudes. The threat and challenge that are involved in computer use were shown as important mediating variables to the understanding of the process of predicting attitudes and intentions toward using computers.

Development of an autonomous video rendezvous and docking system, phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tietz, J. C.; Richardson, T. E.

1983-01-01

The critical elements of an autonomous video rendezvous and docking system were built and used successfully in a physical laboratory simulation. The laboratory system demonstrated that a small, inexpensive electronic package and a flight computer of modest size can analyze television images to derive guidance information for spacecraft. In the ultimate application, the system would use a docking aid consisting of three flashing lights mounted on a passive target spacecraft. Television imagery of the docking aid would be processed aboard an active chase vehicle to derive relative positions and attitudes of the two spacecraft. The demonstration system used scale models of the target spacecraft with working docking aids. A television camera mounted on a 6 degree of freedom (DOF) simulator provided imagery of the target to simulate observations from the chase vehicle. A hardware video processor extracted statistics from the imagery, from which a computer quickly computed position and attitude. Computer software known as a Kalman filter derived velocity information from position measurements.

Virtual international experiences in veterinary medicine: an evaluation of students' attitudes toward computer-based learning.

PubMed

French, Brigitte C; Hird, David W; Romano, Patrick S; Hayes, Rick H; Nijhof, Ard M; Jongejan, Frans; Mellor, Dominic J; Singer, Randall S; Fine, Amanda E; Gay, John M; Davis, Radford G; Conrad, Patricia A

2007-01-01

While many studies have evaluated whether or not factual information can be effectively communicated using computer-aided tools, none has focused on establishing and changing students' attitudes toward international animal-health issues. The study reported here was designed to assess whether educational modules on an interactive computer CD elicited a change in veterinary students' interest in and attitudes toward international animal-health issues. Volunteer veterinary students at seven universities (first-year students at three universities, second-year at one, third-year at one, and fourth-year at two) were given by random assignment either an International Animal Health (IAH) CD or a control CD, ParasitoLog (PL). Participants completed a pre-CD survey to establish baseline information on interest and attitudes toward both computers and international animal-health issues. Four weeks later, a post-CD questionnaire was distributed. On the initial survey, most students expressed an interest in working in the field of veterinary medicine in another country. Responses to the three pre-CD questions relating to attitudes toward the globalization of veterinary medicine, interest in foreign animal disease, and inclusion of a core course on international health issues in the veterinary curriculum were all positive, with average values above 3 (on a five-point scale where 5 represented strong agreement or interest). Almost all students considered it beneficial to learn about animal-health issues in other countries. After students reviewed the IAH CD, we found a decrease at four universities, an increase at one university, and no change at the remaining two universities in students' interest in working in some area of international veterinary medicine. However, none of the differences was statistically significant.

A distributed computing approach to mission operations support. [for spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larsen, R. L.

1975-01-01

Computing mission operation support includes orbit determination, attitude processing, maneuver computation, resource scheduling, etc. The large-scale third-generation distributed computer network discussed is capable of fulfilling these dynamic requirements. It is shown that distribution of resources and control leads to increased reliability, and exhibits potential for incremental growth. Through functional specialization, a distributed system may be tuned to very specific operational requirements. Fundamental to the approach is the notion of process-to-process communication, which is effected through a high-bandwidth communications network. Both resource-sharing and load-sharing may be realized in the system.

Relationship between menopause status, attitude toward menopause, and quality of life in Chinese midlife women in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Li, Sixuan; Ho, Suzanne C; Sham, Aprille

2016-01-01

This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the relationship between menopause status and attitude toward menopause, and also its relationship with quality of life (QoL) of Chinese midlife women in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Chinese women aged 40 to 59 years were recruited through computer-generated random telephone dialing. Information was obtained through telephone interviews based on a structured questionnaire. Women were classified into 3 groups: premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal. Menopause Belief Scale and Utian Quality of Life Scale (QoL) were used to measure respondents' attitude toward menopause and their QoL. Information on social, health, and lifestyle factors was also collected. The mean age of the participants was 49.4 ± 5.2 years. Respondents generally had a positive attitude toward menopause. Compared with premenopausal women, postmenopausal women were noted to have significantly higher attitude score toward menopause. No significant differences in QoL score were noted among women of the 3 menopause statuses. Stepwise regression analysis showed that women with more positive attitude toward menopause tended to have higher QoL score. Furthermore, better self-reported health status, doing physical activities, higher education level, being married, and non-smoking status were associated with better QoL. Postmenopausal women tended to have more positive attitude toward menopause. Although menopause status did not seem to be associated with QoL, attitude toward menopause, self-reported health status, as well as social and lifestyle factors were associated with QoL in Chinese midlife women.

A comparative evaluation of computer literacy amongst dental educators and students.

PubMed

Mattheos, N; Schittek, M Janda; Nattestad, A; Shanley, D; Attström, R

2005-02-01

A task-oriented questionnaire was designed, aiming to quickly assess competence with the use of computers. The questionnaire consisted of distinct computer-related skills, representing various competences in educational computer use. A total score from 0 to 49 was calculated upon completion of the questionnaire, based on the sum of all the positively identified competences. The questionnaire was distributed to an international group of leading dental educators during the DentEd Global Congress in Prague in 2001 and to a cohort of first year dental students (2001) in the Dental Faculty, University of Malmo, Sweden. Certain attitudes towards the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in dental education were also measured through Visual Analogue Scales in the educator's group. A total of 149 questionnaires were collected from the educators' group and 58 from the dental students. There was no significant difference in the average computer competence score between the two groups. The educators' group average score was 20.7 (SD 9.9) and students' average was 18.1 (SD 8.5). A significant positive correlation (r = 0.395277, P < 0.0001) was found between the competence measured by the questionnaire and the year of graduation in the educators' group. The attitudes towards the role of ICT in dental education amongst the educators were very positive, regardless of their competence with computers, year of graduation or academic position. The results from this study indicate that there is wide diversity in computer competence amongst both students and academic staff. In addition, students' actual competence in the use of computers might not be as high as is often perceived through self-assessment and ordinal scales.

Performance of ground attitude determination procedures for HEAO-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fallon, L., III; Sturch, C. R.

1978-01-01

Ground attitude support for HEAO 1 provided at GSFC by the HEAO 1 Attitude Ground Support System (AGSS) is described. Information telemetered from Sun sensors, gyroscopes, star trackers, and an onboard computer are used by the AGSS to compute updates to the onboard attitude reference and gyro calibration parameters. The onboard computer utilizes these updates in providing continuous attitudes (accurate to 0.25degree) for use in the observatory's attitude control procedures. The relationship between HEAO 1 onboard and ground processing, the procedures used by the AGSS in computing attitude and gyro calibration updates, and the performance of these procedures in the HEAO 1 postlaunch environment is discussed.

A Comparison of Responses on the Attitudes toward Women Scale and Attitudes toward Feminism Scale: Is There a Difference between College-Age and Later-Life Adults with the Original Norms?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byrne, Zinta S.; Felker, Sydney; Vacha-Haase, Tammi; Rickard, Kathryn M.

2011-01-01

Responses from college-age students and those 50 years and older were compared using the Attitudes Toward Women Scale and the Attitudes Toward Feminism Scale. Results from a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis showed groups differed on each scale, suggesting unidimensional scales no longer represent attitudes toward women or feminism.…

Changes in Student Attitudes and Student Computer Use in a Computer-Enriched Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitra, Ananda; Steffensmeier, Timothy

2000-01-01

Examines the pedagogic usefulness of the computer by focusing on changes in student attitudes and use of computers in a computer-enriched environment using data from a longitudinal study at Wake Forest University. Results indicate that a networked institution where students have easy access can foster positive attitudes. (Author/LRW)

Psychometric Testing of Two Chinese-Version Scales on Attitudes Toward and Caregiving Behaviors for End-of-Life Patients and Families.

PubMed

Yang, Luke; Liu, Yung-Fang; Sun, Huey-Fang; Chiang, Hsien-Hsien; Tsai, Yu-Lun; Liaw, Jen-Jiuan

2017-03-01

The study purpose was to examine the validities and reliabilities of the Chinese-versions Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying Scale (Attitudes Scale) and Caregiving Behaviors Scale for End-of-Life Patients and Families (Behaviors Scale). The scales were tested in a convenience sample of 318 nurses with ≥6 months work experience at three hospitals. Cronbach's alphas of the Attitudes and Behaviors Scales were .90 and .96, respectively. Each scale had Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin index >.85 and Bartlett's test of sphericity >4000 ( p < .001). Attitudes Scale loaded on three factors: respecting and caring for dying patients and families, avoiding care of the dying, and involving patients and families in end-of-life care. The Behaviors Scale loaded on two factors: supporting dying patients and families, and helping families cope with grief. Factor loadings for both scales were ≥.49. Both Attitudes and Behaviors Scales are reliable and valid for evaluating nurses' attitudes and caregiving behaviors for the dying.

African-American college student attitudes toward physics and their effect on achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drake, Carl Timothy

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the attitudes that African-American college students have towards introductory college physics. The population targeted for this study consisted of African-American males and females enrolled in introductory college physics classes at an urban public historical black college or university (HBCU) located in the southeastern United States. Nine of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales, modified for physics, were used to analyze the attitudes of the 135 participants enrolled in an introductory college physics class. The nine scales used to measure the students' attitudes were Attitude Toward Success in Physics Scale (AS), The Physics as a Male Domain Scale (MD), The Mother Scale (M), The Father Scale (F), The Teacher Scale (T), The Confidence in Learning Physics Scale (C), The Physics Anxiety Scale (A), The Effectance Motivation Scale in Physics (E), and The Physics Usefulness Scale (U). Hypothesis I states that there is a significant difference in the domain scores of African-American college students in the Fennema-Sherman Math Attitudes Scales adapted for physics. It was found using a repeated measures ANOVA that there was a significant difference between the attitudes of African-Americans on the nine attitude scales of the Fennema-Sherman Math Attitude Scales, F(8,992) = 43.09, p < .001. Hypothesis II states that there is a statistically significant difference in domain scores between African-American males and African-American females in the Fennema-Sherman Attitude Scales. It was found using a MANOVA that there was not a significant difference between the domain scores of African-American males and African-American females, F(8, 116) = .38, p > .05. Hypothesis III states that there is a statistically significant relationship between attitude towards physics and achievement for African-American students. The students with good attitudes toward physics would have a higher level of achievement. The multiple linear regression analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between a good attitude toward physics and achievement in the class. The result of the analysis implied that 18.9% of the grade could be explained by the domain scales.

Gender Differences in the Use of Laptops in Higher Education: A Formative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kay, Robin H.; Lauricella, Sharon

2011-01-01

Over the past 18 years, a number of large scale reviews of the literature have documented that gender differences in computer attitudes, ability, and use tend to favor males. Since the use of laptops in higher education classrooms is increasing, it is important to examine whether this use is disproportionally advantageous to males and…

The Effect of Computer Literacy Course on Students' Attitudes toward Computer Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erlich, Zippy; Gadot, Rivka; Shahak, Daphna

2009-01-01

Studies indicate that the use of technologies as teaching aids and tools for self-study is influenced by students' attitudes toward computers and their applications. The purpose of this study is to determine whether taking a Computer Literacy and Applications (CLA) course has an impact on students' attitudes toward computer applications, across…

Computer Oriented Exercises on Attitudes and U.S. Gasoline Consumption, Attitude. Student Guide. Computer Technology Program Environmental Education Units.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, OR.

This is the student guide in a set of five computer-oriented environmental/energy education units. Contents of this guide present: (1) the three gasoline consumption-reducing options for which attitudes are to be explored; (2) exercises; and (3) appendices including an energy attitudes survey. (MR)

Measurement of information and communication technology experience and attitudes to e-learning of students in the healthcare professions: integrative review.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Ann; While, Alison E; Roberts, Julia

2009-04-01

This paper is a report of a review to describe and discuss the psychometric properties of instruments used in healthcare education settings measuring experience and attitudes of healthcare students regarding their information and communication technology skills and their use of computers and the Internet for education. Healthcare professionals are expected to be computer and information literate at registration. A previous review of evaluative studies of computer-based learning suggests that methods of measuring learners' attitudes to computers and computer aided learning are problematic. A search of eight health and social science databases located 49 papers, the majority published between 1995 and January 2007, focusing on the experience and attitudes of students in the healthcare professions towards computers and e-learning. An integrative approach was adopted, with narrative description of findings. Criteria for inclusion were quantitative studies using survey tools with samples of healthcare students and concerning computer and information literacy skills, access to computers, experience with computers and use of computers and the Internet for education purposes. Since the 1980s a number of instruments have been developed, mostly in the United States of America, to measure attitudes to computers, anxiety about computer use, information and communication technology skills, satisfaction and more recently attitudes to the Internet and computers for education. The psychometric properties are poorly described. Advances in computers and technology mean that many earlier tools are no longer valid. Measures of the experience and attitudes of healthcare students to the increased use of e-learning require development in line with computer and technology advances.

Preparing Attitude Scale to Define Students' Attitudes about Environment, Recycling, Plastic and Plastic Waste

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avan, Cagri; Aydinli, Bahattin; Bakar, Fatma; Alboga, Yunus

2011-01-01

The aim of this study is to introduce an attitude scale in order to define students? attitudes about environment, recycling, plastics, plastic waste. In this study, 80 attitude sentences according to 5-point Likert-type scale were prepared and applied to 492 students of 6th grade in the Kastamonu city center of Turkey. The scale consists of…

Performance comparison of attitude determination, attitude estimation, and nonlinear observers algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MOHAMMED, M. A. SI; BOUSSADIA, H.; BELLAR, A.; ADNANE, A.

2017-01-01

This paper presents a brief synthesis and useful performance analysis of different attitude filtering algorithms (attitude determination algorithms, attitude estimation algorithms, and nonlinear observers) applied to Low Earth Orbit Satellite in terms of accuracy, convergence time, amount of memory, and computation time. This latter is calculated in two ways, using a personal computer and also using On-board computer 750 (OBC 750) that is being used in many SSTL Earth observation missions. The use of this comparative study could be an aided design tool to the designer to choose from an attitude determination or attitude estimation or attitude observer algorithms. The simulation results clearly indicate that the nonlinear Observer is the more logical choice.

Slovak High School Students' Attitudes toward Computers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kubiatko, Milan; Halakova, Zuzana; Nagyova, Sona; Nagy, Tibor

2011-01-01

The pervasive involvement of information and communication technologies and computers in our daily lives influences changes of attitude toward computers. We focused on finding these ecological effects in the differences in computer attitudes as a function of gender and age. A questionnaire with 34 Likert-type items was used in our research. The…

Older Korean-American Adults' Attitudes toward the Computer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwon, Hyuckhoon

2009-01-01

This study seeks to gain a holistic understanding of how older Korean-American adults' socio-demographic factors affect their attitudes toward the computer. The research was guided by four main questions: (1) What do participants describe as the consequences of their using the computer? (2) What attitudes toward the computer do participants…

EFL Learners' Attitudes towards Using Computers as a Learning Tool in Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitchakarn, Orachorn

2015-01-01

The study was conducted to investigate attitudes toward using computers as a learning tool among undergraduate students in a private university. In this regards, some variables which might be potential antecedents of attitudes toward computer including gender, experience of using computers and perceived abilities in using programs were examined.…

Home care nurses' attitudes toward computers. A confirmatory factor analysis of the Stronge and Brodt instrument.

PubMed

Stricklin, Mary Lou; Bierer, S Beth; Struk, Cynthia

2003-01-01

Point-of-care technology for home care use will be the final step in enterprise-wide healthcare electronic communications. Successful implementation of home care point-of-care technology hinges upon nurses' attitudes toward point-of-care technology and its use in clinical practice. This study addresses the factors associated with home care nurses' attitudes using Stronge and Brodt's Nurse Attitudes Toward Computers instrument. In this study, the Nurses Attitudes Toward Computers instrument was administered to a convenience sample of 138 nurses employed by a large midwestern home care agency, with an 88% response rate. Confirmatory factor analysis corroborated the Nurses Attitudes Toward Computers' 3-dimensional factor structure for practicing nurses, which was labeled as nurses' work, security issues, and perceived barriers. Results from the confirmatory factor analysis also suggest that these 3 factors are internally correlated and represent multiple dimensions of a higher order construct labeled as nurses' attitudes toward computers. Additionally, two of these factors, nurses' work and perceived barriers, each appears to explain more variance in nurses' attitudes toward computers than security issues. Instrument reliability was high for the sample (.90), with subscale reliabilities ranging from 86 to 70.

The Influence of Computer Technology Learning Program on Attitudes toward Computers and Self-Esteem among Arab Dropout Youth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romi, Shlomo; Zoabi, Houssien

2003-01-01

Describes a study that examined the attitudes of Arab dropout youth in Israel toward the use of computer technology and the influence of this use on their self-esteem. Results supported the assumptions that exposure to computer technology would change the attitudes of dropout adolescents toward computers to positive ones. (Contains 43 references.)…

Attitudes towards, Preferences for, and Knowledge of Computers among Gifted and Average Junior High Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Jagjit K.

A descriptive study was conducted in three junior high schools in Calgary (Alberta) to examine: (1) student attitudes toward computers, (2) student preferences for different kinds of software, and (3) student knowledge of computers and computer applications. Subjects (n=157) completed a survey designed to evaluate their attitudes and knowledge…

Pre-Service ELT Teachers' Attitudes towards Computer Use: A Turkish Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sariçoban, Arif

2013-01-01

Problem Statement: Computer technology plays a crucial role in foreign/second language (L2) instruction, and as such, L2 teachers display different attitudes towards the use of computers in their teaching activities. It is important to know what attitudes these teachers hold towards the use of computers and whether they have these varying…

Computers and the Learning of Biological Concepts: Attitudes and Achievement of Nigerian Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jegede, Olugbemiro J.

1991-01-01

Compared attitudes toward computer use and achievement in biology for three groups of Nigerian students (n=64): (1) working alone with computer; (2) working in groups of three on the computer; (3) and a control group that received normal instruction (lecture). Students in the second group had the highest scores on attitude. No significant…

A survey of students` ethical attitudes using computer-related scenarios

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hanchey, C.M.; Kingsbury, J.

Many studies exist that examine ethical beliefs and attitudes of university students ascending medium or large institutions. There are also many studies which examine ethical attitudes and beliefs of computer science and computer information systems majors. None, however, examines ethical attitudes of university students (regardless of undergraduate major) at a small, Christian, liberal arts institution regarding computer-related situations. This paper will present data accumulated by an on-going study in which students are presented seven scenarios--all of which involve some aspect of computing technology. These students were randomly selected from a small, Christian, liberal-arts university.

Attitudes of Female Faculty toward the Use of Computer Technologies and the Barriers that Limit Their Use of Technologies in Girls' Colleges in Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almuqayteeb, Taghreed Abdulaziz

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine female faculty members' use of computer technologies, their attitudes toward computers, the factors that best predict their attitudes toward computers, and the barriers that limit their use of computer technologies in girls' colleges in Dammam and Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Also, this study examined how female…

Simulation and Calculation of the APEX Attitude

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-07-29

attitude computation. As a by-product, several interesting features that may be present in the APEX attitude behavior are noted. The APEX satellite...DEFINITION OF THE ATTITUDE Generally speaking, it is possible to define the spacecraft . ttitude in several ways, so long as the process of computation and...actual APEX attitude behavior . However, it is not the purpose of this work to assess the probable degree of attitude

Euthanasia attitude; A comparison of two scales

PubMed Central

Aghababaei, Naser; Farahani, Hojjatollah; Hatami, Javad

2011-01-01

The main purposes of the present study were to see how the term “euthanasia” influences people’s support for or opposition to euthanasia; and to see how euthanasia attitude relates to religious orientation and personality factors. In this study two different euthanasia attitude scales were compared. 197 students were selected to fill out either the Euthanasia Attitude Scale (EAS) or Wasserman’s Attitude Towards Euthanasia scale (ATE scale). The former scale includes the term “euthanasia”, the latter does not. All participants filled out 50 items of International Personality Item Pool, 16 items of the the HEXACO openness, and 14 items of Religious Orientation Scale-Revised. Results indicated that even though the two groups were not different in terms of gender, age, education, religiosity and personality, mean score on the ATE scale was significantly higher than that of the EAS. Euthanasia attitude was negatively correlated with religiosity and conscientiousness and it was positively correlated with psychoticism and openness. It can be concluded that analyzing the attitude towards euthanasia with the use of EAS rather than the ATE scale results in lower levels of opposition against euthanasia. This study raises the question of whether euthanasia attitude scales should contain definitions and concepts of euthanasia or they should describe cases of it. PMID:23908751

Rasch analysis of the Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes towards Children with Handicaps scale.

PubMed

Armstrong, Megan; Morris, Christopher; Tarrant, Mark; Abraham, Charles; Horton, Mike C

2017-02-01

Aim To assess whether the Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes towards Children with Handicaps (CATCH) 36-item total scale and subscales fit the unidimensional Rasch model. Method The CATCH was administered to 1881 children, aged 7-16 years in a cross-sectional survey. Data were used from a random sample of 416 for the initial Rasch analysis. The analysis was performed on the 36-item scale and then separately for each subscale. The analysis explored fit to the Rasch model in terms of overall scale fit, individual item fit, item response categories, and unidimensionality. Item bias for gender and school level was also assessed. Revised scales were then tested on an independent second random sample of 415 children. Results Analyses indicated that the 36-item overall scale was not unidimensional and did not fit the Rasch model. Two scales of affective attitudes and behavioural intention were retained after four items were removed from each due to misfit to the Rasch model. Additionally, the scaling was improved when the two most negative response categories were aggregated. There was no item bias by gender or school level on the revised scales. Items assessing cognitive attitudes did not fit the Rasch model and had low internal consistency as a scale. Conclusion Affective attitudes and behavioural intention CATCH sub-scales should be treated separately. Caution should be exercised when using the cognitive subscale. Implications for Rehabilitation The 36-item Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes towards Children with Handicaps (CATCH) scale as a whole did not fit the Rasch model; thus indicating a multi-dimensional scale. Researchers should use two revised eight-item subscales of affective attitudes and behavioural intentions when exploring interventions aiming to improve children's attitudes towards disabled people or factors associated with those attitudes. Researchers should use the cognitive subscale with caution, as it did not create a unidimensional and internally consistent scale. Therefore, conclusions drawn from this scale may not accurately reflect children's attitudes.

Computers in medicine: patients' attitudes

PubMed Central

Cruickshank, P. J.

1984-01-01

Data are presented from two surveys where a 26-item questionnaire was used to measure patients' attitudes to diagnostic computers and to medical computers in general. The first group of respondents were 229 patients who had been given outpatient appointments at a hospital general medical clinic specializing in gastrointestinal problems, where some had experienced a diagnostic computer in use. The second group of respondents were 416 patients attending a group general practice where there was no computer. Patients who had experience of the diagnostic computer or a personal computer had more favourable attitudes to computers in medicine as did younger people and males. The two samples of patients showed broadly similar attitudes, and a notable finding was that over half of each group believed that, with a computer around, the personal touch of the doctor would be lost. PMID:6471021

Attitudes toward science among grades 3 through 12 Arab students in Qatar: findings from a cross-sectional national study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Said, Ziad; Summers, Ryan; Abd-El-Khalick, Fouad; Wang, Shuai

2016-03-01

This study assessed students' attitudes toward science in Qatar. A cross-sectional, nationwide probability sample representing all students enrolled in grades 3 through 12 in the various types of schools in Qatar completed the 'Arabic Speaking Students' Attitudes toward Science Survey' (ASSASS). The validity and reliability of the 32-item instrument, encompassing five sub-scales, have already been shown to be robust. The present analysis focused on responses from 1978 participants representing the students who completed the ASSASS in Arabic. Descriptive statistics were computed and a competing pair of multiple indicators multiple causes models is presented that attempt to link patterns in students' responses to the ASSASS with a set of indicators. The final model retained student age, gender, nationality (i.e. Qatari vs. Non-Qatari Arab), and school type as indicators. Findings from this study suggest that participants' attitudes toward science decrease with age, and that these attitudes and related preferences are influenced by students' nationality and the type of school they attend. Equally important, the often-reported advantages for male over female precollege students in terms of attitudes toward science were much less prominent in the present study.

The Development, Field Test and Validation of Scales to Assess Teachers' Attitudes Toward Teaching Elementary School Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Richard W.

The project described in this report is an attempt to develop scales to assess teachers' attitudes toward teaching elementary school science. The instrument produced, Science Teaching Attitude Scales, consists of six scales, each of which has a statement of the attitude to be assessed and five statements to determine the extent to which the…

Students' Attitudes towards Control Methods in Computer-Assisted Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hintze, Hanne; And Others

1988-01-01

Describes study designed to investigate dental students' attitudes toward computer-assisted teaching as applied in programs for oral radiology in Denmark. Programs using personal computers and slide projectors with varying degrees of learner and teacher control are described, and differences in attitudes between male and female students are…

Randomized study of different anti-stigma media.

PubMed

Finkelstein, Joseph; Lapshin, Oleg; Wasserman, Evgeny

2008-05-01

We designed our study to assess if computer-assisted anti-stigma interventions can be effective in reducing the level of psychiatric stigma in a sample of special education university students. We enrolled 193 graduate students. They had two study visits with an interval of 6 months. The participants were randomly distributed into three study groups: 76 students read anti-stigma printed materials (reading group, RG), and 69 studied an anti-stigma computer program (program group, PG), and 48 students were in a control group (CG) and received no intervention. We used the Bogardus scale of social distance (BSSD), the community attitudes toward the mentally ill (CAMI) questionnaire, and the psychiatric knowledge survey (PKS) as the main outcome measures. After the intervention BSSD, CAMI and PKS scores significantly improved both in RG and PG. After 6 months in RG two out of three CAMI subscales and PKS scores were not different from the baseline. In PG all stigma and knowledge changes remained significant. This study demonstrated that computers can be an effective mean in changing attitudes of students toward psychiatric patients. A computer-mediated intervention has the potential for educating graduate students about mental disease and for reducing psychiatric stigma.

ICT Learning by Older Adults and Their Attitudes toward Computer Use

PubMed Central

González, Antonio; Ramírez, María Paz; Viadel, Vicente

2015-01-01

Information and communication technologies have proven to be an effective way of helping older adults improve independence outcomes, but such technologies are yet not widely used by this segment of the population. This paper aims to study computer use and senior citizens' attitudes toward computer technology in the context of a 20-hour course in basic skills. A questionnaire was used to conduct pre- and postcourse analyses with a sample of 191 adults over the age of 60. The findings show that direct contact with computers generates more positive attitudes toward computer use and also positive relationships with attitudes, user behavior, training expectations, and self-confidence. Results are discussed in the light of need-to-know attitudes toward computer use and training in new technologies as an opportunity for life-long learning and for improving quality of life in old age. PMID:26346158

A Study on Attitude and Opinion towards Using Computer Technology in Teaching among B.Ed. Trainees in Tiruchirappalli District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar, C. Ashok

2015-01-01

The main aim of the study was to find out whether there was a significant difference in the attitude and opinion towards using Computer Technology in teaching among B.Ed., trainees in terms of select independent variables. Normative survey was the technique employed. Opinion towards Computer Usage and Attitude towards Computer Technology inventory…

Gender Differences in Computer Attitudes and the Choice of Technology-Related Occupations in a Sample of Secondary Students in Spain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sainz, Milagros; Lopez-Saez, Mercedes

2010-01-01

The dearth of women in technology and ICT-related fields continues to be a topic of interest for both the scientific community and decision-makers. Research on attitudes towards computers proves that women display more negative computer attitudes than men and also make less intense use of technology and computers than their male counterparts. For…

The Development and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of a Scale for the Measurement of Gifted Students Attitude towards Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adediwura, Alaba Adeyemi

2011-01-01

The present study was aimed at developing an attitude scale and then use it to reveal the attitude of mathematical gifted students' attitude towards mathematics. In the first phase of the study, an attitude-scale (AS) towards mathematics were designed using the psychometric approach. The AS was composed of seventeen items aimed to measure four…

A Longitudinal Study of Student Attitudes toward Computers: Resolving an Attitude Decay Paradox.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKinnon, David H.; Nolan, C. J. Patrick; Sinclair, Kenneth E.

2000-01-01

Describes results of an integrated curriculum project in New Zealand that generated paradoxical results regarding student motivation and attitudes toward computer use during junior high school, where attitudes became less positive. Examines implications for the design and implementation of curriculum projects involving student use of computer…

Empirical Validation and Application of the Computing Attitudes Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorn, Brian; Elliott Tew, Allison

2015-01-01

Student attitudes play an important role in shaping learning experiences. However, few validated instruments exist for measuring student attitude development in a discipline-specific way. In this paper, we present the design, development, and validation of the computing attitudes survey (CAS). The CAS is an extension of the Colorado Learning…

Sex, grade, and course differences in attitudes that are related to cognitive performance in secondary science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levin, James; Seymour Fowler, H.

The purpose of this study was to collect and analyze data on sexual differences in secondary school students' attitudes towards science. Attitudinal differences were also analyzed for the independent variables of science programs and grade levels. Data were collected from 988 students using a modified version of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales to represent attitudes toward science. Reliabilities of the modified science subscales were all high ( > 0.83). Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the data for the main and interaction effects of the independent variables of sex (male, female), grade level (10th, 11th, 12th), and science program (advanced placement, academic, general, terminal). Significant differences (p < 0.05) were indicated for all main effects (sex, grade, science program). Interaction effects were not found. Mean separations for the various levels of sex, grade, and science program were performed for all attitudinal subscales. Females evidenced a significantly more positive attitude (p 0.01) than males on three subscales: Attitude Toward Success in Science Scale, Science as a Male Domain Scale, and Teacher Scale. Although not significant, males evidenced more positive attitudes on all the remaining five subscales. Eleventh graders evidenced significantly more positive attitudes than tenth graders on all but the Effectance Motivation Scale. Students in 11th grade had more positive attitudes than 12th-grade students on all scales but Science as a Male Domain Scale; however, these differences were not significant. Tenth graders differed significantly from 12th graders on three subscales; Science Usefulness Scale, Confidence in Learning Science Scale, and Teacher Scale. Positive attitudes decreased from advanced placement to terminal programs. Academic students did not differ significantly from general students except on the Father Scale; however, they were significantly different (more positive) from the terminal students for all subscales. General students were also significantly different from terminal students except on the three subscales of Attitudes Toward Success in Science, Science as a Male Domain, and Effectance Motivation.

Extraversion and communication attitude in people who stutter: A preliminary study.

PubMed

Stipdonk, L; Lieftink, A; Bouwen, J; Wijnen, F

2014-12-01

The aim of the study was to determine the correlation between the personality trait extraversion and the communication attitude in people who stutter (PWS). Thirty PWS completed Erickson's Communication Attitude Scale (S-24) (Andrews & Cutler, 1974) as well as a Dutch adaptation of the extraversion scale of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (Hoekstra, Ormel, & Fruyt, 1996). The communication attitude scores correlated significantly with the extraversion scores: PWS with a more negative communication attitude were more introvert and PWS with a more positive attitude were more extravert. This result suggests that the S-24 is not only sensitive to communication attitude in relation to speech impairment, but also to the respondent's degree of extraversion. Consequently, assessment of communication attitude needs to be re-thought so as to take personality factors into account. Readers should be able to: (a) describe the difference between temperament and personality; (b) describe what the S-24 Communication Attitude Scale measures in PWS; (c) describe how the personality trait extraversion may influence the communication attitude in PWS; (d) describe how the extraversion scale is correlated to the communication attitude scale according to the authors of this article. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Attitudes toward computers: a new attitudinal dimension.

PubMed

Wang, Lei; Chen, Yang; Shi, Junqi

2007-10-01

The present study examined the reliability and the construct validity of a questionnaire designed to measure the attitudes toward computers in everyday life. A total of 2,050 participants responded to the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis suggests that attitudes toward computers are composed of three dimensions: sense of benefit, sense of dependence, and sense of harm.

A National Survey of the Public's Attitudes Toward Computers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Federation of Information Processing Societies, Montvale, NJ.

The general public's attitudes towards continually expanding computer usage is frequently speculated about but is far from understood. This study is aimed at providing objective data on the public's attitudes towards computers, their uses, their perceived impact on the American economy as well as on the individual, and their future uses. The…

Modelling the Influences of Beliefs on Pre-Service Teachers' Attitudes towards Computer Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teo, Timothy

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the pre-service teachers' attitudes toward computers use. The impact of five variables (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norm, facilitating conditions, and technological complexity) on attitude towards computer was assessed. Data were collected from 230 preservice teachers through…

Attitude ground support system for the solar maximum mission spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nair, G.

1980-01-01

The SMM attitude ground support system (AGSS) supports the acquisition of spacecraft roll attitude reference, performs the in-flight calibration of the attitude sensor complement, supports onboard control autonomy via onboard computer data base updates, and monitors onboard computer (OBC) performance. Initial roll attitude acquisition is accomplished by obtaining a coarse 3 axis attitude estimate from magnetometer and Sun sensor data and subsequently refining it by processing data from the fixed head star trackers. In-flight calibration of the attitude sensor complement is achieved by processing data from a series of slew maneuvers designed to maximize the observability and accuracy of the appropriate alignments and biases. To ensure autonomy of spacecraft operation, the AGSS selects guide stars and computes sensor occultation information for uplink to the OBC. The onboard attitude control performance is monitored on the ground through periodic attitude determination and processing of OBC data in downlink telemetry. In general, the control performance has met mission requirements. However, software and hardware problems have resulted in sporadic attitude reference losses.

How parental attitudes affect the risky computer and Internet usage patterns of adolescents: a population-based study in the Bursa District of Turkey.

PubMed

Uncu, Yeşim; Vural, Pinar; Büyükuysal, Cağatay; Alper, Züleyha; Kiliç, Emine Zinnur

2014-12-01

We aimed to evaluate the computer usage patterns of adolescents and to determine the effects of family life and parental attitude on these patterns. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, population-based survey that included 935 children between 11 and 16 years of age who were students in the second level of primary school and their parents as well. The following instruments were used in the survey: student and parent questionnaires on computer usage patterns and the Parental Attitude Research Instrument (PARI) to assess parental attitudes towards child-rearing and family life. Of the study population, the majority of the students had a computer in their homes and spent a lot of time on the Internet. Parental control over the amount of time spent on the Internet and the websites that were visited had sometimes limited and contradictory effects on computer usage among the students. A democratic parental attitude was the best approach. Using the computer as a reward or punishment had a negative impact on the children's computer usage patterns. Although parents are confused concerning the benefits and harms of the Internet for their children and not certain how to manage their children's use of the computer and safe navigation of the Internet, a democratic parental attitude appears to be the best approach for reaching the most beneficial computer usage patterns for students.

Student Ability, Confidence, and Attitudes Toward Incorporating a Computer into a Patient Interview.

PubMed

Ray, Sarah; Valdovinos, Katie

2015-05-25

To improve pharmacy students' ability to effectively incorporate a computer into a simulated patient encounter and to improve their awareness of barriers and attitudes towards and their confidence in using a computer during simulated patient encounters. Students completed a survey that assessed their awareness of, confidence in, and attitudes towards computer use during simulated patient encounters. Students were evaluated with a rubric on their ability to incorporate a computer into a simulated patient encounter. Students were resurveyed and reevaluated after instruction. Students improved in their ability to effectively incorporate computer usage into a simulated patient encounter. They also became more aware of and improved their attitudes toward barriers regarding such usage and gained more confidence in their ability to use a computer during simulated patient encounters. Instruction can improve pharmacy students' ability to incorporate a computer into simulated patient encounters. This skill is critical to developing efficiency while maintaining rapport with patients.

Attitudes to Technology, Perceived Computer Self-Efficacy and Computer Anxiety as Predictors of Computer Supported Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Celik, Vehbi; Yesilyurt, Etem

2013-01-01

There is a large body of research regarding computer supported education, perceptions of computer self-efficacy, computer anxiety and the technological attitudes of teachers and teacher candidates. However, no study has been conducted on the correlation between and effect of computer supported education, perceived computer self-efficacy, computer…

Computer Literacy and Online Learning Attitude toward GSOE Students in Distance Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Lung-Yu; Lee, Long-Yuan

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore graduate students' competencies in computer use and their attitudes toward online learning in asynchronous online courses of distance learning programs in a Graduate School of Education (GSOE) in Taiwan. The research examined the relationship between computer literacy and the online learning attitudes of…

Attitudes of Design Students toward Computer Usage in Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pektas, Sule Tasli; Erkip, Feyzan

2006-01-01

The success of efforts to integrate technology with design education is largely affected by the attitudes of students toward technology. This paper presents the findings of a research on the attitudes of design students toward the use of computers in design and its correlates. Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools are the most widely used computer…

Effects of Attitudes and Behaviours on Learning Mathematics with Computer Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Helen C.; Drijvers, Paul; Kirschner, Paul A.

2010-01-01

This mixed-methods study investigates the effects of student attitudes and behaviours on the outcomes of learning mathematics with computer tools. A computer tool was used to help students develop the mathematical concept of function. In the whole sample (N = 521), student attitudes could account for a 3.4 point difference in test scores between…

Computer Attitude and eLearning Self-Efficacy of Undergraduate Students: Validating Potential Acceptance and Use of Online Learning Systems in Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larbi-Apau, Josephine; Oti-Boadi, Mabel; Tetteh, Albert

2018-01-01

Both computer attitude and eLearning self-efficacy are critical complementary factors in determining confidence levels and behavioral belief systems, and can directly affect students' actions, performances and achievements. This study applied a multidimensional construct in validating computer attitude and eLearning self-efficacy of Psychology…

The Relationship Between the ATDP and ATHI Scales for Assessing Attitudes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stodden, Robert; And Others

Studied was the relationship between the Attitude Toward Disabled Persons (ATDP) scale and the Attitude Towards Handicapped Individuals (ATHI) scale. These scales were administered to 82 college students. Also determined was the coefficient of stability of the ATHI using a test-retest after 2 weeks with 54 Ss. The ATHI scale was thought to be more…

Paper-Based and Computer-Based Concept Mappings: The Effects on Computer Achievement, Computer Anxiety and Computer Attitude

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erdogan, Yavuz

2009-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to compare the effects of paper-based and computer-based concept mappings on computer hardware achievement, computer anxiety and computer attitude of the eight grade secondary school students. The students were randomly allocated to three groups and were given instruction on computer hardware. The teaching methods used…

Teachers' Attitudes toward Reporting Child Sexual Abuse: Problems with Existing Research Leading to New Scale Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, Kerryann; Rassafiani, Mehdi; Mathews, Ben; Farrell, Ann; Butler, Des

2010-01-01

This paper details a systematic literature review identifying problems in extant research relating to teachers' attitudes toward reporting child sexual abuse and offers a model for new attitude scale development and testing. Scale development comprised a five-phase process grounded in contemporary attitude theories, including (a) developing the…

Development of Mathematics Course Attitude Scale: A Preliminary Study of Validity & Reliability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eskici, Menekse; Ilgaz, Gökhan; Aricak, Osman Tolga

2017-01-01

The aim of this research is to develop a Mathematics Course Attitude Scale to measure high school students' attitudes towards mathematics and to test the validity and reliability of this scale. It is also aimed to reveal whether there are significant differences in school students' attitudes towards mathematics according to their gender and…

Measurement Scales of Suicidal Ideation and Attitudes: A Systematic Review Article

PubMed Central

Ghasemi, Parvin; Shaghaghi, Abdolreza; Allahverdipour, Hamid

2015-01-01

Background: The main aim of this study was to accumulate research evidence that introduce validated scales to measure suicidal attitudes and ideation and provide an empirical framework for adopting a relevant assessment tool in studies on suicide and suicidal behaviors. Methods: Medical Subject Headings’ (MeSH) terms were used to search Ovid Medline, PROQUEST, Wiley online library, Science Direct and PubMed for the published articles in English that reported application of an scale to measure suicidal attitudes and ideation from January 1974 onward. Results: Fourteen suicidal attitude scale and 15 scales for assessing suicidal ideation were identified in this systematic review. No gold standard approach was recognized to study suicide related attitudes and ideations. Conclusion: Special focus on generally agreed dimensions of suicidal ideation and attitudes and cross-cultural validation of the introduced scales to be applicable in different ethnic and socially diverse populations could be a promising area of research for scholars. PMID:26634193

Selection and Validation of Attitude Scales for Curriculum Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraser, Barry J.

1977-01-01

Defines educational importance, multidimensionality, and economy to be essential criteria in the selection of attitude scales for curriculum evaluation. Five scales meeting the requirements are selected and tested with 1,158 Australian seventh-grade students. Scores on the attitude scales and correlations of scores with socioeconomic status,…

A Validity and Reliability Study of the Attitudes toward Sustainable Development Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biasutti, Michele; Frate, Sara

2017-01-01

This article describes the development and validation of the Attitudes toward Sustainable Development scale, a quantitative 20-item scale that measures Italian university students' attitudes toward sustainable development. A total of 484 undergraduate students completed the questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the scale was statistically…

Development of Capstone Project Attitude Scales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bringula, Rex P.

2015-01-01

This study attempted to develop valid and reliable Capstone Project Attitude Scales (CPAS). Among the scales reviewed, the Modified Fennema-Shermann Mathematics Attitude Scales was adapted in the construction of the CPAS. Usefulness, Confidence, and Gender View were the three subscales of the CPAS. Four hundred sixty-three students answered the…

Student computer attitudes, experience and perceptions about the use of two software applications in Building Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiner, Esther; Garcia-Vera, Victoria E.

2017-11-01

The purpose of this study was to examine students' computer attitudes and experience, as well as students' perceptions about the use of two specific software applications (Google Drive Spreadsheets and Arquimedes) in the Building Engineering context. The relationships among these variables were also examined. Ninety-two students took part in this study. Results suggest that students hold favourable computer attitudes. Moreover, it was found a significant positive relationship among students' attitudes and their computer experience. Findings also show that students find Arquimedes software more useful and with higher output quality than Google Drive Spreadsheets, while the latter is perceived to be easier to use. Regarding the relationship among students' attitudes towards the use of computers and their perceptions about the use of both software applications, only a significant positive relationship in the case of Arquimedes was found. Findings are discussed in terms of its implications for practice and further research.

Lesbian and Gay Male Group Identity Attitudes and Self-Esteem: Implications for Counseling.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walters, Karina L.; Simoni, Jane M.

1993-01-01

Ninety-six lesbians and gay men completed Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and modified version of Racial Identity Attitude Scale. Results indicated moderate inverse relationship between preencounter attitudes and self-esteem and positive relationship between internalization attitudes and self-esteem. Encounter and immersion-emersion attitudes were…

Pupil and Parent Attitudes towards Bullying in Primary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eslea, Mike; Smith, Peter K.

2000-01-01

Describes an investigation of student and parent attitudes towards bullying by comparing attitudes with bullying behavior. States that parents (n=747) completed the Parental Attitudes to Bullying Scale and children (n=326), aged six to eleven, in primary schools completed the Children's Attitudes to Bullying Scale. Includes references. (CMK)

Is problematic internet use an indicator of eating disorders among Turkish university students?

PubMed

Çelik, Çiğdem Berber; Odacı, Hatice; Bayraktar, Nihal

2015-06-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between problematic internet use and eating attitudes in a group of university students. The study sample consisted of 314 students attending programs at the faculties of education, medicine and communications at the Karadeniz Technical University in Turkey. One hundred forty-seven (46.8 %) were male and 167 (53.2 %) female. The Problematic Internet Use Scale was used to measure problematic internet use levels among university students and the Eating Attitudes Test to determine anorexia nervosa symptoms. Additionally, a Personal Data Form was used to determine age, gender, faculty attended and computer ownership. Data were analyzed on SPSS 15.00. Pearson's product moments correlation coefficient, multiple linear regression analysis, the independent t test and one-way ANOVA were used for data analysis. The research findings showed that 46.8 % of students were female and 53.2 % male. Mean age was 20.65 (SD 1.42). Analysis showed a significant positive correlation between problematic internet use and eating attitudes (r = 0.77, p < 0.01). Problematic internet use was found to be a significant predictor of eating attitudes. The results also showed a significant difference in problematic internet use with regard to program variables [F (2,311) = 102.79]. There were no significant differences in problematic internet use in terms of gender or computer ownership. The results of this study indicate that problematic internet use is significantly correlated with eating disorders, that problematic internet use does not vary on the basis of gender or computer ownership and that variations arise in problematic internet use depending on the faculty attended.

A Cross-Cultural Study on the Attitudes of English Language Students towards Computer-Assisted Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tafazoli, Dara; Gómez Parra, Mª Elena; Huertas Abril, Cristina A.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the attitude of Iranian and non-Iranian English language students' attitudes towards Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Furthermore, the relations of gender, education level, and age to their attitude are investigated. A convergent mixed methods design was used for analyzing both quantitative and…

Computer Oriented Exercises on Attitudes and U.S. Gasoline Consumption, Attitude. Teacher Guide. Computer Technology Program Environmental Education Units.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, OR.

This is the teacher's guide to accompany the student guide which together comprise one of five computer-oriented environmental/energy education units. This unit is concerned with the attitude of people toward gasoline shortages and different steps the government could take to reduce gasoline consumption. Through the exercises, part of which make…

Measuring the Effect of Gender on Computer Attitudes among Pre-Service Teachers: A Multiple Indicators, Multiple Causes (MIMIC) Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teo, Timothy

2010-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of gender on pre-service teachers' computer attitudes. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 157 pre-service teachers completed a survey questionnaire measuring their responses to four constructs which explain computer attitude. These were administered during the teaching term where…

The Peer Attitudes toward Children Who Stutter Scale: Reliability, Known Groups Validity, and Negativity of Elementary School-Age Children's Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langevin, Marilyn

2009-01-01

Psychometric properties of the Peer Attitudes Toward Children who Stutter (PATCS) scale (Langevin, M., & Hagler, P. (2004). Development of a scale to measure peer attitudes toward children who stutter. In A.K. Bothe (Ed.), Evidence-based treatment of stuttering: empirical bases and clinical applications (pp. 139-171). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence…

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (74th, Boston, Massachusetts, August 7-10, 1991). Part VI: Technology and the Mass Media.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

The Technology and the Media section of the proceedings contains the following 18 papers: "What's Wrong with This Picture?: Attitudes of Photographic Editors at Daily Newspapers and Their Tolerance toward Digital Manipulation" (Shiela Reaves); "Strategies for the Analysis of Large-Scale Databases in Computer-Assisted Investigative…

The Impacts of Attitudes and Engagement on Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) of Mobile Sensor Computing Applications.

PubMed

Zhao, Yu; Liu, Yide; Lai, Ivan K W; Zhang, Hongfeng; Zhang, Yi

2016-03-18

As one of the latest revolutions in networking technology, social networks allow users to keep connected and exchange information. Driven by the rapid wireless technology development and diffusion of mobile devices, social networks experienced a tremendous change based on mobile sensor computing. More and more mobile sensor network applications have appeared with the emergence of a huge amount of users. Therefore, an in-depth discussion on the human-computer interaction (HCI) issues of mobile sensor computing is required. The target of this study is to extend the discussions on HCI by examining the relationships of users' compound attitudes (i.e., affective attitudes, cognitive attitude), engagement and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) behaviors in the context of mobile sensor computing. A conceptual model is developed, based on which, 313 valid questionnaires are collected. The research discusses the level of impact on the eWOM of mobile sensor computing by considering user-technology issues, including the compound attitude and engagement, which can bring valuable discussions on the HCI of mobile sensor computing in further study. Besides, we find that user engagement plays a mediating role between the user's compound attitudes and eWOM. The research result can also help the mobile sensor computing industry to develop effective strategies and build strong consumer user-product (brand) relationships.

The Impacts of Attitudes and Engagement on Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) of Mobile Sensor Computing Applications

PubMed Central

Zhao, Yu; Liu, Yide; Lai, Ivan K. W.; Zhang, Hongfeng; Zhang, Yi

2016-01-01

As one of the latest revolutions in networking technology, social networks allow users to keep connected and exchange information. Driven by the rapid wireless technology development and diffusion of mobile devices, social networks experienced a tremendous change based on mobile sensor computing. More and more mobile sensor network applications have appeared with the emergence of a huge amount of users. Therefore, an in-depth discussion on the human–computer interaction (HCI) issues of mobile sensor computing is required. The target of this study is to extend the discussions on HCI by examining the relationships of users’ compound attitudes (i.e., affective attitudes, cognitive attitude), engagement and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) behaviors in the context of mobile sensor computing. A conceptual model is developed, based on which, 313 valid questionnaires are collected. The research discusses the level of impact on the eWOM of mobile sensor computing by considering user-technology issues, including the compound attitude and engagement, which can bring valuable discussions on the HCI of mobile sensor computing in further study. Besides, we find that user engagement plays a mediating role between the user’s compound attitudes and eWOM. The research result can also help the mobile sensor computing industry to develop effective strategies and build strong consumer user—product (brand) relationships. PMID:26999155

Perceived Coach Attitudes and Behaviors Scale: Development and Validation Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Üzüm, Hanifi; Karli, Ünal; Yildiz, Nuh Osman

2018-01-01

The purpose of the study was to develop a scale, which will serve to determine how attitudes and behaviors of the coaches are perceived by the athletes. The scale, named as "Perceived Coach Attitudes and Behaviors Scale" (PCABS) was developed through various processes including exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Following the…

An Empirically Keyed Scale for Measuring Managerial Attitudes toward Women Executives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dubno, Peter; And Others

1979-01-01

A scale (Managerial Attitudes toward Women Executives Scale -- MATWES) provides reliability and validity measures regarding managerial attitudes toward women executives. It employs a projective test for item generation and uses a panel of women executives as Q-sorters to select items. The Scale and its value in minimizing researcher bias in its…

Dimensions of stereotypical attitudes among older adults: Analysis of two countries.

PubMed

Helmes, Edward; Pachana, Nancy A

2016-11-01

Much research on attitudes towards older adults has used younger adults as participants and identified a range of negative attitudes towards older persons. Comparatively little literature has explored the attitudes of older adults themselves towards their own age cohort. The present study explicitly compared attitudes towards other older adults from samples of 195 older adults in Australia and 172 older Canadians. Attitudinal measures included the Aging Attitudes Questionnaire (assesses older adults' attitudes toward other older adults), Fraboni Scale of Ageism (assesses younger adults' attitudes toward older adults) and the Reactions to Aging Questionnaire (assesses attitudes toward one's own aging), as well as a scale measuring knowledge of aging, the Facts on Aging Quiz, adapted for Australia and Canada. Responses on the three attitudinal measures were subjected to principal components analysis. Two components emerged in both samples, one defined by the Reactions to Aging Questionnaire and Aging Attitudes Questionnaire scales and the second by the Fraboni Scale of Ageism scales. Regression analyses to ascertain prediction of scores on the Facts on Aging Quiz, adapted for Australia and Facts on Aging Quiz, adapted for Canada showed that only the Aging Attitudes Questionnaire scale for Physical Changes predicted scores on the Facts on Aging Quiz, adapted for Australia and no attitudes predicted Facts on Aging Quiz, adapted for Canada scores. It appears that older adults distinguish between their own aging and aging in others. Knowledge of aging appears to be predicted only by attitudes toward physical changes. Given increasing proportions of older adults in the population, as well as increasing access to aging information available to older cohorts, continued research on how older adults view themselves and the aging process is important, and will almost certainly continue to evolve over time. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 16: 1226-1230. © 2015 Japan Geriatrics Society.

The relationship between audience mentality and attitudes towards healthy lifestyle promotion in the mass media.

PubMed

Lignowska, Izabella; Borowiec, Agnieszka; Slonska, Zofia

2016-09-01

Health promoters who use the mass media to encourage people to change their health behaviours usually underestimate the importance of audience's mental predispositions, which may determine their susceptibility to such influences. This paper presents research findings that show how some elements of an audience's mentality are related to their attitudes towards healthy lifestyle promotion in the mass media (HLPMM). The research project, undertaken between 2007 and 2009, comprised: a qualitative study using in-depth interviews (N=30); a self-administered survey on a purposive sample (N=237) and a computer-assisted personal interview or interviewing (CAPI) survey on a representative sample of Polish adult population (N=934). The findings from the first two studies were used to construct a scale to investigate the attitude towards HLPMM. This scale was applied in a nation wide survey and, as a result, four dimensions of the attitude were identified: (1) appraisal of the idea of HLPMM; (2) appraisal of HLPMM practice; (3) propensity to receive media messages promoting healthy lifestyle and (4) propensity to avoid such messages. Moreover, the survey results confirmed the hypotheses whereby a higher degree of individualism, a higher degree of authoritarianism, a weaker demanding orientation and generalised trust are related to a more positive attitude towards HLPMM. The aforementioned relationships indicate that producers of media messages promoting a healthy lifestyle need to take account of their audience's mentality, since knowledge of mental predispositions of the target audience may help them make the message more suitable for specific recipients. © The Author(s) 2015.

The Effect of Computer Assisted and Computer Based Teaching Methods on Computer Course Success and Computer Using Attitudes of Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tosun, Nilgün; Suçsuz, Nursen; Yigit, Birol

2006-01-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of the computer-assisted and computer-based instructional methods on students achievement at computer classes and on their attitudes towards using computers. The study, which was completed in 6 weeks, were carried out with 94 sophomores studying in formal education program of Primary…

Attitudes towards Computer and Computer Self-Efficacy as Predictors of Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Computer Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Awofala, Adeneye O. A.; Akinoso, Sabainah O.; Fatade, Alfred O.

2017-01-01

The study investigated attitudes towards computer and computer self-efficacy as predictors of computer anxiety among 310 preservice mathematics teachers from five higher institutions of learning in Lagos and Ogun States of Nigeria using the quantitative research method within the blueprint of the descriptive survey design. Data collected were…

A Mathematical Approach in Evaluating Biotechnology Attitude Scale: Rough Set Data Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Narli, Serkan; Sinan, Olcay

2011-01-01

Individuals' thoughts and attitudes towards biotechnology have been investigated in many countries. A Likert-type scale is the most commonly used scale to measure attitude. However, the weak side of a likert-type scale is that different responses may produce the same score. The Rough set method has been regarded to address this shortcoming. A…

Science and Mathematics Teacher Candidates' Environmental Knowledge, Awareness, Behavior and Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yumusak, Ahmet; Sargin, Seyid Ahmet; Baltaci, Furkan; Kelani, Raphael R.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to measure science and mathematics teacher candidates' environmental knowledge level, awareness, behavior and environmental attitudes. Four instruments comprising Environmental Sensitivity Scale, environmental Behavior Scale, Environmental Attitudes Scale and Environmental Knowledge Test were administered to a total…

Satisfaction with web-based training in an integrated healthcare delivery network: do age, education, computer skills and attitudes matter?

PubMed Central

Atreja, Ashish; Mehta, Neil B; Jain, Anil K; Harris, CM; Ishwaran, Hemant; Avital, Michel; Fishleder, Andrew J

2008-01-01

Background Healthcare institutions spend enormous time and effort to train their workforce. Web-based training can potentially streamline this process. However the deployment of web-based training in a large-scale setting with a diverse healthcare workforce has not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction of healthcare professionals with web-based training and to determine the predictors of such satisfaction including age, education status and computer proficiency. Methods Observational, cross-sectional survey of healthcare professionals from six hospital systems in an integrated delivery network. We measured overall satisfaction to web-based training and response to survey items measuring Website Usability, Course Usefulness, Instructional Design Effectiveness, Computer Proficiency and Self-learning Attitude. Results A total of 17,891 healthcare professionals completed the web-based training on HIPAA Privacy Rule; and of these, 13,537 completed the survey (response rate 75.6%). Overall course satisfaction was good (median, 4; scale, 1 to 5) with more than 75% of the respondents satisfied with the training (rating 4 or 5) and 65% preferring web-based training over traditional instructor-led training (rating 4 or 5). Multivariable ordinal regression revealed 3 key predictors of satisfaction with web-based training: Instructional Design Effectiveness, Website Usability and Course Usefulness. Demographic predictors such as gender, age and education did not have an effect on satisfaction. Conclusion The study shows that web-based training when tailored to learners' background, is perceived as a satisfactory mode of learning by an interdisciplinary group of healthcare professionals, irrespective of age, education level or prior computer experience. Future studies should aim to measure the long-term outcomes of web-based training. PMID:18922178

Development and Large-Scale Validation of an Instrument to Assess Arabic-Speaking Students' Attitudes toward Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abd-El-Khalick, Fouad; Summers, Ryan; Said, Ziad; Wang, Shuai; Culbertson, Michael

2015-01-01

This study is part of a large-scale project focused on "Qatari students' Interest in, and Attitudes toward, Science" (QIAS). QIAS aimed to gauge Qatari student attitudes toward science in grades 3-12, examine factors that impact these attitudes, and assess the relationship between student attitudes and prevailing modes of science…

Personality factors that differentiate homosexual men with positive and negative attitudes toward condom use.

PubMed

Ross, M W

1988-12-01

The Homosexual Attitudes Toward Condoms scale was administered to 148 homosexually active men along with 2 personality and mood inventories, the Adjective Check List (ACL) and the Profile of Mood States (POMS). For each of the 5 subscales of the Homosexual Attitudes Toward Condoms scale and for the total scale, groups were split at the median score and compared by t-tests on the scales of the ACL and POMS. Results showed that high scorers on the ACL scales for dominance and aggression, and less frequently for autonomy, exhibition, and self-confidence, had consistently positive attitudes toward condoms; and that high scorers on the ACL scales for abasement, deference, and the POMS scale for tension- anxiety had consistently negative attitudes toward condoms. These data suggest that the most important variables associated with positive attitudes toward condom use are an assertive personality style and the ability to raise the issue of condom use in sexual encounters without fear of rebuff. Future education efforts should be directed toward assertiveness training in sexual encounters rather than information on the efficacy of condoms for prevention of HIV transmission.

Young Driver Attitude Scale: The Development and Field-Testing of an Instrument To Measure Young Driver Risk-Taking Attitudes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malfetti, James L.; And Others

It has been postulated that young people are open to driving accidents because of age, lack of experience and risk-taking attitudes. The Young Driver Attitude Scale (YDAS) was developed to measure attitudes likely to influence driving practices. Over 200 items relating to the risk-taking attitudes of young people were shown to a small group of…

The 2-MEV Scale in the United States: A Measure of Children's Environmental Attitudes Based on the Theory of Ecological Attitude

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Bruce; Manoli, Constantinos C.

2011-01-01

The Environmental (2-MEV) Scale questionnaire was developed in Europe to measure adolescents' attitudes and gauge the effectiveness of educational programs. It also formed the basis for the Theory of Ecological Attitudes. In the present four-year study, the 2-MEV Scale was modified for use with 9-12-year-old children in the United States. Initial…

Assessing the reliability and validity of anti-tobacco attitudes/beliefs in the context of a campaign strategy.

PubMed

Arheart, Kristopher L; Sly, David F; Trapido, Edward J; Rodriguez, Richard D; Ellestad, Amy J

2004-11-01

To identify multi-item attitude/belief scales associated with the theoretical foundations of an anti-tobacco counter-marketing campaign and assess their reliability and validity. The data analyzed are from two state-wide, random, cross-sectional telephone surveys [n(S1)=1,079, n(S2)=1,150]. Items forming attitude/belief scales are identified using factor analysis. Reliability is assessed with Chronbach's alpha. Relationships among scales are explored using Pearson correlation. Validity is assessed by testing associations derived from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) logic model for tobacco control program development and evaluation linking media exposure to attitudes/beliefs, and attitudes/beliefs to smoking-related behaviors. Adjusted odds ratios are employed for these analyses. Three factors emerged: traditional attitudes/beliefs about tobacco and tobacco use, tobacco industry manipulation and anti-tobacco empowerment. Reliability coefficients are in the range of 0.70 and vary little between age groups. The factors are correlated with one-another as hypothesized. Associations between media exposure and the attitude/belief scales and between these scales and behaviors are consistent with the CDC logic model. Using reliable, valid multi-item scales is theoretically and methodologically more sound than employing single-item measures of attitudes/beliefs. Methodological, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The Effects of Targeted English Language Arts Instruction Using Multimedia Applications on Grade Three Students' Reading Comprehension, Attitude toward Computers, and Attitude toward School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swerdloff, Matthew

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the specific effects of targeted English Language Arts (ELA) instruction using multimedia applications. Student reading comprehension, student attitude toward computers, and student attitude toward school were measured in this study. The study also examined the perceptions, of selected students, of the…

The euthanasia-religion nexus: exploring religious orientation and euthanasia attitude measures in a Muslim context.

PubMed

Aghababaei, Naser

Using religious orientation paradigm, this twofold study examined the relationship between euthanasia attitude and religiosity, and compared single-item and multi-item scales of euthanasia attitude. Three hundred students were asked whether they view euthanasia as moral. In addition, participants completed the Euthanasia Attitude Scale (EAS) and Religious Orientation Scale-Revised. Results indicated that intrinsic religiosity was the strongest correlate of negative attitudes toward euthanasia. This type of religiosity explained additional variance when added to the two types of extrinsic religiosity (social, personal), but the reverse was not the case. The fairly strong correlation of intrinsic religiosity with the EAS provides evidence of construct validity for the EAS and proved it to be a better measure for assessing euthanasia attitude, rather than the single-item scale.

Faculty of Education Students' Computer Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Their Attitudes towards Computers and Implementing Computer Supported Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berkant, Hasan Güner

2016-01-01

This study investigates faculty of education students' computer self-efficacy beliefs and their attitudes towards computers and implementing computer supported education. This study is descriptive and based on a correlational survey model. The final sample consisted of 414 students studying in the faculty of education of a Turkish university. The…

Five-Item Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity: Construct and Nomological Validity and Internal Consistency among Colombian College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ceballos, Guillermo A.; Suescun, Jesus D.; Oviedo, Heidi C.; Herazo, Edwin; Campo-Arias, Adalberto

2015-01-01

The Spanish version of the five-item Francis scale of attitude toward Christianity is a refinement of the short version of the Francis scale of attitude toward Christianity. The scale is a good measurement for intrinsic religiosity. It has been applied previously among Colombian adolescent students. The internal consistency and construct and…

The determination of infant feeding attitudes among Turkish mothers using the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale.

PubMed

Topal, Sumeyra; Yuvaci, Hilal Uslu; Erkorkmaz, Unal; Cinar, Nursan; Altinkaynak, Sevin

2017-10-01

To assess whether the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale is a valid and reliable scale for Turkish mothers, and to assess maternal attitudes toward various aspects of infant feeding. This methodological, analytical study was conducted at the obstetrics and gynaecology department of Sakarya Training and Research Hospital, Sakarya, Turkey, from June to August 2015, and comprised mothers of newborn babies. Data was collected using the Turkish version of Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale. SPSS 23 was used for data analysis. There were 391 participants in the study. Five items of the original Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale were excluded due to the low correlation with the scale integrity (Cronbach's alpha=0.67). The total mean score of the mothers was 48.11±6.57. A statistically significant difference was found between the educational status, having social security, what the mothers having other children fed these children in the first 6 months and family types (p=0.05 each). Significant difference was also found between the mothers only breastfeeding and the mothers feeding with mother's milk and formula (p=0.008). The scale was found to be culturally acceptable, reliable and valid scale for Turkish mothers.

Attitudes toward and approaches to learning first-year university mathematics.

PubMed

Alkhateeb, Haitham M; Hammoudi, Lakhdar

2006-08-01

This study examined the relationship for 180 undergraduate students enrolled in a first-year university calculus course between attitudes toward mathematics and approaches to learning mathematics using the Mathematics Attitude Scale and the Approaches to Learning Mathematics Questionnaire, respectively. Regression analyses indicated that scores for the Mathematics Attitude Scale were negatively related to scores for the Surface Approach and accounted for 10.4% of the variance and scores for the Mathematics Attitude Scale were positively related to scores for the Deep Approach to learning mathematics and accounted for 31.7% of the variance.

Intergenerational Attitudes toward Maternal Employment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heaven, Catherine P.; McCluskey-Fawcett, Kathleen

Intergenerational attitudes toward child care were examined among college-age students and their parents through the use of questionnaires, the Beliefs About the Consequences of Maternal Employment Scale (BACMEC), and the Bias in Attitudes toward Women Scale (BIAS). Findings indicated that traditional attitudes were more prevalent in males of both…

Using the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales with Lower-Primary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ren, Lixin; Green, Jennifer L.; Smith, Wendy M.

2016-01-01

The Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales (FSMAS) are among the most popular instruments used in studies of attitudes toward mathematics. However, the FSMAS has been mainly used among student populations and rarely used with teachers. In the present study, three scales from the FSMAS--"Confidence," "Effectance…

The Relationships between University Students' Chemistry Laboratory Anxiety, Attitudes, and Self-Efficacy Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurbanoglu, N. Izzet; Akin, Ahmet

2010-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between chemistry laboratory anxiety, chemistry attitudes, and self-efficacy. Participants were 395 university students. Participants completed the Chemistry Laboratory Anxiety Scale, the Chemistry Attitudes Scale, and the Self-efficacy Scale. Results showed that chemistry laboratory anxiety…

Categories of Computer Use and Their Relationships with Attitudes toward Computers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitra, Anandra

1998-01-01

Analysis of attitude and use questionnaires completed by undergraduates (n1,444) at Wake Forest University determined that computers were used most frequently for word processing. Other uses were e-mail for task and non-task activities and mathematical and statistical computation. Results suggest that the level of computer use was related to…

Study on the Computational Estimation Performance and Computational Estimation Attitude of Elementary School Fifth Graders in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsao, Yea-Ling; Pan, Ting-Rung

2011-01-01

Main purpose of this study is to investigate what level of computational estimation performance is possessed by fifth graders and explore computational estimation attitude towards fifth graders. Two hundred and thirty-five Grade-5 students from four elementary schools in Taipei City were selected for "Computational Estimation Test" and…

Equity and Computers for Mathematics Learning: Access and Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forgasz, Helen J.

2004-01-01

Equity and computer use for secondary mathematics learning was the focus of a three year study. In 2003, a survey was administered to a large sample of grade 7-10 students. Some of the survey items were aimed at determining home access to and ownership of computers, and students' attitudes to mathematics, computers, and computer use for…

[Design and validation of scales to measure adolescent attitude toward eating and toward physical activity].

PubMed

Lima-Serrano, Marta; Lima-Rodríguez, Joaquín Salvador; Sáez-Bueno, Africa

2012-01-01

Different authors suggest that attitude is a mediator in behavior change, so it is a predictor of behavior practice. The main of this study was to design and to validate two scales for measure adolescent attitude toward healthy eating and adolescent attitude toward healthy physical activity. Scales were design based on a literature review. After, they were validated using an on-line Delphi Panel with eighteen experts, a pretest, and a pilot test with a sample of 188 high school students. Comprehensibility, content validity, adequacy, as well as the reliability (alpha of Cronbach test), and construct validity (exploratory factor analysis) of scales were tested. Scales validated by experts were considered appropriate in the pretest. In the pilot test, the ten-item Attitude to Eating Scale obtained α=0.72. The eight-item Attitude to Physical Activity Scale obtained α=0.86. They showed evidence of one-dimensional interpretation after factor analysis, a) all items got weights r>0.30 in first factor before rotations, b) the first factor explained a significant proportion of variance before rotations, and c) the total variance explained by the main factors extracted was greater than 50%. The Scales showed their reliability and validity. They could be employed to assess attitude to these priority intervention areas in Spanish adolescents, and to evaluate this intermediate result of health interventions and health programs.

Some optimal considerations in attitude control systems. [evaluation of value of relative weighting between time and fuel for relay control law

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boland, J. S., III

1973-01-01

The conventional six-engine reaction control jet relay attitude control law with deadband is shown to be a good linear approximation to a weighted time-fuel optimal control law. Techniques for evaluating the value of the relative weighting between time and fuel for a particular relay control law is studied along with techniques to interrelate other parameters for the two control laws. Vehicle attitude control laws employing control moment gyros are then investigated. Steering laws obtained from the expression for the reaction torque of the gyro configuration are compared to a total optimal attitude control law that is derived from optimal linear regulator theory. This total optimal attitude control law has computational disadvantages in the solving of the matrix Riccati equation. Several computational algorithms for solving the matrix Riccati equation are investigated with respect to accuracy, computational storage requirements, and computational speed.

Evaluation of an antiretroviral medication attitude scale and relationships between medication attitudes and medication nonadherence.

PubMed

Viswanathan, Hema; Anderson, Rodney; Thomas, Joseph

2005-05-01

The objectives of this study were to refine a scale designed to assess attitudes toward antiretroviral medication, to examine variation in medication attitudes across clinical and demographic characteristics, and to assess relationships between medication attitudes and medication nonadherence. A cross-sectional design was used to survey individuals at least 18 years of age, currently on antiretroviral therapy, and served by a regional HIV/AIDS center. The survey was administered by pharmacy students using convenience sampling between February 2002 and August 2002. Nonadherence was measured using a nine-item scale with a higher score indicative of higher nonadherence. An antiretroviral medication attitude scale was developed based on revision of a zidovudine attitude inventory. The sample of 99 patients was predominantly male (79.8%), had an annual income of less than $10,000 (74%), and was comprised of 50% whites and 40.8% blacks. Participants were between 18 and 70 years old. Item reduction using item-total correlations and factor analytic techniques resulted in a 15-item medication attitude scale with good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha coefficient = 0.84). A multiple regression model showed a significant negative relationship between attitude toward medication and medication nonadherence after controlling for covariates including age, education, gender, ethnicity, work status, social support, CD4 cell count and number of antiretroviral medications, suggesting that more positive the attitude toward medication, lower the medication nonadherence. Findings underscore the importance of attitude toward medication as a modifiable factor that can be targeted to improve medication adherence.

The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Attitudes toward Computer-Based Instruction of Postsecondary Hospitality Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behnke, Carl; Greenan, James P.

2011-01-01

This study examined the relationship between postsecondary students' emotional-social intelligence and attitudes toward computer-based instructional materials. Research indicated that emotions and emotional intelligence directly impact motivation, while instructional design has been shown to impact student attitudes and subsequent engagement with…

The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Attitudes toward Computer-Based Instruction of Postsecondary Hospitality Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behnke, Carl Alan

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between postsecondary students' emotional-social intelligence and attitudes toward computer-based instructional materials. Research indicated that emotions and emotional intelligence directly impact motivation, while instructional design has been shown to impact student attitudes and…

Understanding Teachers' Attitudes to Change in a LogoMathematics Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moreira, Candida; Noss, Richard

1995-01-01

Describes and analyzes attitudes of two Portuguese elementary teachers toward mathematics, mathematics teaching, and use of computers in instruction. Semistructured interviews and questionnaires, before and after an inservice LOGO computer course, showed that both teachers changed their attitude, but only one implemented her ideas in teaching. (20…

In-Service Science Teachers' Attitude towards Information Communication Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kibirige, I.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the attitude of in-service science teachers towards information communication technology (ICT) in education. The study explores the relationship between in-service teachers and four independent variables: their attitudes toward computers; their cultural perception of computers; their perceived computer…

Validation of the Chinese expanded Euthanasia Attitude Scale.

PubMed

Chong, Alice Ming-Lin; Fok, Shiu-Yeu

2013-01-01

This article reports the validation of the Chinese version of an expanded 31-item Euthanasia Attitude Scale. A 4-stage validation process included a pilot survey of 119 college students and a randomized household survey with 618 adults in Hong Kong. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a 4-factor structure of the scale, which can therefore be used to examine attitudes toward general, active, passive, and non-voluntary euthanasia. The scale considers the role effect in decision-making about euthanasia requests and facilitates cross-cultural comparison of attitudes toward euthanasia. The new Chinese scale is more robust than its Western predecessors conceptually and measurement-wise.

Development and Validation of an Internet Use Attitude Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Yixin

2007-01-01

This paper describes the development and validation of a new 40-item Internet Attitude Scale (IAS), a one-dimensional inventory for measuring the Internet attitudes. The first experiment initiated a generic Internet attitude questionnaire, ensured construct validity, and examined factorial validity and reliability. The second experiment further…

Development of a Scale to Measure Attitudes toward Inclusive Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilczenski, Felicia L.

1995-01-01

The Attitudes toward Inclusive Education Scale (ATIES) is a measure of positive and negative attitudes toward integrating children with disabilities into regular classes. Results with 445 teachers show that the ATIES defines a unidimensional attitudinal variable and yields interval measures of attitudes toward inclusive education. (SLD)

Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) OBC attitude error analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harman, R. R.

1990-01-01

This analysis involves an in-depth look into the onboard computer (OBC) attitude determination algorithm. A review of TRW error analysis and necessary ground simulations to understand the onboard attitude determination process are performed. In addition, a plan is generated for the in-flight calibration and validation of OBC computed attitudes. Pre-mission expected accuracies are summarized and sensitivity of onboard algorithms to sensor anomalies and filter tuning parameters are addressed.

Spanish nurses' attitudes towards research and perceived barriers and facilitators of research utilisation: a comparative survey of nurses with and without experience as principal investigators.

PubMed

Moreno-Casbas, Teresa; Fuentelsaz-Gallego, Carmen; de Miguel, Angel Gil; González-María, Esther; Clarke, Sean P

2011-07-01

To examine attitudes towards research and perceived barriers and facilitators of research utilisation in clinical practice in a broad cross-section of Spanish nurses. Nurses' attitudes towards research are critical in determining whether study findings are used to improve practice. Cross-sectional comparative survey in Hospitals, Primary Care Centres and University-affiliated schools of nursing. Surveys were completed by 917 nurses: 69 who received funding from the Spanish national agency (1998-2004) and a nationally representative sample of 848 nurses who did not have the same research experience (the Comparison group). Two instruments (BARRIERS and Attitudes towards nursing research) were translated and culturally adapted for use in Spain. A descriptive analysis of demographic and practice characteristics was performed. Total scale scores, as well as subscale scores, were computed and compared across the two groups using one-way analysis of variance (anova) and multivariate analysis of variance (manova) with post hoc tests. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were computed between the total tool scores and subscales measuring barriers and attitudes in both groups. The investigators differed from other nurses on several demographic and work characteristics (more males, older age and more likely to work a fixed day shift schedule). On the whole, investigators showed more favourable attitudes but perceived several elements as posing greater barriers to research utilisation than the Comparison groups. Across all respondents, issues related to the quality of research were rated as the greatest barriers to research utilisation, followed by organisational barriers, barriers involving the communication of findings and finally, those related to nurses' values, awareness and skills. Very similar profiles of perceptions and attitudes regarding research were found in these samples of Spanish nurses relative to those from other countries in earlier reports. Nurses who had experience conducting research demonstrated more favourable research-related attitudes and perceived barriers differently than those without such experience. Understanding different organisational and experience perspectives is important to identify challenges and opportunities to ensure research utilisation in clinical practice. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Effect of Gender on Computer Use and Attitudes of College Seniors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCoy, Leah P.; Heafner, Tina L.

Male and female students have historically had different computer attitudes and levels of computer use. These equity issues are of interest to researchers and practitioners who seek to understand why a digital divide exists between men and women. In this study, these questions were examined in an intensive computing environment in which all students at one university were issued identical laptop computers and used them extensively for 4 years. Self-reported computer use was examined for effects of gender. Attitudes toward computers were also assessed and compared for male and female students. The results indicated that when the technological environment was institutionally equalized for male and female students, many traditional findings of gender differences were not evident.

The Multidimensional Attitudes Scale toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS): Construction and Validation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Findler, Liora; Vilchinsky, Noa; Werner, Shirli

2007-01-01

This study presents the development of a new instrument, the "Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons With Disabilities" (MAS). Based on the multidimensional approach, it posits that attitudes are composed of three dimensions: affect, cognition, and behavior. The scale was distributed to a sample of 132 people along with a…

Computer Documentation: Effects on Students' Computing Behaviors, Attitudes, and Use of Computers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duin, Ann Hill

This study investigated the effects of a minimal manual version versus a cards version of documentation on students' computing behaviors while learning to use a telecommunication system (Appleshare), students' attitudes toward the documentation, and students' later use of the system. Guidelines from the work of Carroll and colleagues at the IBM…

Gender Differences in Attitudes toward Computers and Performance in the Accounting Information Systems Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lenard, Mary Jane; Wessels, Susan; Khanlarian, Cindi

2010-01-01

Using a model developed by Young (2000), this paper explores the relationship between performance in the Accounting Information Systems course, self-assessed computer skills, and attitudes toward computers. Results show that after taking the AIS course, students experience a change in perception about their use of computers. Females'…

A new instrument to measure pre-service primary teachers' attitudes to teaching mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nisbet, Steven

1991-06-01

This article outlines the development of an instrument to measure pre-service primary teachers' attitudes to teaching mathematics. A trial questionnaire was devised using the set of Fennema-Sherman scales on students' attitudes to the subject mathematics as a model. Analysis of the responses to the questionnaire by 155 student teachers was carried out to develop meaningful attitude scales and to refine the instrument. The end-product is a new instrument which can be used to monitor the attitudes of student teachers. The attitude scales identified in the analysis and built into the final form of the questionnaire are (i) anxiety, (ii) confidence and enjoyment, (iii) desire for recognition and (iv) pressure to conform.

The roles of 'subjective computer training' and management support in the use of computers in community health centres.

PubMed

Yaghmaie, Farideh; Jayasuriya, Rohan

2004-01-01

There have been many changes made to information systems in the last decade. Changes in information systems require users constantly to update their computer knowledge and skills. Computer training is a critical issue for any user because it offers them considerable new skills. The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of 'subjective computer training' and management support on attitudes to computers, computer anxiety and subjective norms to use computers. The data were collected from community health centre staff. The results of the study showed that health staff trained in computer use had more favourable attitudes to computers, less computer anxiety and more awareness of others' expectations about computer use than untrained users. However, there was no relationship between management support and computer attitude, computer anxiety or subjective norms. Lack of computer training for the majority of healthcare staff confirmed the need for more attention to this issue, particularly in health centres.

College Students' Attitude towards Computer Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Njagi, K. O.; Havice, W. L.

2011-01-01

Recent advances in the contemporary world, especially in the area of computer technology, have heralded the development and implementation of new and innovative teaching strategies and particularly with the Internet revolution. This study assessed students' attitude towards computer technology. Specifically, the study assessed differences in…

Children and the New 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle): Attitudes toward the Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malkus, Amy J.; Musser, Lynn M.

This study examined the relationship between children's environmental attitudes and their perceived competence and locus of control. The study sample consisted of 171 children in grades 3, 4, and 5. Children completed the Children's Attitudes Toward the Environment Scale (CATES) and the Janus Environmental Attitudes Scale (JEAS), which assessed…

Use of the "Attitudes toward Mainstreaming Scale" with Rural Georgia Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berryman, Joan D.; Berryman, Charles R.

Because teacher attitude could be crucial to the success or failure of mainstreaming handicapped children, the Attitudes Toward Mainstreaming Scale (ATMS) was developed to establish a baseline of current teacher attitudes towards mainstreaming and to monitor future attitudinal changes, and was validated and cross-validated through a principal axis…

Exploring the Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusive Education System: A Study of Indian Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar, Anil

2016-01-01

This article explores the attitudes of university and school teachers towards inclusive education system. One hundred teachers having equal number of male and female population was included in the study. Participants were administered an attitude scale namely--Attitudes toward Inclusive Education Scale (ATIE), developed by Wilczenski (1992) to…

Teachers' Attitudes toward Information and Communication Technologies: The Case of Syrian EFL Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albirini, Abdulkafi

2006-01-01

Based on the new technology initiative in Syrian education, this study explored the attitudes of high school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Syria toward ICT. In addition, the study investigated the relationship between computer attitudes and five independent variables: computer attributes, cultural perceptions, computer…

A Case for Ubiquitous, Integrated Computing in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kay, Robin H.; Knaack, Liesel

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an integrated, laptop-based approach on pre-service teachers' computer attitudes, ability and use. Pre-post program analysis revealed significant differences in behavioural attitudes and perceived control (self-efficacy), but not in affective and cognitive attitudes. In addition, there was a…

E-Learning: A Comparison between Expected and Observed Attitudes of Normative and Dropout Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romi, Shlomo; Hansenson, Gabriel; Hansenson, Arie

2002-01-01

Describes a study in Israel that was conducted to examine the attitudes of dropout adolescents to electronic learning and to compare these to the attitudes of normative 10th graders. Considers demographic differences, including parents' education and computer ownership; motivation; enjoyment; cognition; and accessibility of computers. (LRW)

Attitudes of Entry-Level University Students towards Computers: A Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, E.; Oosthuizen, H. J.

2006-01-01

In this paper, we present the findings of a study of attitude changes of entry-level University students towards computers conducted at two South African Universities. Analysis comprised "t" tests to discover differences between the perceptions/attitudes of male and female respondents, English/Afrikaans speakers and those speaking the…

Post-basic nursing students' access to and attitudes toward the use of information technology in practice: a descriptive analysis.

PubMed

Nkosi, Z Z; Asah, F; Pillay, P

2011-10-01

Nurses are exposed to the changing demands in technology as they execute their patient-related duties in the workplace. Integration of Information Technology (IT) in healthcare systems improves the quality of care provided. Nursing students with prior exposure to computers tend to have a positive influence IT. A descriptive study design using a quantitative approach and structured questionnaire was used to measure the nurses' attitudes towards computer usage. A census of 45 post-basic first year nursing management students were participated in this study. The students demonstrated a positive attitude towards the use of a computer. But access to and use of a computer and IT was limited and nurses in clinics had no access to IT. A lack of computer skills was identified as a factor that hinders access to IT. Nursing students agreed that computer literacy should be included in the curriculum to allow them to become independent computer users. The Department of Health should have IT in all health-care facilities and also train all health-care workers to use IT. With the positive attitudes expressed by the students, nurse managers need to create a conducive environment to ensure such a positive attitude continues to excel. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Development and validation of 26-item dysfunctional attitude scale.

PubMed

Ebrahimi, Amrollah; Samouei, Rahele; Mousavii, Sayyed Ghafour; Bornamanesh, Ali Reza

2013-06-01

Dysfunctional Attitude Scale is one of the most common instruments used to assess cognitive vulnerability. This study aimed to develop and validate a short form of Dysfunctional Attitude Scale appropriate for an Iranian clinical population. Participants were 160 psychiatric patients from medical centers affiliated with Isfahan Medical University, as well as 160 non-patients. Research instruments were clinical interviews based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV-TR, Dysfunctional Attitude Scale and General Heath Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Data was analyzed using multicorrelation calculations and factor analysis. Based on the results of factor analysis and item-total correlation, 14 items were judged candidates for omission. Analysis of the 26-item Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS-26) revealed a Cronbach's alpha of 0.92. Evidence for the concurrent criterion validity was obtained through calculating the correlation between the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale and psychiatric diagnosis (r = 0.55), GHQ -28 (r = 0.56) and somatization, anxiety, social dysfunction, and depression subscales (0.45,0.53,0.48, and 0.57, respectively). Factor analysis deemed a four-factor structure the best. The factors were labeled as success-perfectionism, need for approval, need for satisfying others, and vulnerability-performance evaluation. The results showed that the Iranian version of the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS-26) bears satisfactory psychometric properties suggesting that this cognitive instrument is appropriate for use in an Iranian cultural context. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

A study of the effects of gender and different instructional media (computer-assisted instruction tutorials vs. textbook) on student attitudes and achievement in a team-taught integrated science class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eardley, Julie Anne

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of different instructional media (computer assisted instruction (CAI) tutorial vs. traditional textbook) on student attitudes toward science and computers and achievement scores in a team-taught integrated science course, ENS 1001, "The Whole Earth Course," which was offered at Florida Institute of Technology during the Fall 2000 term. The effect of gender on student attitudes toward science and computers and achievement scores was also investigated. This study employed a randomized pretest-posttest control group experimental research design with a sample of 30 students (12 males and 18 females). Students had registered for weekly lab sessions that accompanied the course and had been randomly assigned to the treatment or control group. The treatment group used a CAI tutorial for completing homework assignments and the control group used the required textbook for completing homework assignments. The Attitude toward Science and Computers Questionnaire and Achievement Test were the two instruments administered during this study to measure students' attitudes and achievement score changes. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), using hierarchical multiple regression/correlation (MRC), was employed to determine: (1) treatment versus control group attitude and achievement differences; and (2) male versus female attitude and achievement differences. The differences between the treatment group's and control group's homework averages were determined by t test analyses. The overall MANCOVA model was found to be significant at p < .05. Examining research factor set independent variables separately resulted in gender being the only variable that significantly contributed in explaining the variability in a dependent variable, attitudes toward science and computers. T test analyses of the homework averages showed no significant differences. Contradictory to the findings of this study, anecdotal information from personal communication, course evaluations, and homework assignments indicated favorable attitudes and higher achievement scores for a majority of the students in the treatment group.

Trends in attitudes toward people living with HIV, homophobia, and HIV transmission knowledge in Quebec, Canada (1996, 2002, and 2010).

PubMed

Adrien, Alix; Beaulieu, Marianne; Leaune, Viviane; Perron, Michèle; Dassa, Clément

2013-01-01

People living with HIV (PWHIV) face negative attitudes that isolate and discourage them from accessing services. Understanding negative attitudes and the social environment can lead to more effective health promotion strategies and programs. However, a scale to measure attitudes has been lacking. We developed and validated attitudes toward PWHIV Scale to examine trends in attitudes toward PWHIV in Quebec in 1996, 2002, and 2010. We also examined the relationship between negative attitudes toward PWHIV, homophobia, and knowledge about HIV transmission. The scale included 16 items and had a five-factor structure: F1 (fear of being infected), F2 (fear of contact with PWHIV), F3 (prejudicial beliefs toward groups at high risk of HIV), F4 (tolerance regarding sexual mores and behaviors), and F5 (social support for PWHIV). The validity and reliability of the scale were assessed and found to be high. Overall, Quebecers had positive attitudes toward PWHIV, with more negative attitudes observed in subgroups defined as male, ≥50 years of age, <14 years of education, higher levels of homophobia, and below-average knowledge about HIV transmission. Scores were stable between 1996 and 2002, and increased in 2010. Negative attitudes were correlated with higher levels of homophobia and lesser knowledge about HIV transmission. The lowest scores for each factor were observed in the same subgroups that had low overall scores on the Attitudes Scale. The findings from this study can be used to intensify interventions that promote compassion for PWHIV, address attitudes toward homosexuality, and encourage greater knowledge about the transmission of HIV in these subgroups.

The Relationships among Academic Attitudes, Psychological Attitudes, and the First-Semester Academic Achievement of First-Year College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Amy L.; Weigand, Matthew J.

2010-01-01

This study examined the relationships among academic and psychological attitudes and academic achievement of first-year students. The College Resilience Scale, the Academic Motivation Scale, the College Self-Efficacy Inventory, and the University Environment Scale were administered to 164 first-year undergraduate students enrolled at a large RU/VH…

Psychometric Properties and U.S. National Norms of the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aarons, Gregory A.; Glisson, Charles; Hoagwood, Kimberly; Kelleher, Kelly; Landsverk, John; Cafri, Guy

2010-01-01

The Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS) assesses mental health and social service provider attitudes toward adopting evidence-based practices. Scores on the EBPAS derive from 4 subscales (i.e., Appeal, Requirements, Openness, and Divergence) as well as the total scale, and preliminary studies have linked EBPAS scores to clinic structure…

Evaluation of Environmental Attitudes: Analysis and Results of a Scale Applied to University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandez-Manzanal, Rosario; Rodriguez-Barreiro, Luis; Carrasquer, Jose

2007-01-01

Over the last few decades, environmental work has increased significantly. An important part of this has to do with attitudes. This research presents the design and validation of an environmental attitudes scale aimed at university students. Detailed information on development and validation of the scale is provided. Similarly, it presents the…

Development of Teachers' Attitude Scale towards Science Fair

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tortop, Hasan Said

2013-01-01

This study was conducted to develop a new scale for measuring teachers' attitude towards science fair. Teacher Attitude Scale towards Science Fair (TASSF) is an inventory made up of 19 items and five dimensions. The study included such stages as literature review, the preparation of the item pool and the reliability and validity analysis. First of…

Developing Attitude Scale, Reliability and Validity for Pre-Service Teachers towards Drama Lesson

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çelik, Özkan; Bozdemir, Hafife; Uyanik, Gökhan

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop an attitude scale for pre-service teachers towards drama lesson. Survey model was used in study. The sample of study consisted of 258 pre-service teachers. "Attitude scale towards drama lesson for pre-service teachers" was developed and used as data collection tool. Exploratory and confirmatory…

Development and Validation of the Human Papillomavirus Attitudes and Beliefs Scale in a National Canadian Sample.

PubMed

Perez, Samara; Shapiro, Gilla K; Tatar, Ovidiu; Joyal-Desmarais, Keven; Rosberger, Zeev

2016-10-01

Parents' human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination decision-making is strongly influenced by their attitudes and beliefs toward vaccination. To date, psychometrically evaluated HPV vaccination attitudes scales have been narrow in their range of measured beliefs and often limited to attitudes surrounding female HPV vaccination. The study aimed to develop a comprehensive, validated and reliable HPV vaccination attitudes and beliefs scale among parents of boys. Data were collected from Canadian parents of 9- to 16-year-old boys using an online questionnaire completed in 2 waves with a 7-month interval. Based on existing vaccination attitudes scales, a set of 61 attitude and belief items were developed. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. Internal consistency was evaluated with Cronbach's α and stability over time with intraclass correlations. The HPV Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (HABS) was informed by 3117 responses at time 1 and 1427 at time 2. The HABS contains 46 items organized in 9 factors: Benefits (10 items), Threat (3 items), Influence (8 items), Harms (6 items), Risk (3 items), Affordability (3 items), Communication (5 items), Accessibility (4 items), and General Vaccination Attitudes (4 items). Model fit at time 2 were: χ/df = 3.13, standardized root mean square residual = 0.056, root mean square error approximation (confidence interval) = 0.039 (0.037-0.04), comparative fit index = 0.962 and Tucker-Lewis index = 0.957. Cronbach's αs were greater than 0.8 and intraclass correlations of factors were greater than 0.6. The HABS is the first psychometrically-tested scale of HPV attitude and beliefs among parents of boys available for use in English and French. Further testing among parents of girls and young adults and assessing predictive validity are warranted.

Integrating Web-based technology into distance education for nurses in China: computer and Internet access and attitudes.

PubMed

Cragg, C E Betty; Edwards, Nancy; Yue, Zhao; Xin, Song Li; Hui, Zou Dao

2003-01-01

To increase continuing education accessibility, nurses around the world are turning to Web-based instruction. However, for Internet education to be successful, particularly in developing countries, nurses must have access to computers and the Internet as well as positive attitudes toward this form of learning. As part of a distance education project for nurses of the Tianjin Municipality in China, a survey of nurses was conducted to examine their sources of professional knowledge as well as their computer and Internet access and attitudes. The attitudes of the nurses were generally positive, and there was evidence of rapidly increasing use of and access to computers and the Internet. This article reports the results of that survey and their implications for Web-based teaching of Chinese nurses.

Effects of Computer Course on Computer Self-Efficacy, Computer Attitudes and Achievements of Young Individuals in Siirt, Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çelik, Halil Coskun

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of computer courses on young individuals' computer self-efficacy, attitudes and achievement. The study group of this research included 60 unemployed young individuals (18-25 ages) in total; 30 in the experimental group and 30 in the control group. An experimental research model with pretest…

Self-Concept, Computer Anxiety, Gender and Attitude towards Interactive Computer Technologies: A Predictive Study among Nigerian Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agbatogun, Alaba Olaoluwakotansibe

2010-01-01

Interactive Computer Technologies (ICTs) have crept into education industry, thus dramatically causing transformation in instructional process. This study examined the relative and combined contributions of computer anxiety, self-concept and gender to teachers' attitude towards the use of ICT(s). 454 Nigerian teachers constituted the sample. Three…

The Effects of Computer Assisted English Instruction on High School Preparatory Students' Attitudes towards Computers and English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ates, Alev; Altunay, Ugur; Altun, Eralp

2006-01-01

The aim of this research was to discern the effects of computer assisted English instruction on English language preparatory students' attitudes towards computers and English in a Turkish-medium high school with an intensive English program. A quasi-experimental time series research design, also called "before-after" or "repeated…

Turkish and English Language Teacher Candidates' Perceived Computer Self-Efficacy and Attitudes toward Computer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adalier, Ahmet

2012-01-01

The aim of this study is to reveal the relation between the Turkish and English language teacher candidates' social demographic characteristics and their perceived computer self-efficacy and attitudes toward computer. The population of the study consists of the teacher candidates in the Turkish and English language departments at the universities…

Understanding Pre-Service Teachers' Computer Attitudes: Applying and Extending the Technology Acceptance Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teo, T.; Lee, C. B.; Chai, C. S.

2008-01-01

Computers are increasingly widespread, influencing many aspects of our social and work lives. As we move into a technology-based society, it is important that classroom experiences with computers are made available for all students. The purpose of this study is to examine pre-service teachers' attitudes towards computers. This study extends the…

Assessing attitude toward same-sex marriage: scale development and validation.

PubMed

Lannutti, Pamela J; Lachlan, Kenneth A

2007-01-01

This paper reports the results of three studies conducted to develop, refine, and validate a scale which assessed heterosexual adults' attitudes toward same-sex marriage, the Attitude Toward Same-Sex Marriage Scale (ASSMS). The need for such a scale is evidenced in the increasing importance of same-sex marriage in the political arena of the United States and other nations, as well as the growing body of empirical research examining same-sex marriage and related issues (e.g., Lannutti, 2005; Solomon, Rothblum, & Balsam, 2004). The results demonstrate strong reliability, convergent validity, and predictive validity for the ASSMS and suggest that the ASSMS may be adapted to measure attitudes toward civil unions and other forms of relational recognition for same-sex couples. Gender comparisons using the validated scale showed that in college and non-college samples, women had a significantly more positive attitude toward same-sex marriage than did men.

[Cross-cultural adaptation of the Pregnancy and Weight Gain Attitude Scale].

PubMed

Oliboni, Carolina Marques; Galletta, Marco Aurelio Knippel; Francisco, Rossana Pulcineli Vieira; Alvarenga, Marle dos Santos

2014-07-01

To present the cross-cultural adaptation to Brazilian Portuguese language of the Pregnancy and Weight Gain Attitude Scale. This scale was developed in order to verify whether attitude toward thinness affects weight gain during pregnancy and contains statements that express different attitudes of pregnant women regarding their own weight gain. The procedures were: translation, back translation, comprehension evaluation, preparation of a final version, application of the scale to 180 pregnant women (mean age=29.6, gestational age=25.7 weeks) and psychometric analysis. Satisfactory equivalence between the versions and satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.7) were detected. The exploratory factor analysis suggested four subscales with 51.4% total variance explained. The scale proved to be valid and can be used in studies with pregnant women in Brazil to assess attitudes toward weight gain and to detect and prevent dysfunctional behaviors during pregnancy.

[External and internal validity of a multidimensional Locus of control scale of eating attitudes for athletes (LOCSCAS)].

PubMed

Paquet, Y; Scoffier, S; d'Arripe-Longueville, F

2016-10-01

In the field of health psychology, the control has consistently been considered as a protective factor. This protective role has been also highlighted in eating attitudes' domain. However, current studies use the one-dimensional scale of Rotter or the multidimensional health locus of control scale, and no specific eating attitudes' scale in the sport context exists. Moreover, the social influence in previous scales is limited. According to recent works, the purpose of this study was to test the internal and external validity of a multidimensional locus of control scale of eating attitudes for athletes. One hundred and seventy-nine participants were solicited. A confirmatory factorial analysis was conducted in order to test the internal validity of the scale. The scale external validity was tested in relation to eating attitudes. The internal validity of the scale was verified as well as the external validity, which confirmed the importance of taking into consideration social influences. Indeed, the 2 subscales "Trainers, friends" and "Parents, family" are related respectively positively and negatively in eating disorders. Copyright © 2016 L'Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Investigating and Stimulating Primary Teachers' Attitudes Towards Science: Summary of a Large-Scale Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walma van der Molen, Juliette; van Aalderen-Smeets, Sandra

2013-01-01

Attention to the attitudes of primary teachers towards science is of fundamental importance to research on primary science education. The current article describes a large-scale research project that aims to overcome three main shortcomings in attitude research, i.e. lack of a strong theoretical concept of attitude, methodological flaws in…

Evaluating the Properties of the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS) in Health Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melas, Christos D.; Zampetakis, Leonidas A.; Dimopoulou, Anastasia; Moustakis, Vassilis

2012-01-01

The Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS; Aarons, 2004) is a relatively new construct for the study of attitudes toward the adoption of innovation and evidence-based practices (EBPs) in mental health service settings. Despite widespread interest in measuring the attitudes of health care providers in conjunction with the adoption of EBPs,…

Rural Principal Attitudes toward Poverty and the Poor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gholson, Melissa L.

2015-01-01

This study used Yun and Weaver's (2010) Attitudes toward Poverty Short Form (ATP-SF) of twenty-one items on a Likert-type scale to determine the poverty attitudes of 309 principals in a rural Appalachian state in the United States. The study compared the poverty attitudes from the ATP-SF scaled score as a dependent variable to the following…

Death attitudes and positive coping in Spanish nursing undergraduates: a cross-sectional and correlational study.

PubMed

Edo-Gual, Montserrat; Monforte-Royo, Cristina; Aradilla-Herrero, Amor; Tomás-Sábado, Joaquín

2015-09-01

To analyse the relationship between death attitudes, emotional intelligence, resilience and self-esteem in a sample of nursing undergraduates. The death attitudes held by nursing students may influence the care they offer to end-of-life patients and their families. Emotional intelligence, resilience and self-esteem are important social and emotional competencies for coping positively with death and dying. Cross-sectional and correlational study. Participants were 760 nursing undergraduates from four nursing schools in Spain. Data were collected in 2013-2014. The students responded anonymously to a self-report questionnaire that gathered socio-demographic data and which assessed the following aspects: fear of death (Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale), death anxiety (Death Anxiety Inventory-Revised), perceived emotional intelligence (Trait Meta-Mood Scale, with its three dimensions: attention, clarity and repair), resilience (Brief Resilient Coping Scale) and self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale). In addition to descriptive statistics, analyses of variance, mean differences, correlations and regression analyses were computed. Linear regression analysis indicated that attention to feelings, resilience and self-esteem are the significant predictors of death anxiety. The results show that death anxiety and fear of death are modulated by social and emotional competencies associated with positive coping. The training offered to future nurses should include not only scientific knowledge and technical skills but also strategies for developing social and emotional competencies. In this way, they will be better equipped to cope positively and constructively with the suffering and death they encounter at work, thus helping them to offer compassionate patient-centred care and minimising the distress they experience in the process. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Academic physicians' assessment of the effects of computers on health care.

PubMed Central

Detmer, W. M.; Friedman, C. P.

1994-01-01

We assessed the attitudes of academic physicians towards computers in health care at two academic medical centers that are in the early stages of clinical information-system deployment. We distributed a 4-page questionnaire to 470 subjects, and a total of 272 physicians (58%) responded. Our results show that respondents use computers frequently, primarily to perform academic-oriented tasks as opposed to clinical tasks. Overall, respondents viewed computers as being slightly beneficial to health care. They perceive self-education and access to up-to-date information as the most beneficial aspects of computers and are most concerned about privacy issues and the effect of computers on the doctor-patient relationship. Physicians with prior computer training and greater knowledge of informatics concepts had more favorable attitudes towards computers in health care. We suggest that negative attitudes towards computers can be addressed by careful system design as well as targeted educational activities. PMID:7949990

The effects of computer simulation versus hands-on dissection and the placement of computer simulation within the learning cycle on student achievement and attitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hopkins, Kathryn Susan

The value of dissection as an instructional strategy has been debated, but not evidenced in research literature. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of using computer simulated frog dissection as a substitute for traditional hands-on frog dissection and to examine the possible enhancement of achievement by combining the two strategies in a specific sequence. In this study, 134 biology students at two Central Texas schools were divided into the five following treatment groups: computer simulation of frog dissection, computer simulation before dissection, traditional hands-on frog dissection, dissection before computer simulation, and textual worksheet materials. The effects on achievement were evaluated by labeling 10 structures on three diagrams, identifying 11 pinned structures on a prosected frog, and answering 9 multiple-choice questions over the dissection process. Attitude was evaluated using a thirty item survey with a five-point Likert scale. The quasi-experimental design was pretest/post-test/post-test nonequivalent group for both control and experimental groups, a 2 x 2 x 5 completely randomized factorial design (gender, school, five treatments). The pretest/post-test design was incorporated to control for prior knowledge using analysis of covariance. The dissection only group evidenced a significantly higher performance than all other treatments except dissection-then-computer on the post-test segment requiring students to label pinned anatomical parts on a prosected frog. Interactions between treatment and school in addition to interaction between treatment and gender were found to be significant. The diagram and attitude post-tests evidenced no significant difference. Results on the nine multiple-choice questions about dissection procedures indicated a significant difference between schools. The interaction between treatment and school was also found to be significant. On a delayed post-test, a significant difference in gender was found on the diagram labeling segment of the post-test. Males were reported to have the higher score. Since existing research conflicts with this study's results, additional research using authentic assessment is recommended. Instruction should be aligned with dissection content and process objectives for each treatment group, and the teacher variable should be controlled.

The Socioemotional Effects of a Computer-Simulated Animal on Children's Empathy and Humane Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Yueh-Feng Lily; Kaufman, David M.

2009-01-01

This study investigated the potential of using a computer-simulated animal in a handheld virtual pet videogame to improve children's empathy and humane attitudes. Also investigated was whether sex differences existed in children's development of empathy and humane attitudes resulting from play, as well as their feelings for a virtual pet. The…

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Pubertal Preparedness Program in Terms of Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Pubertal Changes Among Pre-Adolescent Girls.

PubMed

Rani, Manisha; Sheoran, Poonam; Kumar, Yogesh; Singh, Navjyot

2016-09-01

Objective: To compare the knowledge and attitude regarding pubertal changes among pre - adolescent girls before and after the pubertal preparedness program (PPP) in experimental and comparison group. Materials and methods: A Quasi experimental (non- equivalent comparison group pretest posttest) design was adopted with 104pre-adolescentgirls (52 in each experimental and comparison group) of age 12-14years, selected by purposive sampling from two different Government schools of Ambala District. Knowledge and attitude was assessed using structured knowledge questionnaire (KR-20 = 0.74) and 5 point likert scale (Cronbach's alpha = 0.79) respectively. On the same day of pretest, PPP was administered and on 12 th day FAQs reinforcement session was held only for experimental group. After 28 days, posttest was taken. Results: The computed t value of pretest of knowledge and attitude scores of pre-adolescent girls (1.97), (1.95) respectively in experimental and comparison group was found non-significant at 0.05 level of significance which shows that both group didn't differ significantly in their knowledge and attitude before the administration of intervention. Findings of unpaired 't' value of posttest knowledge and attitude scores of pre-adolescent girls (19.77), (17.17) respectively in experimental and comparison group were found significant at 0.05 level of significance, Thus knowledge and attitude of pre-adolescent girls were improved with PPP and FAQs session. Conclusion: Pubertal preparedness program and FAQs reinforcement session are effective in enhancing knowledge and developing favorable attitude among pre-adolescent girls.

French Validation of the Multidimensional Attitude Scale Toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS): The Case of Attitudes Toward Autism and Their Moderating Factors.

PubMed

Dachez, Julie; Ndobo, Andre; Ameline, Anaïs

2015-08-01

This research investigates the renewed interest in autism, the stigmatization of persons with autism and the need to better measure such stigmatization. Two studies were thus conducted on 101 and 104 participants in order to validate the French version of the Multidimensional Attitude Scale toward persons with disabilities, and examine the moderating effects of age, gender and contact on such attitudes. Both the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded a four-dimensional scale, indicating that the observed data fit with the theoretical model and that the sub-scale show an acceptable internal consistency. Results on moderating effect were less clear cut. The discussion deals with the measurement of attitudes toward people with autism as well as the role of social contact.

The Pregnant Women with HIV Attitude Scale: development and initial psychometric evaluation.

PubMed

Tyer-Viola, Lynda A; Duffy, Mary E

2010-08-01

This paper is a report of the development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Pregnant Women with HIV Attitude Scale. Previous research has identified that attitudes toward persons with HIV/AIDS have been judgmental and could affect clinical care and outcomes. Stigma towards persons with HIV has persisted as a barrier to nursing care globally. Women are more vulnerable during pregnancy. An instrument to specifically measure obstetric care provider's attitudes toward this population is needed to target identified gaps in providing respectful care. Existing literature and instruments were analysed and two existing measures, the Attitudes about People with HIV Scale and the Attitudes toward Women with HIV Scale, were combined to create an initial item pool to address attitudes toward HIV-positive pregnant women. The data were collected in 2003 with obstetric nurses attending a national conference in the United States of America (N = 210). Content validity was used for item pool development and principal component analysis and analysis of variance were used to determine construct validity. Reliability was analysed using Cronbach's Alpha. The new measure demonstrated high internal consistency (alpha estimates = 0.89). Principal component analysis yielded a two-component structure that accounted for 45% of the total variance: Mothering-Choice (alpha estimates = 0.89) and Sympathy-Rights (alpha estimates = 0.72). These data provided initial evidence of the psychometric properties of the Pregnant Women with HIV Attitude Scale. Further analysis is required of the validity of the constructs of this scale and its reliability with various obstetric care providers.

Alienation, learning or grade orientation, and achievement as correlates of attitudes toward cheating.

PubMed

Roig, M; Neaman, M A

1994-06-01

154 undergraduate students were given Gardner and Melvin's Attitudes Toward Cheating Scale, Ray's General Alienation Scale, and Eison's Learning Orientation/Grade Orientation Scale. Scores indicating condemnatory (unfavorable) attitudes toward cheating were positively correlated with grade point average and negatively correlated with alienation. Our results are consistent with a previous study which showed an association between cheating and alienation.

Developing the Attitude Scale for Islamic Law Lesson

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ersoy, Mustafa; Izci, Eyüp

2017-01-01

This study was conducted for the purpose of developing an attitude scale in order to be able to measure the attitudes of students towards Islamic Law Lesson in a valid and reliable way. The sampling of the study consisted of 198 students who studied at 4th Grade at Cumhuriyet University, Faculty of Theology, and who answered the measurement scale.…

Development of Teacher Attitude Scale towards the Field Trip

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tortop, Hasan Said

2012-01-01

A field trip is an excursion by group of students with teachers to a place away from classroom such as natural field, science center, and zoo. So, it is an important tool for renewable energy education. This study was carried out to develop a new scale for measuring teacher attitudes towards the field trip. Teacher attitude scale towards the field…

Health workers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards computer applications in rural African health facilities

PubMed Central

Sukums, Felix; Mensah, Nathan; Mpembeni, Rose; Kaltschmidt, Jens; Haefeli, Walter E.; Blank, Antje

2014-01-01

Background The QUALMAT (Quality of Maternal and Prenatal Care: Bridging the Know-do Gap) project has introduced an electronic clinical decision support system (CDSS) for pre-natal and maternal care services in rural primary health facilities in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Tanzania. Objective To report an assessment of health providers’ computer knowledge, experience, and attitudes prior to the implementation of the QUALMAT electronic CDSS. Design A cross-sectional study was conducted with providers in 24 QUALMAT project sites. Information was collected using structured questionnaires. Chi-squared tests and one-way ANOVA describe the association between computer knowledge, attitudes, and other factors. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted to gain further insights. Results A total of 108 providers responded, 63% were from Tanzania and 37% from Ghana. The mean age was 37.6 years, and 79% were female. Only 40% had ever used computers, and 29% had prior computer training. About 80% were computer illiterate or beginners. Educational level, age, and years of work experience were significantly associated with computer knowledge (p<0.01). Most (95.3%) had positive attitudes towards computers – average score (±SD) of 37.2 (±4.9). Females had significantly lower scores than males. Interviews and group discussions showed that although most were lacking computer knowledge and experience, they were optimistic about overcoming challenges associated with the introduction of computers in their workplace. Conclusions Given the low levels of computer knowledge among rural health workers in Africa, it is important to provide adequate training and support to ensure the successful uptake of electronic CDSSs in these settings. The positive attitudes to computers found in this study underscore that also rural care providers are ready to use such technology. PMID:25361721

Health workers' knowledge of and attitudes towards computer applications in rural African health facilities.

PubMed

Sukums, Felix; Mensah, Nathan; Mpembeni, Rose; Kaltschmidt, Jens; Haefeli, Walter E; Blank, Antje

2014-01-01

The QUALMAT (Quality of Maternal and Prenatal Care: Bridging the Know-do Gap) project has introduced an electronic clinical decision support system (CDSS) for pre-natal and maternal care services in rural primary health facilities in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Tanzania. To report an assessment of health providers' computer knowledge, experience, and attitudes prior to the implementation of the QUALMAT electronic CDSS. A cross-sectional study was conducted with providers in 24 QUALMAT project sites. Information was collected using structured questionnaires. Chi-squared tests and one-way ANOVA describe the association between computer knowledge, attitudes, and other factors. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted to gain further insights. A total of 108 providers responded, 63% were from Tanzania and 37% from Ghana. The mean age was 37.6 years, and 79% were female. Only 40% had ever used computers, and 29% had prior computer training. About 80% were computer illiterate or beginners. Educational level, age, and years of work experience were significantly associated with computer knowledge (p<0.01). Most (95.3%) had positive attitudes towards computers - average score (±SD) of 37.2 (±4.9). Females had significantly lower scores than males. Interviews and group discussions showed that although most were lacking computer knowledge and experience, they were optimistic about overcoming challenges associated with the introduction of computers in their workplace. Given the low levels of computer knowledge among rural health workers in Africa, it is important to provide adequate training and support to ensure the successful uptake of electronic CDSSs in these settings. The positive attitudes to computers found in this study underscore that also rural care providers are ready to use such technology.

The quality improvement attitude survey: Development and preliminary psychometric characteristics.

PubMed

Dunagan, Pamela B

2017-12-01

To report the development of a tool to measure nurse's attitudes about quality improvement in their practice setting and to examine preliminary psychometric characteristics of the Quality Improvement Nursing Attitude Scale. Human factors such as nursing attitudes of complacency have been identified as root causes of sentinel events. Attitudes of nurses concerning use of Quality and Safety Education for nurse's competencies can be most challenging to teach and to change. No tool has been developed measuring attitudes of nurses concerning their role in quality improvement. A descriptive study design with preliminary psychometric evaluation was used to examine the preliminary psychometric characteristics of the Quality Improvement Nursing Attitude Scale. Registered bedside clinical nurses comprised the sample for the study (n = 57). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Cronbach's alpha reliability. Total score and individual item statistics were evaluated. Two open-ended items were used to collect statements about nurses' feelings regarding their experience in quality improvement efforts. Strong support for the internal consistency reliability and face validity of the Quality Improvement Nursing Attitude Scale was found. Total scale scores were high indicating nurse participants valued Quality and Safety Education for Nurse competencies in practice. However, item-level statistics indicated nurses felt powerless when other nurses deviate from care standards. Additionally, the sample indicated they did not consistently report patient safety issues and did not have a feeling of value in efforts to improve care. Findings suggested organisational culture fosters nurses' reporting safety issues and feeling valued in efforts to improve care. Participants' narrative comments and item analysis revealed the need to generate new items for the Quality Improvement Nursing Attitude Scale focused on nurses' perception of their importance in quality and safety and their power to enact principles. The Quality Improvement Nursing Attitude Scale-Revised edition was designed to help in understanding nurses' attitudes and values. It can be used to further explore broad concepts of quality improvement efforts. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Exploratory Factor Analysis Study for the Scale of High School Students' Attitudes towards Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demircioglu, Gökhan; Aslan, Aysegül; Yadigaroglu, Mustafa

2014-01-01

It is important to develop students' positive attitudes chemistry lessons in school because research has suggested that attitudes are linked with academic achievement. Therefore, how to evaluate the attitudes is an important topic in education. The purpose of this study was to develop a Likert-type scale that could measure high school students'…

The Peer Attitudes toward Children Who Stutter (PATCS) Scale: An Evaluation of Validity, Reliability and the Negativity of Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langevin, Marilyn; Kleitman, Sabina; Packman, Ann; Onslow, Mark

2009-01-01

Background: Persistent calls for school-based education about stuttering necessitate a better understanding of peer attitudes toward children who stutter and a means to measure outcomes of such educational interventions. Langevin and Hagler in 2004 developed the Peer Attitudes Toward Children who Stutter scale (PATCS) to address these needs and…

Development of Physics Attitude Scale (PAS): An Instrument to Measure Students' Attitudes toward Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaur, Daisy; Zhao, Yi

2017-01-01

The present study is focused on the detailed description of Physics Attitude Scale (PAS) to measure students' attitudes toward physics. The development of this new instrument involved extensive interviews with both the experts as well as the students. This was followed by expert reviews and pilot testing of the instrument. The duly revised draft…

Construction and Initial Validation of the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neville, Helen A.; Lilly, Roderick L.; Duran, Georgia; Lee, Richard M.; Browne, LaVonne

2000-01-01

Describes development of a conceptually grounded scale to assess cognitive aspects of color-blind racial attitudes. Factor analysis suggests that the 3-factor model is a good fit of data. States that CoBRAS was positively related to other indexes of racial attitudes indicating that greater endorsement of color-blind racial attitudes was related to…

2001 Flight Mechanics Symposium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lynch, John P. (Editor)

2001-01-01

This conference publication includes papers and abstracts presented at the Flight Mechanics Symposium held on June 19-21, 2001. Sponsored by the Guidance, Navigation and Control Center of Goddard Space Flight Center, this symposium featured technical papers on a wide range of issues related to attitude/orbit determination, prediction and control; attitude simulation; attitude sensor calibration; theoretical foundation of attitude computation; dynamics model improvements; autonomous navigation; constellation design and formation flying; estimation theory and computational techniques; Earth environment mission analysis and design; and, spacecraft re-entry mission design and operations.

Development of Attitudes Toward Homosexuality Scale for Indians (AHSI).

PubMed

Ahuja, Kanika K

2017-01-01

Attitudes toward homosexuality vary across cultures, with the legal and societal position being rather complicated in India. This study describes the process of developing and validating a Likert-type scale to assess attitudes toward homosexuality among heterosexuals. Phase 1 describes the development of the scale. Items were written based on thematic analysis of narratives generated from 50 college students and reviewing existing scales. After administering the 70-item scale to 68 participants, item analysis yielded 20 statements with item-total correlations over .70. Cronbach's alpha was .97. In Phase 2, the 20-item Attitudes Toward Homosexuality Scale for Indians (AHSI) was administered to 142 participants. Analysis yielded a corrected split-half correlation of .91. Further, AHSI discriminated between women and men; between liberal arts and STEM/business students; and those who reported interpersonal contact with gay men and lesbian women and those who did not. The scale has satisfactory reliability and shows promising construct validity.

The influence of gender attitudes on contraceptive use in Tanzania: new evidence using husbands' and wives' survey data.

PubMed

Nanda, Geeta; Schuler, Sidney Ruth; Lenzi, Rachel

2013-05-01

This paper explores the hypothesis that gender attitude scales (which measure the degree of equity in gender attitudes) are associated with contraceptive use. Four hundred male and female respondents (200 couples) were interviewed using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire. Analyses included comparisons of means and prevalence rates on gender equity indicators, other related factors and socio-demographic characteristics; t-tests to compare mean scores on each gender scale for wives and husbands to identify any significant differences; chi-squared tests to compare associations between individual attributes, attitudes and contraceptive use; and multivariate logistic regression to examine associations between each gender scale and contraceptive use. The findings revealed that, on average, wives endorsed more inequitable gender attitudes compared with husbands on all gender attitude scales. For wives, more equitable gender attitudes were positively associated with contraceptive use. For husbands, the role of gender attitudes had no significant association with wives' reported contraceptive use. Family planning programmes that aim to challenge inegalitarian gender norms should not overlook women in their efforts since both men and women often accept and support inequality in a social system and, in some cases, it may be women's gender attitudes that most influence family planning decisions.

Measurement of user performance and attitudes assists the initial design of a computer user display and orientation method.

PubMed

Chase, C R; Ashikaga, T; Mazuzan, J E

1994-07-01

The objective of our study was to assess the acceptability of a proposed user interface to visually interfaced computer-assisted anesthesia record (VISI-CAARE), before the application was begun. The user interface was defined as the user display and its user orientation methods. We designed methods to measure user performance and attitude toward two different anesthesia record procedures: (1) the traditional pen and paper anesthetic record procedure of our hospital, and (2) VISI-CAARE. Performance measurements included the reaction speed (identifying the type and time of an event) and completion speed (describing the event). Performance also included accuracy of the recorded time of the event and accuracy of the description. User attitude was measured by (1) the physician's rating on a scale of 0 to 9 of the potential usefulness of computers in anesthesia care; (2) willingness to use the future application in the clinical environment; and (3) user suggestions for change. These measurements were used in a randomized trial of 21 physicians, of which data from 20 were available. After exposure to VISI-CAARE, the experimental subjects' ranking of computer usefulness in anesthesia care improved significantly (4.2 +/- 1.1 to 7.6 +/- 1.5, p = 0.0001), as did controls' (5.2 +/- 2.6 to 8 +/- 1.5, p = 0.0019). All the volunteers were willing to try the proposed prototype clinically, when it was ready. VISI-CAARE exposure was associated with faster and more accurate reaction to events over the traditional pen and paper machine, and slower and more accurate description of events in an artificial mock setting. VISI-CAARE 1.1 demonstrated significant improvements in both reaction speed and completion speed over VISI-CAARE 1.0, after changes were made to the user display and orientation methods. With graphic user interface prototyping environments, one can obtain preliminary user attitude and performance data, even before application programming is begun. This may be helpful in revising initial display and orientation methods, while obtaining user interest and commitment before actual programming and clinical testing.

An Evaluation of Attitude-Independent Magnetometer-Bias Determination Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hashmall, J. A.; Deutschmann, Julie

1996-01-01

Although several algorithms now exist for determining three-axis magnetometer (TAM) biases without the use of attitude data, there are few studies on the effectiveness of these methods, especially in comparison with attitude dependent methods. This paper presents the results of a comparison of three attitude independent methods and an attitude dependent method for computing TAM biases. The comparisons are based on in-flight data from the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE), the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO). The effectiveness of an algorithm is measured by the accuracy of attitudes computed using biases determined with that algorithm. The attitude accuracies are determined by comparison with known, extremely accurate, star-tracker-based attitudes. In addition, the effect of knowledge of calibration parameters other than the biases on the effectiveness of all bias determination methods is examined.

Development and Psychometric Analysis of a Nurses’ Attitudes and Skills Safety Scale: Initial Results

PubMed Central

Armstrong, Gail E.; Dietrich, Mary; Norman, Linda; Barnsteiner, Jane; Mion, Lorraine

2016-01-01

Health care organizations have incorporated updated safety principles in the analysis of errors and in norms and standards. Yet no research exists that assesses bedside nurses’ perceived skills or attitudes toward updated safety concepts. The aims of this study were to develop a scale assessing nurses’ perceived skills and attitudes toward updated safety concepts, determine content validity, and examine internal consistency of the scale and subscales. Understanding nurses’ perceived skills and attitudes about safety concepts can be used in targeting strategies to enhance their safety practices. PMID:27479518

Development and Psychometric Analysis of a Nurses' Attitudes and Skills Safety Scale: Initial Results.

PubMed

Armstrong, Gail E; Dietrich, Mary; Norman, Linda; Barnsteiner, Jane; Mion, Lorraine

Health care organizations have incorporated updated safety principles in the analysis of errors and in norms and standards. Yet no research exists that assesses bedside nurses' perceived skills or attitudes toward updated safety concepts. The aims of this study were to develop a scale assessing nurses' perceived skills and attitudes toward updated safety concepts, determine content validity, and examine internal consistency of the scale and subscales. Understanding nurses' perceived skills and attitudes about safety concepts can be used in targeting strategies to enhance their safety practices.

Beliefs, attitudes and phobias among Mexican medical and psychology students towards people with obesity.

PubMed

Soto, Lucero; Armendariz-Anguiano, Ana Lilia; Bacardí-Gascón, Montserrat; Jiménez Cruz, A

2014-07-01

A high prevalence of stigmatizing attitude among healthcare personnel towards obese people has been reported. To evaluate the beliefs, attitudes and phobias that Mexican medical and psychology students have towards obese people. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 528 students enrolled at the Autonomous University of Baja California in psychology and medical schools. Weight, height and waist circumference were evaluated. Beliefs about obesity were assessed with the BAOP scale, attitudes towards obese people by the ATOP scale and obesity phobias by the F-scale. Participants achieved a mean F-scale score of 3.4. Only seven per cent showed neutral or positive attitudes towards obesity (≤2.5). Less fat phobia was associated with beliefs that obesity was not a result of the person's self-control (p = 0.0001) and had better attitudes towards obese people (p = 0.0001). Men had higher risk of fat phobia (OR = 1.5). High prevalence of phobias and negative attitudes towards obesity was observed. Men had higher stigma. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

A Scale to Measure Attitude Toward Smoking Marihuana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vincent, Raymond J.

1970-01-01

Describes the construction and validity of a scale to measure student attitudes toward marihuana. The scale could be used as a means to select the best presentation for drug education in schools. (KH)

Demographic Differences and Attitudes toward Computers among Healthcare Professionals Earning Continuing Education Credits On-Line

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitra, Ananda; Joshi, Suchi; Kemper, Kathi J.; Woods, Charles; Gobble, Jessica

2006-01-01

The use of technology, such as the Web, has become an increasingly popular means for disseminating professional development and continuing education. Often, these methods assume a set of attitudes and skills related to the computer as a pedagogic and communication tool. We argue that it is, however, important to measure the actual attitudes of…

Validating a Computer-Assisted Language Learning Attitude Instrument Used in Iranian EFL Context: An Evidence-Based Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aryadoust, Vahid; Mehran, Parisa; Alizadeh, Mehrasa

2016-01-01

A few computer-assisted language learning (CALL) instruments have been developed in Iran to measure EFL (English as a foreign language) learners' attitude toward CALL. However, these instruments have no solid validity argument and accordingly would be unable to provide a reliable measurement of attitude. The present study aimed to develop a CALL…

The Effects of Computer-Assisted Instruction on the Achievement, Attitudes and Retention of Fourth Grade Mathematics Students in North Cyprus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pilli, Olga; Aksu, Meral

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the educational software "Frizbi Mathematics 4" on 4th grade student's mathematics achievement, retention, attitudes toward mathematics and attitude toward computer assisted learning. Two groups (experimental and control) of students from the state primary school in Gazimagusa,…

Attitudinal Change in Elderly Citizens Toward Social Robots: The Role of Personality Traits and Beliefs About Robot Functionality

PubMed Central

Damholdt, Malene F.; Nørskov, Marco; Yamazaki, Ryuji; Hakli, Raul; Hansen, Catharina Vesterager; Vestergaard, Christina; Seibt, Johanna

2015-01-01

Attitudes toward robots influence the tendency to accept or reject robotic devices. Thus it is important to investigate whether and how attitudes toward robots can change. In this pilot study we investigate attitudinal changes in elderly citizens toward a tele-operated robot in relation to three parameters: (i) the information provided about robot functionality, (ii) the number of encounters, (iii) personality type. Fourteen elderly residents at a rehabilitation center participated. Pre-encounter attitudes toward robots, anthropomorphic thinking, and personality were assessed. Thereafter the participants interacted with a tele-operated robot (Telenoid) during their lunch (c. 30 min.) for up to 3 days. Half of the participants were informed that the robot was tele-operated (IC) whilst the other half were naïve to its functioning (UC). Post-encounter assessments of attitudes toward robots and anthropomorphic thinking were undertaken to assess change. Attitudes toward robots were assessed with a new generic 35-items questionnaire (attitudes toward social robots scale: ASOR-5), offering a differentiated conceptualization of the conditions for social interaction. There was no significant difference between the IC and UC groups in attitude change toward robots though trends were observed. Personality was correlated with some tendencies for attitude changes; Extraversion correlated with positive attitude changes to intimate-personal relatedness with the robot (r = 0.619) and to psychological relatedness (r = 0.581) whilst Neuroticism correlated negatively (r = -0.582) with mental relatedness with the robot. The results tentatively suggest that neither information about functionality nor direct repeated encounters are pivotal in changing attitudes toward robots in elderly citizens. This may reflect a cognitive congruence bias where the robot is experienced in congruence with initial attitudes, or it may support action-based explanations of cognitive dissonance reductions, given that robots, unlike computers, are not yet perceived as action targets. Specific personality traits may be indicators of attitude change relating to specific domains of social interaction. Implications and future directions are discussed. PMID:26635646

Attitudinal Change in Elderly Citizens Toward Social Robots: The Role of Personality Traits and Beliefs About Robot Functionality.

PubMed

Damholdt, Malene F; Nørskov, Marco; Yamazaki, Ryuji; Hakli, Raul; Hansen, Catharina Vesterager; Vestergaard, Christina; Seibt, Johanna

2015-01-01

Attitudes toward robots influence the tendency to accept or reject robotic devices. Thus it is important to investigate whether and how attitudes toward robots can change. In this pilot study we investigate attitudinal changes in elderly citizens toward a tele-operated robot in relation to three parameters: (i) the information provided about robot functionality, (ii) the number of encounters, (iii) personality type. Fourteen elderly residents at a rehabilitation center participated. Pre-encounter attitudes toward robots, anthropomorphic thinking, and personality were assessed. Thereafter the participants interacted with a tele-operated robot (Telenoid) during their lunch (c. 30 min.) for up to 3 days. Half of the participants were informed that the robot was tele-operated (IC) whilst the other half were naïve to its functioning (UC). Post-encounter assessments of attitudes toward robots and anthropomorphic thinking were undertaken to assess change. Attitudes toward robots were assessed with a new generic 35-items questionnaire (attitudes toward social robots scale: ASOR-5), offering a differentiated conceptualization of the conditions for social interaction. There was no significant difference between the IC and UC groups in attitude change toward robots though trends were observed. Personality was correlated with some tendencies for attitude changes; Extraversion correlated with positive attitude changes to intimate-personal relatedness with the robot (r = 0.619) and to psychological relatedness (r = 0.581) whilst Neuroticism correlated negatively (r = -0.582) with mental relatedness with the robot. The results tentatively suggest that neither information about functionality nor direct repeated encounters are pivotal in changing attitudes toward robots in elderly citizens. This may reflect a cognitive congruence bias where the robot is experienced in congruence with initial attitudes, or it may support action-based explanations of cognitive dissonance reductions, given that robots, unlike computers, are not yet perceived as action targets. Specific personality traits may be indicators of attitude change relating to specific domains of social interaction. Implications and future directions are discussed.

MER-DIMES : a planetary landing application of computer vision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, Yang; Johnson, Andrew; Matthies, Larry

2005-01-01

During the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) landings, the Descent Image Motion Estimation System (DIMES) was used for horizontal velocity estimation. The DIMES algorithm combines measurements from a descent camera, a radar altimeter and an inertial measurement unit. To deal with large changes in scale and orientation between descent images, the algorithm uses altitude and attitude measurements to rectify image data to level ground plane. Feature selection and tracking is employed in the rectified data to compute the horizontal motion between images. Differences of motion estimates are then compared to inertial measurements to verify correct feature tracking. DIMES combines sensor data from multiple sources in a novel way to create a low-cost, robust and computationally efficient velocity estimation solution, and DIMES is the first use of computer vision to control a spacecraft during planetary landing. In this paper, the detailed implementation of the DIMES algorithm and the results from the two landings on Mars are presented.

Attitudes towards epilepsy among a sample of Turkish patients with epilepsy.

PubMed

Yeni, Kubra; Tulek, Zeliha; Bebek, Nerses; Dede, Ozlem; Gurses, Candan; Baykan, Betul; Gokyigit, Aysen

2016-09-01

The attitude of patients with epilepsy towards their disease is an important factor in disease management and quality of life. The aim of this study was to define the attitudes of patients with epilepsy towards their disease and the factors that affect their attitudes. This descriptive study was performed on patients admitted to an epilepsy outpatient clinic of a university hospital between May and September 2015. The sample consisted of 70 patients over 18years of age with a diagnosis of epilepsy and no health problem other than epilepsy. Patients with no seizure in the last two years were excluded. The Epilepsy Attitude Scale was used to evaluate attitudes of the patients towards epilepsy; the Epilepsy Knowledge Scale, Rotter's Locus of Control Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Quality of Life in Epilepsy-10 (QOLIE-10) were used to investigate the attitude-related factors. Among the 70 participants, 43 were female, and the mean age was 31.4years. The educational level of the patients was lower (primary school) in 38.6% of the sample, and 18.6% were unemployed. Time since diagnosis was 15.1years, 75.7% of the participants had generalized type of seizures, and more than half had seizures more frequently than once a month. The mean score of the attitude scale was 59.7±6.62 (range: 14-70). The attitudes of the patients towards epilepsy were found to be related to their educational status, living alone, and the attitudes of their families. The attitude scores were also related to the level of knowledge on epilepsy, stigma, and depression. Furthermore, the attitude was found to be correlated with quality of life. Patients with epilepsy had moderate-to-good attitude towards their disease. It was observed that the attitude was related to the knowledge, stigma, and depression rather than to demographic factors and the seizures, and furthermore, the attitude was found to be correlated with quality of life. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Parent-child attitude congruence on type and intensity of physical activity: testing multiple mediators of sedentary behavior in older children.

PubMed

Anderson, Cheryl B; Hughes, Sheryl O; Fuemmeler, Bernard F

2009-07-01

This study examined parent-child attitudes on value of specific types and intensities of physical activity, which may explain gender differences in child activity, and evaluated physical activity as a mechanism to reduce time spent in sedentary behaviors. A community sample of 681 parents and 433 children (mean age 9.9 years) reported attitudes on importance of vigorous and moderate intensity team and individually performed sports/activities, as well as household chores. Separate structural models (LISREL 8.7) for girls and boys tested whether parental attitudes were related to child TV and computer via child attitudes, sport team participation, and physical activity, controlling for demographic factors. Child 7-day physical activity, sport teams, weekly TV, computer. Parent-child attitude congruence was more prevalent among boys, and attitudes varied by ethnicity, parent education, and number of children. Positive parent-child attitudes for vigorous team sports were related to increased team participation and physical activity, as well as reduced TV and computer in boys and girls. Value of moderate intensity household chores, such as cleaning house and doing laundry, was related to decreased team participation and increased TV in boys. Only organized team sports, not general physical activity, was related to reduced TV and computer. Results support parents' role in socializing children's achievement task values, affecting child activity by transferring specific attitudes. Value of vigorous intensity sports provided the most benefits to activity and reduction of sedentary behavior, while valuing household chores had unexpected negative effects.

Fat phobia of university students: attitudes toward obesity.

PubMed

Hayran, Osman; Akan, Hülya; Özkan, Azru D; Kocaoglu, Bike

2013-01-01

This study examined attitudes about obesity among a sample of university students from the departments of Health Sciences and Fine Arts. This cross-sectional study was carried out among first- and second-year students of Health Sciences and Fine Arts Yeditepe between April and May 2011. The questionnaire surveyed sociodemographic characteristics, height, weight, and a short form of the "Fat Phobia" scale. A pilot study revealed that the test-retest reliability was r=0.71 and internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) was 0.8783. The mean and SD were computed for descriptive purposes, and a t-test was used for hypothesis testing; significance was considered for p<0.05. A total of 305 students (86 men, 219 women) were included in the study. The mean score on the fat phobia scale was 3.57±0.69 among the whole group. Fat phobia of women was higher than of men (p<0.001). Although the mean score of fat phobia was higher in underweight students than in obese students, there was no statistically significant differences according to body structure (p>0.05). The adjectives about which the whole group was phobic were "likes food" (4.50), "overeats" (4.20), "slow" (3.90), "inactive" (3.82), "no will power" (3.71), and "shapeless" (3.66). Female students were more phobic than men in adjectives (overeats,) (no will power,) (shapeless.) Fat phobia is common among university students, and women are more fat phobic than men. Fat phobia and attitudes toward obesity should be examined and followed, and methods and messages directed to change negative attitudes should be included during training.

A Pilot Study of Computer-Based Simulation Training for Enhancing Family Medicine Residents' Competence in Computerized Settings.

PubMed

Shachak, Aviv; Domb, Sharon; Borycki, Elizabeth; Fong, Nancy; Skyrme, Alison; Kushniruk, Andre; Reis, Shmuel; Ziv, Amitai

2015-01-01

We previously developed a prototype computer-based simulation to teach residents how to integrate better EMR use in the patient-physician interaction. To evaluate the prototype, we conducted usability tests with three non-clinician students, followed by a pilot study with 16 family medicine residents. The pilot study included pre- and post-test surveys of competencies and attitudes related to using the EMR in the consultation and the acceptability of the simulation, as well as 'think aloud' observations. After using the simulation prototypes, the mean scores for competencies and attitudes improved from 14.88/20 to 15.63/20 and from 22.25/30 to 23.13/30, respectively; however, only the difference for competencies was significant (paired t-test; t=-2.535, p=0.023). Mean scores for perceived usefulness and ease of use of the simulation were good (3.81 and 4.10 on a 5-point scale, respectively). Issues identified in usability testing include confusing interaction with some features, preferences for a more interactive representation of the EMR, and more options for shared decision making. In conclusion, computer-based simulation may be an effective and acceptable tool for teaching residents how to better use EMRs in clinical encounters.

[Creation of a scale for evaluating attitudes of partners toward alcohol dependency].

PubMed

Sugawara, Tazuko; Morita, Noriaki; Nakatani, Youji

2013-12-01

The aim of this study was to develop a scale to evaluate characteristics of how alcohol-dependent people perceive the attitudes of their partners toward alcohol dependency. Based on previous research, we created the "Attitudes of partners toward alcohol dependency" scale, from the perspective of the alcohol dependent individual. Using the new scale, 71 alcohol-dependent people (52 men, 19 women) were surveyed after obtaining their consent, and the reliability and validity of the scale were tested. The results identified 3 factors, "indifference", "acceptance" and "hypersensitivity", and factorial validity was verified. Relatively high reliability was obtained on each sub-scale (alpha = .60-.82). Furthermore, correlations were obtained with the alcohol-dependency "Denial and Awareness Scale (for alcohol-dependent people)" and with the 13-item "Usefulness of heterosexual love relations for recovery from alcohol dependency" questionnaire, which includes content on "beneficial" or "obstructive" to recovery, and with the satisfaction and the importance of relations. This demonstrates that the "Attitudes of partners toward alcohol dependency" scale has reliability and criterion-related validity. The scale facilitates evaluation of types of attitudes of partners toward alcohol dependency, and may thus be useful as one tool for investigating the influence of partners in heterosexual love relationships for recovery, and for providing advice.

Assessment of Rape-Supportive Attitudes and Beliefs in College Men: Development, Reliability, and Validity of the Rape Attitudes and Beliefs Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgess, Gerald H.

2007-01-01

Discussed is the development and psychometric analysis of a measure of rape-supportive attitudes and beliefs called the Rape Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (RABS), intended for the use with college men. Items were developed from a literature review of "rape myths" that were correlated to some measure of sexual aggression. An exploratory…

A Study of the Validity and Reliability of a Mathematics Lesson Attitude Scale and Student Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tezer, Murat; Ozcan, Deniz

2015-01-01

Attitudes of the students towards mathematics lessons are very important in terms of their success and motivation. The purpose of this study is to develop a scale for the assessment of primary school students' attitudes towards mathematics courses in the 2nd and 3rd grades, to analyse its validity-reliability structure and to determine the…

Medical and nursing students' attitudes toward mental illness: An Indian perspective.

PubMed

Poreddi, Vijayalakshmi; Thimmaiah, Rohini; BadaMath, Suresh

2017-01-01

Compare the attitudes toward mental illness between medical and nursing undergraduate students from a university in India. A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out among medical (n=154) and nursing undergraduate students (n=168) using Attitude Scale for Mental Illness (ASMI) questionnaire with six sub scales namely; Separatism, Stereotyping, Restrictiveness, Benevolence, Pessimistic prediction and Stigmatization. This was a 5-point Likert scale with 34 items to rate participants responses from totally disagree (1) to totally agree (5). The lower scores indicate positive attitudes toward persons with mental illness. Our findings revealed that 54.5% of medical students versus 64.8% of nursing students have positive attitudes toward mental illness. While medical students have better attitudes against separatism and stigmatization, nursing students have more positive attitudes in benevolence and against pessimism. An important proportion of medical and nursing students have negative attitudes toward mental illness. It is necessary to review and adapt the current curriculum to favor the positive attitude of future professionals toward people with these types of diseases. Copyright© by the Universidad de Antioquia.

Students' Attitudes toward Computers at the College of Nursing at King Saud University (KSU)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samarkandi, Osama Abdulhaleem

2011-01-01

Computer knowledge and skills are becoming essential components technology in nursing education. Saudi nurses must be prepared to utilize these technologies for the advancement of science and nursing practice in local and global communities. Little attention has been directed to students' attitudes about computer usage in academic communities in…

Undergraduate Paramedic Students' Attitudes to E-Learning: Findings from Five University Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Brett; Boyle, Malcolm; Molloy, Andrew; Brightwell, Richard; Munro, Graham; Service, Melinda; Brown, Ted

2011-01-01

Computers and computer-assisted instruction are being used with increasing frequency in the area of undergraduate paramedic education. Paramedic students' attitudes towards the use of e-learning technology and computer-assisted instruction have received limited attention in the empirical literature to date. The objective of this study was to…

Experience with and Attitudes toward Computers in Medicine of Students and Clinical Faculty Members at One School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knapp, Rebecca G.; And Others

1987-01-01

A medical school survey examined student and faculty willingness to use computers and the prevalence of the attitudes that computers in medicine are a potential threat to employment, neither convenient nor responsive to physicians' needs, and potentially debasing to the human role in medical practice. (MSE)

An Experimental Analysis of Computer-Mediated Instruction and Student Attitudes in a Principles of Financial Accounting Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basile, Anthony; D'Aquila, Jill M.

2002-01-01

Accounting students received either traditional instruction (n=46) or used computer-mediated communication and WebCT course management software. There were no significant differences in attitudes about the course. However, computer users were more positive about course delivery and course management tools. (Contains 17 references.) (SK)

Chapter 4. Students' Attitudes toward Computer Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russian Education and Society, 2004

2004-01-01

In this chapter, the authors attempt not only to discern aspects that relate to age, place, and the amount of time devoted to playing computer games in adolescence, but also to study content characteristics of their attitudes such as: the developmental dynamic in the change of their genre preferences in computer games, changes in factors that…

Personalized Computer-Assisted Mathematics Problem-Solving Program and Its Impact on Taiwanese Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Chiu-Jung; Liu, Pei-Lin

2007-01-01

This study evaluated the effects of a personalized computer-assisted mathematics problem-solving program on the performance and attitude of Taiwanese fourth grade students. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the personalized computer-assisted program improved student performance and attitude over the nonpersonalized program.…

Medical students’ attitudes and perspectives regarding novel computer-based practical spot tests compared to traditional practical spot tests

PubMed Central

Wijerathne, Buddhika; Rathnayake, Geetha

2013-01-01

Background Most universities currently practice traditional practical spot tests to evaluate students. However, traditional methods have several disadvantages. Computer-based examination techniques are becoming more popular among medical educators worldwide. Therefore incorporating the computer interface in practical spot testing is a novel concept that may minimize the shortcomings of traditional methods. Assessing students’ attitudes and perspectives is vital in understanding how students perceive the novel method. Methods One hundred and sixty medical students were randomly allocated to either a computer-based spot test (n=80) or a traditional spot test (n=80). The students rated their attitudes and perspectives regarding the spot test method soon after the test. The results were described comparatively. Results Students had higher positive attitudes towards the computer-based practical spot test compared to the traditional spot test. Their recommendations to introduce the novel practical spot test method for future exams and to other universities were statistically significantly higher. Conclusions The computer-based practical spot test is viewed as more acceptable to students than the traditional spot test. PMID:26451213

Spanish adolescents' attitudes toward transpeople: proposal and validation of a short form of the Genderism and Transphobia Scale.

PubMed

Carrera-Fernández, María Victoria; Lameiras-Fernández, María; Rodríguez-Castro, Yolanda; Vallejo-Medina, Pablo

2014-01-01

The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a short form of the Genderism and Transphobia Scale and assess adolescents' attitudes toward transpeople. A total of 800 Spanish adolescents aged between 14 and 18 years (50.70% girls, 49.30% boys) completed the Spanish version of the scale and other related questionnaires. The short form of the scale is composed of 12 items clustered into two factors (Transphobia/Genderism and Gender Bashing) that explain 54.22% of the variance. All the items showed good discriminating power, and the present scale demonstrated adequate reliability and validity. In the study, boys exhibited significantly more negative attitudes toward transpeople than girls did, both in the affective/cognitive dimension (Transphobia/Genderism) and in the behavioral dimension (Gender Bashing). Moreover, adolescents showed significantly more negative attitudes toward gender-nonconforming men than toward gender-nonconforming women. These results are discussed in terms of their relevance to the maintenance of discriminatory attitudes toward sexual diversity.

Development and Validation of the ADAS Scale and Prediction of Attitudes Toward Affective-Sexual Diversity Among Spanish Secondary Students.

PubMed

Garrido-Hernansaiz, Helena; Martín-Fernández, Manuel; Castaño-Torrijos, Aida; Cuevas, Isabel

2018-01-01

Violence against non-heterosexual adolescents in educational contexts remains a worrying reality, but no adequate attitudes toward affective-sexual diversity (AtASD) measure exists for Spanish adolescent students. We developed a 27-item scale including cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects, which was completed by 696 secondary school students from the Madrid area. Factor analyses suggested a unidimensional model, Cronbach's alpha indicated excellent scale scores reliability, and item calibration under the item response theory framework showed that the scale is especially informative for homophobic attitudes. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that variables traditionally related to AtASD (gender, age, religion, nationality, perceived parental/peer attitudes, direct contact with LGB people) also were so in our sample. Moreover, interest in sexuality topics and perceived center's efforts to provide AtASD education were related to better AtASD. Our scale was reliable and valid, and it may also prove useful in efforts to detect those students with homophobic attitudes and to guide interventions.

Attitudes toward Anger Management Scale: Development and Initial Validation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boudreaux, David J.; Dahlen, Eric R.; Madson, Michael B.; Bullock-Yowell, Emily

2014-01-01

This article describes the development and preliminary validation of the Attitudes Toward Anger Management Scale (ATAMS), a self-report measure of attitudes toward anger management services. Undergraduate volunteers ("N" = 415) completed an initial version of the instrument. Principal components analysis yielded a two-factor solution.…

The Effect of Advisement and Competition on Transfer, Advisor Use, and Attitude toward Mathematics Using a Computer-Based Simulation Game.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Eck, Richard

This study looks at the roles that competition and context of advisement play in transfer, advisor use, attitude toward mathematics, and attitude toward instruction in a computer-based simulation game that required the use of mathematics skills. It is concluded that for transfer training, non-competitive simulation games might be the best choice,…

Effects of Using a Computer Algebra System (CAS) on Junior College Students' Attitudes towards CAS and Achievement in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leng, Ng Wee; Choo, Kwee Tiow; Soon, Lau Hock; Yi-Huak, Koh; Sun, Yap Yew

2005-01-01

This study examines the effects of using Texas Instruments' Voyage 200 calculator (V200), a graphing calculator with a built-in computer algebra system (CAS), on attitudes towards CAS and achievement in mathematics of junior college students (17 year olds). Students' attitudes towards CAS were examined using a 40-item Likert-type instrument…

Computer Use in Pre-School Education: The Attitudes of the Future Pre-School Teachers in Croatia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tatalovic Vorkapic, Sanja; Milovanovic, Sandra

2014-01-01

According to the relevance of teacher attitudes in the teaching process as well as to the great number of discussions among experts of pre-school education, it was interesting to examine the students of pre-school teaching about their attitudes toward the use of computer among pre-school children. The sample consisted of N = 40 students from…

Analysis of the flight dynamics of the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) off-sun scientific pointing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pitone, D. S.; Klein, J. R.

1989-01-01

Algorithms are presented which were created and implemented by the Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC's) Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) attitude operations team to support large-angle spacecraft pointing at scientific objectives. The mission objective of the post-repair SMM satellite was to study solar phenomena. However, because the scientific instruments, such as the Coronagraph/Polarimeter (CP) and the Hard X ray Burst Spectrometer (HXRBS), were able to view objects other than the Sun, attitude operations support for attitude pointing at large angles from the nominal solar-pointing attitudes was required. Subsequently, attitude support for SMM was provided for scientific objectives such as Comet Halley, Supernova 1987A, Cygnus X-1, and the Crab Nebula. In addition, the analysis was extended to include the reverse problem, computing the right ascension and declination of a body given the off-Sun angles. This analysis led to the computation of the orbits of seven new solar comets seen in the field-of-view (FOV) of the CP. The activities necessary to meet these large-angle attitude-pointing sequences, such as slew sequence planning, viewing-period prediction, and tracking-bias computation are described. Analysis is presented for the computation of maneuvers and pointing parameters relative to the SMM-unique, Sun-centered reference frame. Finally, science data and independent attitude solutions are used to evaluate the large-angle pointing performance.

Analysis of the flight dynamics of the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) off-sun scientific pointing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pitone, D. S.; Klein, J. R.; Twambly, B. J.

1990-01-01

Algorithms are presented which were created and implemented by the Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC's) Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) attitude operations team to support large-angle spacecraft pointing at scientific objectives. The mission objective of the post-repair SMM satellite was to study solar phenomena. However, because the scientific instruments, such as the Coronagraph/Polarimeter (CP) and the Hard X-ray Burst Spectrometer (HXRBS), were able to view objects other than the Sun, attitude operations support for attitude pointing at large angles from the nominal solar-pointing attitudes was required. Subsequently, attitude support for SMM was provided for scientific objectives such as Comet Halley, Supernova 1987A, Cygnus X-1, and the Crab Nebula. In addition, the analysis was extended to include the reverse problem, computing the right ascension and declination of a body given the off-Sun angles. This analysis led to the computation of the orbits of seven new solar comets seen in the field-of-view (FOV) of the CP. The activities necessary to meet these large-angle attitude-pointing sequences, such as slew sequence planning, viewing-period prediction, and tracking-bias computation are described. Analysis is presented for the computation of maneuvers and pointing parameters relative to the SMM-unique, Sun-centered reference frame. Finally, science data and independent attitude solutions are used to evaluate the larg-angle pointing performance.

Perceptions of Public Breastfeeding Images and Their Association With Breastfeeding Knowledge and Attitudes Among an Internet Panel of Men Ages 21-44 in the United States.

PubMed

Magnusson, Brianna M; Thackeray, Callie R; Van Wagenen, Sarah A; Davis, Siena F; Richards, Rickelle; Merrill, Ray M

2017-02-01

Men's attitudes toward public breastfeeding may influence a woman's decisions about breastfeeding and her perceived comfort with public breastfeeding. Research aim: This study aimed to evaluate factors associated with men's visual perception of images of public breastfeeding. A 95-item online survey was administered to 502 U.S. men ages 21 to 44. Respondents were presented with four images of women breastfeeding and asked to evaluate agreement with 15 adjectives describing each image. Based on factor analysis, 13 of these adjectives were combined to create the Breastfeeding Images Scale for each image. An 8-item Situational Statements Scale and the 17-item Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS) were used to assess breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes. Multiple regression was used to evaluate the association between breastfeeding attitudes and knowledge and the Breastfeeding Images Scale. The image depicting a woman breastfeeding privately at home had the highest mean score of 71.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) [70.69, 73.22], on the Breastfeeding Images Scale, compared with 61.93, 95% CI [60.51, 63.36], for the image of a woman breastfeeding in a public setting. The overall mean scale score for the IIFAS was 56.99, 95% CI [56.27, 57.70], and for the Situational Statements Scale was 28.80, 95% CI [27.92, 29.69]. For all images, increasing breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes measured by the IIFAS and the Situational Statements Scale were associated with a more positive perception of the image. Images of public breastfeeding are viewed less favorably by men in the sample than are images of private breastfeeding. Knowledge and attitudes toward breastfeeding are positively associated with perception of breastfeeding images.

Attitude May Be Everything, But Is Everything an Attitude? Cognitive Distortions May Not Be Evaluations of Rape.

PubMed

Nunes, Kevin L; Hermann, Chantal A; White, Kristen; Pettersen, Cathrine; Bumby, Kurt

2018-02-01

Cognitive distortions are often referred to as attitudes toward rape in theory, research, and clinical practice pertaining to sexual aggression. In the social-psychological literature, however, attitudes are typically defined as evaluations; thus, in this context, attitudes toward rape are considered evaluations of rape (e.g., rape is negative vs. positive). The purpose of the current study was to explore whether a widely used measure of cognitive distortions (RAPE Scale; Bumby, 1996) assesses evaluation of rape, and, if not, whether evaluation of rape and the cognitions assessed by the RAPE Scale are independently associated with sexually aggressive behavior. Participants (660 male undergraduate students) completed the RAPE Scale as well as measures of evaluation of rape and sexually aggressive behavior. An exploratory factor analysis revealed that the RAPE Scale items formed a correlated but distinct factor from the Evaluation of Rape Scale items. Regression analyses indicated that the Evaluation of Rape Scale and the RAPE Scale had small to moderate independent associations with self-report measures of sexually aggressive behavior. Our results suggest that evaluation of rape may be distinct from cognitive distortions regarding rape, and both evaluation and cognitive distortions may be relevant for understanding sexual violence.

Build a better mouse: directly-observed issues in computer use for adults with SMI.

PubMed

Black, Anne C; Serowik, Kristin L; Schensul, Jean J; Bowen, Anne M; Rosen, Marc I

2013-03-01

Integrating information technology into healthcare has the potential to bring treatment to hard-to-reach people. Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), however, may derive limited benefit from these advances in care because of lack of computer ownership and experience. To date, conclusions about the computer skills and attitudes of adults with SMI have been based primarily on self-report. In the current study, 28 psychiatric outpatients with co-occurring cocaine use were interviewed about their computer use and opinions, and 25 were then directly observed using task analysis and think aloud methods as they navigated a multi-component health informational website. Participants reported low rates of computer ownership and use, and negative attitudes towards computers. Self-reported computer skills were higher than demonstrated in the task analysis. However, some participants spontaneously expressed more positive attitudes and greater computer self-efficacy after navigating the website. Implications for increasing access to computer-based health information are discussed.

Build a Better Mouse: Directly-Observed Issues in Computer Use for Adults with SMI

PubMed Central

Black, Anne C.; Serowik, Kristin L.; Schensul, Jean J.; Bowen, Anne M.; Rosen, Marc I.

2014-01-01

Integrating information technology into healthcare has the potential to bring treatment to hard-to-reach people. Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), however, may derive limited benefit from these advances in care because of lack of computer ownership and experience. To date, conclusions about the computer skills and attitudes of adults with SMI have been based primarily on self-report. In the current study, 28 psychiatric outpatients with co-occurring cocaine use were interviewed about their computer use and opinions, and 25 were then directly observed using task analysis and think aloud methods as they navigated a multi-component health informational website. Participants reported low rates of computer ownership and use, and negative attitudes towards computers. Self-reported computer skills were higher than demonstrated in the task analysis. However, some participants spontaneously expressed more positive attitudes and greater computer self-efficacy after navigating the website. Implications for increasing access to computer-based health information are discussed. PMID:22711454

The impact of computer self-efficacy, computer anxiety, and perceived usability and acceptability on the efficacy of a decision support tool for colorectal cancer screening

PubMed Central

Lindblom, Katrina; Gregory, Tess; Flight, Ingrid H K; Zajac, Ian

2011-01-01

Objective This study investigated the efficacy of an internet-based personalized decision support (PDS) tool designed to aid in the decision to screen for colorectal cancer (CRC) using a fecal occult blood test. We tested whether the efficacy of the tool in influencing attitudes to screening was mediated by perceived usability and acceptability, and considered the role of computer self-efficacy and computer anxiety in these relationships. Methods Eighty-one participants aged 50–76 years worked through the on-line PDS tool and completed questionnaires on computer self-efficacy, computer anxiety, attitudes to and beliefs about CRC screening before and after exposure to the PDS, and perceived usability and acceptability of the tool. Results Repeated measures ANOVA found that PDS exposure led to a significant increase in knowledge about CRC and screening, and more positive attitudes to CRC screening as measured by factors from the Preventive Health Model. Perceived usability and acceptability of the PDS mediated changes in attitudes toward CRC screening (but not CRC knowledge), and computer self-efficacy and computer anxiety were significant predictors of individuals' perceptions of the tool. Conclusion Interventions designed to decrease computer anxiety, such as computer courses and internet training, may improve the acceptability of new health information technologies including internet-based decision support tools, increasing their impact on behavior change. PMID:21857024

Attitudes towards people with intellectual disability in the UK and Libya: A cross-cultural comparison.

PubMed

Benomir, Aisha M; Nicolson, Roderick I; Beail, Nigel

2016-01-01

The attitude of the general population towards people with intellectual disability (ID) provides important background for policy development. Furthermore, because of changes in attitudes across cultures, it is vital to ground policy development for each country in data from that country. This paper aimed to undertake a cross-cultural study, investigating attitudes to people with ID in Libya in the year 2011, and to compare the Libyan data with those for the UK. This paper provides a cross-cultural analysis of attitudes to people with ID, using a questionnaire study of three groups in Libya and in the UK: science students, psychology students and professionals in ID support. The questionnaire used was the established Community Living Attitude Scales for Mental Retardation (CLAS-MR). In terms of the four CLAS-MR sub-scales, the Libyan sample showed significantly less favourable scores on Empowerment, Similarity and Exclusion than the UK sample, but no significant difference on the Sheltering sub-scale. Within-country analysis indicated no main effects of gender on all four sub-scales in Libya and the UK. This study is the first to undertake quantitative analysis of attitudes to people with ID in Libya. The attitudes were in general less favourable than in the UK and other Western countries, but showed similarities with studies of attitudes to people with ID in Pakistan. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Satellite attitude prediction by multiple time scales method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, Y. C.; Ramnath, R.

1975-01-01

An investigation is made of the problem of predicting the attitude of satellites under the influence of external disturbing torques. The attitude dynamics are first expressed in a perturbation formulation which is then solved by the multiple scales approach. The independent variable, time, is extended into new scales, fast, slow, etc., and the integration is carried out separately in the new variables. The theory is applied to two different satellite configurations, rigid body and dual spin, each of which may have an asymmetric mass distribution. The disturbing torques considered are gravity gradient and geomagnetic. Finally, as multiple time scales approach separates slow and fast behaviors of satellite attitude motion, this property is used for the design of an attitude control device. A nutation damping control loop, using the geomagnetic torque for an earth pointing dual spin satellite, is designed in terms of the slow equation.

Validating the Attitudes toward Sex Offenders Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitehead, Charmeka

2009-01-01

This study investigated the reliability and validity of the Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders Scale (ATS) measurement by assessing attitudes of counselors in training towards juvenile sex offenders. The specific aims of this study were to determine (a) internal consistency of the ATS, (b) construct validity of the ATS based on exploratory factor…

Hypochondriacal attitudes comprise heterogeneous non-illness-related cognitions.

PubMed

Schwenzer, Michael; Mathiak, Klaus

2012-10-17

Hypochondriacal attitudes were associated with cognitions not related to illness: Social fears, low self-esteem, and reduced warm glow effect, i.e. less positive appraisal of familiar stimuli. Only a single study had investigated the correlation of hypochondriacal attitudes with the warm glow effect so far and the present study aimed to corroborate this association. Particularly, the present investigation tested for the first time whether social fears, low self-esteem, and reduced warm glow effect represent distinct or related biases in hypochondriacal attitudes. Fifty-five volunteers filled in the Hypochondriacal Beliefs and Disease Phobia scales of the Illness Attitude Scales, two scales enquiring social fears of criticism and intimacy, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The interaction of valence and spontaneous familiarity ratings of Chinese characters indicated the warm glow effect. A stepwise regression model revealed specific covariance of social fears and warm glow with hypochondriacal attitudes independent from the respective other variable. The correlation between low self-esteem and hypochondriacal attitudes missed significance. Hypochondriacal attitudes are embedded in a heterogeneous cluster of non-illness-related cognitions. Each social fears and a reduced cognitive capacity to associate two features--positive appraisal and familiarity--could diminish the susceptibility to safety signals such as medical reassurance. To compensate for reduced susceptibility to safety signals, multifocal treatment and repeated consultations appear advisable.

Social Network Analysis of Elders' Health Literacy and their Use of Online Health Information.

PubMed

Jang, Haeran; An, Ji-Young

2014-07-01

Utilizing social network analysis, this study aimed to analyze the main keywords in the literature regarding the health literacy of and the use of online health information by aged persons over 65. Medical Subject Heading keywords were extracted from articles on the PubMed database of the National Library of Medicine. For health literacy, 110 articles out of 361 were initially extracted. Seventy-one keywords out of 1,021 were finally selected after removing repeated keywords and applying pruning. Regarding the use of online health information, 19 articles out of 26 were selected. One hundred forty-four keywords were initially extracted. After removing the repeated keywords, 74 keywords were finally selected. Health literacy was found to be strongly connected with 'Health knowledge, attitudes, practices' and 'Patient education as topic.' 'Computer literacy' had strong connections with 'Internet' and 'Attitude towards computers.' 'Computer literacy' was connected to 'Health literacy,' and was studied according to the parameters 'Attitude towards health' and 'Patient education as topic.' The use of online health information was strongly connected with 'Health knowledge, attitudes, practices,' 'Consumer health information,' 'Patient education as topic,' etc. In the network, 'Computer literacy' was connected with 'Health education,' 'Patient satisfaction,' 'Self-efficacy,' 'Attitude to computer,' etc. Research on older citizens' health literacy and their use of online health information was conducted together with study of computer literacy, patient education, attitude towards health, health education, patient satisfaction, etc. In particular, self-efficacy was noted as an important keyword. Further research should be conducted to identify the effective outcomes of self-efficacy in the area of interest.

Motivational Attitudes of ELT Students towards Using Computers for Writing and Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karakas, Ali

2011-01-01

This article will provide an overview of whether students have positive motivational attitudes towards the use of computers for writing and communication. Firstly, it summarizes the basic theories of motivation and then explains the relationship between language and motivation, and the use of computers and motivation. Then, it aims to explore the…

Chapter 2. Adolescents' Attitudes toward the Computer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russian Education and Society, 2004

2004-01-01

This second chapter focuses on an analysis of the aspects that characterize the typical content of students' attitudes toward the world of computers. In this connection, it attempts to determine what is of the greatest interest to students as they deal with the world of computers, which types of programs they use, and which magazines they read…

The Effect of Using Computer Skills on Teachers' Perceived Self-Efficacy Beliefs towards Technology Integration, Attitudes and Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EL-Daou, Badrie Mohammad Nour

2016-01-01

The current study analyzes the relationship between the apparent teacher's self-efficacy and attitudes towards integrating technology into classroom teaching, self-evaluation reports and computer performance results. Pre-post measurement of the Computer Technology Integration Survey (CTIS) (Wang et al, 2004) was used to determine the confidence…

The Effect of Using in Computer Skills on Teachers' Perceived Self-Efficacy Beliefs towards Technology Integration, Attitudes and Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EL-Daou, Badrie Mohammad Nour

2016-01-01

The current study analyzes the relationship between the apparent teacher's self-efficacy and attitudes towards integrating technology into classroom teaching, self-evaluation reports and computer performance results. Pre-post measurement of the Computer Technology Integration Survey (CTIS) (Wang et al, 2004) was used to determine the confidence…

Investigating Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers' Attitudes towards the Computer Based Education in Science Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yilmaz, Nursel; Alici, Sule

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service early childhood teachers' attitudes towards using Computer Based Education (CBE) while implementing science activities. More specifically, the present study examined the effect of different variables such as gender, year in program, experience in preschool, owing a computer, and the…

"Hour of Code": Can It Change Students' Attitudes toward Programming?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Du, Jie; Wimmer, Hayden; Rada, Roy

2016-01-01

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science organized by Code.org, a non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science. This study investigated the impact of the Hour of Code on students' attitudes towards computer programming and their knowledge of programming. A sample of undergraduate students from two…

Exploring the Perceptions of College Instructors towards Computer Simulation Software Programs: A Quantitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Punch, Raymond J.

2012-01-01

The purpose of the quantitative regression study was to explore and to identify relationships between attitudes toward use and perceptions of value of computer-based simulation programs, of college instructors, toward computer based simulation programs. A relationship has been reported between attitudes toward use and perceptions of the value of…

Using Educational Computer Games in the Classroom: Science Teachers' Experiences, Attitudes, Perceptions, Concerns, and Support Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

An, Yun-Jo; Haynes, Linda; D'Alba, Adriana; Chumney, Frances

2016-01-01

Science teachers' experiences, attitudes, perceptions, concerns, and support needs related to the use of educational computer games were investigated in this study. Data were collected from an online survey, which was completed by 111 science teachers. The results showed that 73% of participants had used computer games in teaching. Participants…

Development and Psychometric Validation of the Dementia Attitudes Scale

PubMed Central

O'Connor, Melissa L.; McFadden, Susan H.

2010-01-01

This study employed qualitative construct mapping and factor analysis to construct a scale to measure attitudes toward dementia. Five family caregivers, five professionals, and five college students participated in structured interviews. Qualitative analysis of the interviews led to a 46-item scale, which was reduced to 20 items following principal axis factoring with two different samples: college students (N = 302) and certified nursing assistant students (N = 145). Confirmatory factor analysis was then conducted with another sample of college students (N = 157). The final scale, titled the Dementia Attitudes Scale (DAS), essentially had a two-factor structure; the factors were labeled “dementia knowledge” and “social comfort.” Total-scale Cronbach's alphas ranged 0.83–0.85. Evidence for convergent validity was promising, as the DAS correlated significantly with scales that measured ageism and attitudes toward disabilities (range of correlations = 0.44–0.55; mean correlation = 0.50). These findings demonstrate the reliability and validity of the DAS, supporting its use as a research tool.

Computer literacy and attitudes towards e-learning among first year medical students

PubMed Central

Link, Thomas Michael; Marz, Richard

2006-01-01

Background At the Medical University of Vienna, most information for students is available only online. In 2005, an e-learning project was initiated and there are plans to introduce a learning management system. In this study, we estimate the level of students' computer skills, the number of students having difficulty with e-learning, and the number of students opposed to e-learning. Methods The study was conducted in an introductory course on computer-based and web-based training (CBT/WBT). Students were asked to fill out a questionnaire online that covered a wide range of relevant attitudes and experiences. Results While the great majority of students possess sufficient computer skills and acknowledge the advantages of interactive and multimedia-enhanced learning material, a small percentage lacks basic computer skills and/or is very skeptical about e-learning. There is also a consistently significant albeit weak gender difference in available computer infrastructure and Internet access. As for student attitudes toward e-learning, we found that age, computer use, and previous exposure to computers are more important than gender. A sizable number of students, 12% of the total, make little or no use of existing e-learning offerings. Conclusion Many students would benefit from a basic introduction to computers and to the relevant computer-based resources of the university. Given to the wide range of computer skills among students, a single computer course for all students would not be useful nor would it be accepted. Special measures should be taken to prevent students who lack computer skills from being disadvantaged or from developing computer-hostile attitudes. PMID:16784524

Computer literacy and attitudes towards e-learning among first year medical students.

PubMed

Link, Thomas Michael; Marz, Richard

2006-06-19

At the Medical University of Vienna, most information for students is available only online. In 2005, an e-learning project was initiated and there are plans to introduce a learning management system. In this study, we estimate the level of students' computer skills, the number of students having difficulty with e-learning, and the number of students opposed to e-learning. The study was conducted in an introductory course on computer-based and web-based training (CBT/WBT). Students were asked to fill out a questionnaire online that covered a wide range of relevant attitudes and experiences. While the great majority of students possess sufficient computer skills and acknowledge the advantages of interactive and multimedia-enhanced learning material, a small percentage lacks basic computer skills and/or is very skeptical about e-learning. There is also a consistently significant albeit weak gender difference in available computer infrastructure and Internet access. As for student attitudes toward e-learning, we found that age, computer use, and previous exposure to computers are more important than gender. A sizable number of students, 12% of the total, make little or no use of existing e-learning offerings. Many students would benefit from a basic introduction to computers and to the relevant computer-based resources of the university. Given to the wide range of computer skills among students, a single computer course for all students would not be useful nor would it be accepted. Special measures should be taken to prevent students who lack computer skills from being disadvantaged or from developing computer-hostile attitudes.

Attitudes of nursing staff towards computerisation: a case of two hospitals in Nairobi, Kenya

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The health sector is faced with constant changes as new approaches to tackle illnesses are unveiled through research. Information, communication and technology have greatly transformed healthcare practice the world over. Nursing is continually exposed to a variety of changes. Variables including age, educational level, years worked in nursing, computer knowledge and experience have been found to influence the attitudes of nurses towards computerisation. The purpose of the study was to determine the attitudes of nurses towards the use of computers and the factors that influence these attitudes. Methods This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among staff nurses working at one public hospital (Kenyatta National Hospital, (KNH) and one private hospital (Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH). A convenience sample of 200 nurses filled the questionnaires. Data was collected using the modified Nurses’ Attitudes Towards Computerisation (NATC) questionnaire. Results Nurses had a favorable attitude towards computerisation. Non-users had a significantly higher attitude score compared to the users (p = 0.0274). Statistically significant associations were observed with age (p = 0.039), level of education (p = 0.025), duration of exposure to computers (p = 0.025) and attitudes towards computerisation. Conclusion Generally, nurses have positive attitudes towards computerisation. This information is important for the planning and implementation of computerisation in the hospital as suggested in other studies. PMID:24774008

Yes I Can: The Contributions of Motivation and Attitudes on Course Performance among Biology Nonmajors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Partin, Matthew L.; Haney, Jodi J.; Worch, Eric A.; Underwood, Eileen M.; Nurnberger-Haag, Julie A.; Scheuermann, Amy; Midden, W. Robert

2011-01-01

Undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory biology course for nonmajors during the fall semester of 2007 were administered the Biology Attitude Scale (Russell and Hollander 1975), a constructed Mathematics Attitude Scale, and a portion of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich and Smith 1993). Together, the…

Adapting the Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale to Turkish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özgür, Hasan

2016-01-01

Due to the requirement of a current, valid, and reliable assessment instrument for determining usage frequencies of technology-based media and the attitudes towards these, this study intends to determine the validity and reliability of the Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale, developed by researchers from California State University,…

Eating Attitudes and Their Psychological Correlates among Turkish Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bas, Murat; Asci, F. Hulya; Karabudak, Efsun; Kiziltan, Gul

2004-01-01

This study examined the eating attitudes and psychological characteristics of Turkish late adolescents. Seven hundred eighty-three university students were administered the Eating Attitudes Test, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Social Physique Anxiety Scale. More than one in ten (9.2% of the males and 13.1% of the…

Development and Validation of Information Technology Mentor Teacher Attitude Scale: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saltan, Fatih

2015-01-01

The aim of this study development and validation of a teacher attitude scale toward Information Technology Mentor Teachers (ITMT). ITMTs give technological support to other teachers for integration of technology in their lessons. In the literature, many instruments have been developed to measure teachers' attitudes towards the technological tools…

Effects of Personality on Attitudes toward Academic Group Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forrester, William R.; Tashchian, Armen

2010-01-01

This study investigated the effects of personality on attitudes toward academic group work among a sample of 225 business students. Data were collected using pre-existing scales for measuring personality and attitudes toward academic group work. Specifically, the Neo-FFI scale was used to measure the five personality dimensions of openness,…

The Reliability and Construct Validity of Scores on the Attitudes toward Problem Solving Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zakaria, Effandi; Haron, Zolkepeli; Daud, Md Yusoff

2004-01-01

The Attitudes Toward Problem Solving Scale (ATPSS) has received limited attention concerning its reliability and validity with a Malaysian secondary education population. Developed by Charles, Lester & O'Daffer (1987), the instruments assessed attitudes toward problem solving in areas of Willingness to Engage in Problem Solving Activities,…

Development and Psychometric Properties Gender Roles Attitude Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeyneloglu, Simge; Terzioglu, Fusun

2011-01-01

This research was conducted for the purpose of developing a scaling tool to determine university students' attitudes towards gender roles. University students' attitudes should first be determined in order to change this traditional view to gender and to achieve a more egalitarian view. The research sample was comprised of one university's…

Charlotte Attitudes towards Sleep (CATS) Scale: A Validated Measurement Tool for College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peach, Hannah; Gaultney, Jane F.

2017-01-01

Objective: Using a 4-phase study design, the present study developed and tested the Charlotte Attitudes Towards Sleep (CATS) Scale, a measurement tool for assessing sleep attitudes in college students. Participants: Participants were 706 undergraduate students recruited at a southeastern university and on a national recruitment Web site between…

The impact of nurses' spiritual health on their attitudes toward spiritual care, professional commitment, and caring.

PubMed

Chiang, Yi-Chien; Lee, Hsiang-Chun; Chu, Tsung-Lan; Han, Chin-Yen; Hsiao, Ya-Chu

2016-01-01

The personal spiritual health of nurses may play an important role in improving their attitudes toward spiritual care and their professional commitment and caring capabilities. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of nurses' personal spiritual health on their attitudes toward spiritual care, professional commitment, and caring. A total of 619 clinical nurses were included in this cross-sectional survey. The measurements included the spiritual health scale-short form, the spiritual care attitude scale, the nurses' professional commitment scale, and the caring behaviors scale. Structural equation modeling was used to establish associations between the main research variables. The hypothetical model provided a good fit with the data. Nurses' spiritual health had a positive effect on nurses' professional commitment and caring. Nurses' attitudes toward spiritual care could therefore mediate their personal spiritual health, professional commitment, and caring. The findings indicated that nurses' personal spiritual health is an important value and belief system and can influence their attitudes toward spiritual care, professional commitment, and caring. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of group health education on childbearing knowledge, attitude, and behaviour among Southeast Asian immigrant women in Taiwan.

PubMed

Wang, Hsiu-Hung; Lin, Miao-Ling; Yang, Yung-Mei; Tsai, Hsiu-Min; Huang, Joh-Jong

2012-12-01

to explore the effects of a group health education programme on the childbearing knowledge, attitude, and behaviours among Southeast Asian immigrant women in Taiwan. a quasi-experimental design with convenience sampling was used. participants living in Kaohsiung County, Taiwan, were randomly divided by districts into either the experimental group or the control group. one hundred Southeast Asian immigrant women were recruited as research participants. Among the 100 participants, 50 were in the experimental group and 50 were in the control group. A total of 99 participants completed the entire research procedure. a structured interview was used to evaluate the effects of a group health education programme. the interview consisted of four measurements: the Demographic Inventory Scale, the Childbearing Knowledge Scale, the Childbearing Attitude Scale, and the Childbearing Planning Scale. after employing the group health education intervention, statistically significant changes from the pre-test to the post-test were found in the experimental group's scores for the Childbearing Knowledge Scale (P<0.0001), the Childbearing Attitude Scale (P<0.01), and the Childbearing Planning Scale (P<0.0001). The study's results indicated that providing education through group learning with guidance and support in childbearing health significantly improved Southeast Asian immigrant women's childbearing health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours. an appropriate, community-based group health education programme can create awareness for childbearing health among Southeast Asian immigrant women in Taiwan and improve their childbearing attitudes and behaviours. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In-Service Chemistry Teachers Training: The Impact of Introducing Computer Technology on Teachers' Attitudes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dori, Y. J.; Barnea, N.

A computer-assisted instruction (CAI) module on polymers was used to introduce chemistry teachers (n=64) to the variety of possibilities and benefits of using courseware in the current chemistry curriculum in Israel. From an analysis of a pre-and post-attitude questionnaire regarding the use of computers in chemistry teaching, it was concluded…

Computer Science Students' Attitudes towards the Use of Structured and Unstructured Discussion Forums in Fully Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tibi, Moanes H.

2018-01-01

This study aims to investigate and analyze the attitudes and opinions of computer science students at two academic colleges of education with regards to the use of structured and unstructured discussion forums in computer science courses conducted entirely online. Fifty-two students participated in two online courses. The students in each course…

Addressing Gender Differences in Computer Ability, Attitudes and Use: The Laptop Effect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kay, Robin

2006-01-01

The impact of gender on computer related attitudes, ability, and use has been actively documented, but little research has been done examining how to modify and reduce imbalances. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of ubiquitous computing (24-hour access to a laptop and the Internet) on gender differences in pre-service teachers…

Learners' Field Dependence and the Effects of Personalized Narration on Learners' Computer Perceptions and Task-Related Attitudes in Multimedia Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liew, Tze Wei; Tan, Su-Mae; Seydali, Rouzbeh

2014-01-01

In this article, the effects of personalized narration in multimedia learning on learners' computer perceptions and task-related attitudes were examined. Twenty-six field independent and 22 field dependent participants studied the computer-based multimedia lessons on C-Programming, either with personalized narration or non-personalized narration.…

The Computer as an Authority Figure: Some Effects of CAI on Student Perception of Teacher Authority. Technical Report Number 29.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brod, Rodney L.

A sociological theory of authority was used to investigate some nonintellective, perhaps unintended, consequences of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) upon student's attitudes and orientations toward the organization of the school. An attitudinal questionnaire was used to survey attitudes toward the teacher and the computer in a junior high…

Hypnotic responsiveness: expectancy, attitudes, fantasy proneness, absorption, and gender.

PubMed

Green, Joseph P; Lynn, Steven Jay

2011-01-01

This study examines the effect of providing information linking participants' attitudes toward hypnosis with later hypnotic performance. Using total scale scores from McConkey's Opinions About Hypnosis scale, as well as subscale scores, the authors found a weak association between attitudes and performance among 460 student participants; however, the correlation was unaffected by prehypnotic information specifically connecting attitudes and performance. A brief, 3-item measure of hypnotic expectancies generated the strongest correlation with hypnotic responsiveness. The authors also found that the association between fantasy proneness and hypnotizability was unaffected by the order of scale administration. Finally, the study highlighted gender differences across measures of fantasy proneness, absorption, expectancy, and hypnotizability.

Comparing three experiential learning methods and their effect on medical students' attitudes to learning communication skills.

PubMed

Koponen, Jonna; Pyörälä, Eeva; Isotalus, Pekka

2012-01-01

Despite numerous studies exploring medical students' attitudes to communication skills learning (CSL), there are apparently no studies comparing different experiential learning methods and their influence on students' attitudes. We compared medical students' attitudes to learning communication skills before and after a communication course in the data as a whole, by gender and when divided into three groups using different methods. Second-year medical students (n = 129) were randomly assigned to three groups. In group A (n = 42) the theatre in education method, in group B (n = 44) simulated patients and in group C (n = 43) role-play were used. The data were gathered before and after the course using Communication Skills Attitude Scale. Students' positive attitudes to learning communication skills (PAS; positive attitude scale) increased significantly and their negative attitudes (NAS; negative attitude scale) decreased significantly between the beginning and end of the course. Female students had more positive attitudes than the male students. There were no significant differences in the three groups in the mean scores for PAS or NAS measured before or after the course. The use of experiential methods and integrating communication skills training with visits to health centres may help medical students to appreciate the importance of CSL.

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) calibration of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hashmall, J.; Garrick, J.

1993-01-01

Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) responsibilities for calibration of Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) sensors included alignment calibration of the fixed-head star trackers (FHST's) and the fine Sun sensor (FSS), determination of misalignments and scale factors for the inertial reference units (IRU's), determination of biases for the three-axis magnetometers (TAM's) and Earth sensor assemblies (ESA's), determination of gimbal misalignments of the Solar/Stellar Pointing Platform (SSPP), and field-of-view calibration for the FSS's mounted both on the Modular Attitude Control System (MACS) and on the SSPP. The calibrations, which used a combination of new and established algorithms, gave excellent results. Alignment calibration results markedly improved the accuracy of both ground and onboard Computer (OBC) attitude determination. SSPP calibration results allowed UARS to identify stars in the period immediately after yaw maneuvers, removing the delay required for the OBC to reacquire its fine pointing attitude mode. SSPP calibration considerably improved the pointing accuracy of the attached science instrument package. This paper presents a summary of the methods used and the results of all FDF UARS sensor calibration.

Development and Validation of the Negative Attitudes towards CBT Scale.

PubMed

Parker, Zachary J; Waller, Glenn

2017-11-01

Clinicians commonly fail to use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) adequately, but the reasons for such omissions are not well understood. The objective of this study was to create and validate a measure to assess clinicians' attitudes towards CBT - the Negative Attitudes towards CBT Scale (NACS). The participants were 204 clinicians from various mental healthcare fields. Each completed the NACS, measures of anxiety and self-esteem, and a measure of therapists' use of CBT and non-CBT techniques and their confidence in using those techniques. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the factor structure of the NACS, and scale internal consistency was tested. A single, 16-item scale emerged from the factor analysis of the NACS, and that scale had good internal consistency. Clinicians' negative attitudes and their anxiety had different patterns of association with the use of CBT and other therapeutic techniques. The findings suggest that clinicians' attitudes and emotions each need to be considered when understanding why many clinicians fail to deliver the optimum version of evidence-based CBT. They also suggest that training effective CBT clinicians might depend on understanding and targeting such internal states.

Attitudes toward teen mothers among nursing students and psychometric evaluation of Positivity Toward Teen Mothers scale.

PubMed

Kim, Son Chae; Burke, Leanne; Sloan, Chris; Barnett, Shannon

2013-09-01

To prepare future nurses who can deliver high quality nursing care to teen mothers, a better understanding of the nursing students' perception of teen mothers is needed. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 228 nursing students to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Positivity Toward Teen Mothers (PTTM) scale, to explore nursing students' general empathy and attitudes toward teen mothers, and to investigate the predictors of nursing students' attitudes toward teen mothers. Principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation resulted in a 19-item PTTM-Revised scale with Non-judgmental and Supportive subscales. Cronbach's alphas for the subscales were 0.84 and 0.69, respectively, and 0.87 for the total scale. Simultaneous multiple regression models showed that general empathy and having a teen mother in the family or as an acquaintance were significant predictors of positive attitudes toward teen mothers, whereas age was a significant negative predictor. The PTTM-Revised scale is a promising instrument for assessing attitudes toward teen mothers. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spinning Characteristics of the XN2Y-1 Airplane Obtained from the Spinning Balance and Compared with Results from the Spinning Tunnel and from Flight Tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bamber, M J; House, R O

1937-01-01

Report presents the results of tests of a 1/10-scale model of the XN2Y-1 airplane tested in the NACA 5-foot vertical wind tunnel in which the six components of forces and moments were measured. The model was tested in 17 attitudes in which the full-scale airplane had been observed to spin, in order to determine the effects of scale, tunnel, and interference. In addition, a series of tests was made to cover the range of angles of attack, angles of sideslip, rates of rotation, and control setting likely to be encountered by a spinning airplane. The data were used to estimate the probable attitudes in steady spins of an airplane in flight and of a model in the free-spinning tunnel. The estimated attitudes of steady spin were compared with attitudes measured in flight and in the spinning tunnel. The results indicate that corrections for certain scale and tunnel effects are necessary to estimate full-scale spinning attitudes from model results.

Development and psychometric testing of a semantic differential scale of sexual attitude for the older person.

PubMed

Park, Hyojung; Shin, Sunhwa

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a semantic differential scale of sexual attitudes for older people in Korea. The scale was based on items derived from a literature review and focus group interviews. A methodological study was used to test the reliability and validity of the instrument. A total of 368 older men and women were recruited to complete the semantic differential scale. Fifteen pairs of adjective ratings were extracted through factor analysis. Total variance explained was 63.40%. To test for construct validity, group comparisons were implemented. The total score of sexual attitudes showed significant differences depending on gender and availability of sexual activity. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency was 0.96. The findings of this study demonstrate that the semantic differential scale of sexual attitude is a reliable and valid instrument. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards aged sexuality: validity and internal consistency of the Dutch version of the Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale.

PubMed

Mahieu, Lieslot; de Casterlé, Bernadette Dierckx; Van Elssen, Kim; Gastmans, Chris

2013-11-01

This paper reports a study testing the content and face validity and internal consistency of the Dutch version of the Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale. The ability of older residents to sexually express themselves is known to be influenced by the knowledge and attitudes of nursing home staff towards later-life sexuality. Although the Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale is a widely used instrument to measure this, there is no validated, Dutch translation available. Instrument development. Following a standard forward/backward translation into Dutch, the scale was further adapted for use in Flemish nursing home settings. Content and face validity and user-friendliness were assessed. The psychometric properties were determined by means of an exploratory study. Data were collected from March-April 2011 at eight Flemish nursing homes. Reliability was assessed using internal consistency and item-total correlations. Both subscales of the Flemish adaptation showed acceptable content validity. The face validity and user-friendliness were deemed favourable with hardly any remarks given by the expert panel. The Cronbach's α was 0.80 and 0.88 for the knowledge and attitude subscales, respectively. The item-total correlations ranged from 0.21-0.48 for the knowledge section and from 0.09-0.68 for the attitude subscale. We conclude from our study that the Dutch version of the scale has acceptable to good psychometric properties. The Flemish adaptation therefore seems to be a valuable instrument for studying nursing staff's knowledge and attitudes towards aged sexuality in Flanders. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Social Network Analysis of Elders' Health Literacy and their Use of Online Health Information

PubMed Central

Jang, Haeran

2014-01-01

Objectives Utilizing social network analysis, this study aimed to analyze the main keywords in the literature regarding the health literacy of and the use of online health information by aged persons over 65. Methods Medical Subject Heading keywords were extracted from articles on the PubMed database of the National Library of Medicine. For health literacy, 110 articles out of 361 were initially extracted. Seventy-one keywords out of 1,021 were finally selected after removing repeated keywords and applying pruning. Regarding the use of online health information, 19 articles out of 26 were selected. One hundred forty-four keywords were initially extracted. After removing the repeated keywords, 74 keywords were finally selected. Results Health literacy was found to be strongly connected with 'Health knowledge, attitudes, practices' and 'Patient education as topic.' 'Computer literacy' had strong connections with 'Internet' and 'Attitude towards computers.' 'Computer literacy' was connected to 'Health literacy,' and was studied according to the parameters 'Attitude towards health' and 'Patient education as topic.' The use of online health information was strongly connected with 'Health knowledge, attitudes, practices,' 'Consumer health information,' 'Patient education as topic,' etc. In the network, 'Computer literacy' was connected with 'Health education,' 'Patient satisfaction,' 'Self-efficacy,' 'Attitude to computer,' etc. Conclusions Research on older citizens' health literacy and their use of online health information was conducted together with study of computer literacy, patient education, attitude towards health, health education, patient satisfaction, etc. In particular, self-efficacy was noted as an important keyword. Further research should be conducted to identify the effective outcomes of self-efficacy in the area of interest. PMID:25152835

Influence versus intent for predictive analytics in situation awareness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Biru; Yang, Shanchieh J.; Kadar, Ivan

2013-05-01

Predictive analytics in situation awareness requires an element to comprehend and anticipate potential adversary activities that might occur in the future. Most work in high level fusion or predictive analytics utilizes machine learning, pattern mining, Bayesian inference, and decision tree techniques to predict future actions or states. The emergence of social computing in broader contexts has drawn interests in bringing the hypotheses and techniques from social theory to algorithmic and computational settings for predictive analytics. This paper aims at answering the question on how influence and attitude (some interpreted such as intent) of adversarial actors can be formulated and computed algorithmically, as a higher level fusion process to provide predictions of future actions. The challenges in this interdisciplinary endeavor include drawing existing understanding of influence and attitude in both social science and computing fields, as well as the mathematical and computational formulation for the specific context of situation to be analyzed. The study of `influence' has resurfaced in recent years due to the emergence of social networks in the virtualized cyber world. Theoretical analysis and techniques developed in this area are discussed in this paper in the context of predictive analysis. Meanwhile, the notion of intent, or `attitude' using social theory terminologies, is a relatively uncharted area in the computing field. Note that a key objective of predictive analytics is to identify impending/planned attacks so their `impact' and `threat' can be prevented. In this spirit, indirect and direct observables are drawn and derived to infer the influence network and attitude to predict future threats. This work proposes an integrated framework that jointly assesses adversarial actors' influence network and their attitudes as a function of past actions and action outcomes. A preliminary set of algorithms are developed and tested using the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). Our results reveals the benefits to perform joint predictive analytics with both attitude and influence. At the same time, we discover significant challenges in deriving influence and attitude from indirect observables for diverse adversarial behavior. These observations warrant further investigation of optimal use of influence and attitude for predictive analytics, as well as the potential inclusion of other environmental or capability elements for the actors.

Design and development of food safety knowledge and attitude scales for consumer food safety education.

PubMed

Medeiros, Lydia C; Hillers, Virginia N; Chen, Gang; Bergmann, Verna; Kendall, Patricia; Schroeder, Mary

2004-11-01

The objective of this study was to design and develop food safety knowledge and attitude scales based on food-handling guidelines developed by a national panel of food safety experts. Knowledge (n=43) and attitude (n=49) questions were developed and pilot-tested with a variety of consumer groups. Final questions were selected based on item analysis and on validity and reliability statistical tests. Knowledge questions were tested in Washington State with participants in low-income nutrition education programs (pretest/posttest n=58, test/retest n=19) and college students (pretest/posttest n=34). Attitude questions were tested in Ohio with nutrition education program participants (n=30) and college students (non-nutrition majors n=138, nutrition majors n=57). Item analysis, paired sample t tests, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and Cronbach's alpha were used. Reliability and validity tests of individual items and the question sets were used to reduce the scales to 18 knowledge questions and 10 attitude questions. The knowledge and attitude scales covered topics ranked as important by a national panel of experts and met most validity and reliability standards. The 18-item knowledge questionnaire had instructional sensitivity (mean score increase of more than three points after instruction), internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha >.75), and produced similar results in test-retest without intervention (coefficient of stability=.81). Knowledge of correct procedures for hand washing and avoiding cross-contamination was widespread before instruction. Knowledge was limited regarding avoiding food preparation while ill, cooking hamburgers, high-risk foods, and whether cooked rice and potatoes could be stored at room temperature. The 10-item attitude scale had an appropriate range of responses (item difficulty) and produced similar results in test-retest ( P

Exploratory Factor Analysis and Psychometric Evaluation of the Teacher Reporting Attitude Scale for Child Sexual Abuse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, Kerryann; Rassafiani, Mehdi; Mathews, Ben; Farrell, Ann; Butler, Des

2012-01-01

This paper presents an evaluation of an instrument to measure teachers' attitudes toward reporting child sexual abuse and discusses the instrument's merit for research into reporting practice. Based on responses from 444 Australian teachers, the Teachers' Reporting Attitude Scale for Child Sexual Abuse was evaluated using exploratory factor…

Greenhouse Affect: The Relationship between the Sustainable Design of Schools and Children's Environmental Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Izadpanahi, Parisa; Elkadi, Hisham; Tucker, Richard

2017-01-01

This study aims to determine if primary school children's environmental attitudes can be predicted by whether their school had been designed or adapted for sustainability. A New Ecological Paradigm ("NEP") scale for children was adopted to measure attitudes, with supplementary questions added to align this scale to the Australian context…

Effects of Attitudes toward Women and Women in Management on Perceived Communication Competencies of Women Managers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berryman-Fink, Cynthia; Wheeless, Virginia Eman

A study examined the relationship among attitudes toward women in general, attitudes toward women as managers, and perceptions of the communication competencies of women managers. Subjects, 178 employees from various types of organizations, completed the Positive Regard Scale (PRS), the Women as Managers Scale (WAMS), and the Communication…

The Relationship Between Attitudes Toward the Handicapped and Nonverbal Behavior with Educators of Special Needs Students: An Exploratory Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stodden, Robert A.; And Others

Examined were the relationships between attitudes toward the handicapped and nonverbal behavior of 60 special education teachers involved in inservice or preservice coursework. Ss were administered the Attitudes Toward Handicapped Individuals (ATHI) Scale and the Nonverbal Behavior Characteristics Scale (NBCS). Analysis of the data indicated a…

Advancing Accounting Research of Teaching Efficacy: Developing a Scale to Measure Student Attitudes toward Active Learning Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burney, Laurie; Zascavage, Victoria; Matherly, Michele

2017-01-01

Literature consistently documents a positive, direct effect of students' attitudes on learning (Lizzio, Wilson, & Simons, 2002). Hence, accounting studies describing active learning activities often report student attitudes as evidence of efficacy (e.g., Matherly & Burney, 2013), but rely on single-item instead of multi-item scales. This…

Inclusive Education in Japan and Korea--Japanese and Korean Teachers' Self-Efficacy and Attitudes towards Inclusive Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Jia

2016-01-01

The current study aims to evaluate teachers' self-efficacy and attitudes towards inclusive classrooms in Japan and Korea. Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES; Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk, [Tschannen-Moran, M., 2001]) and Scale of Teachers' Attitudes Towards Inclusive Classrooms (STATIC; Cochran, [Cochran, H., 1998]) were completed by 191…

Modified Attitudes to Psychiatry Scale Created Using Principal-Components Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shankar, Rohit; Laugharne, Richard; Pritchard, Colin; Joshi, Pallavi; Dhar, Romika

2011-01-01

Objective: The Attitudes to Psychiatry Scale (APS) is a tool used to assess medical students' attitudes toward psychiatry. This study sought to examine the internal validity of the APS in order to identify dimensions within the questionnaire. Method: Using data collected from 549 medical students from India and Ghana, the authors analyzed 28…

Effects of the implementation of the web-based patient support system on staff's attitudes towards computers and IT use: a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Koivunen, Marita; Välimäki, Maritta; Patel, Anita; Knapp, Martin; Hätönen, Heli; Kuosmanen, Lauri; Pitkänen, Anneli; Anttila, Minna; Katajisto, Jouko

2010-09-01

Utilisation of information technology (IT) in the treatment of people with severe mental health problems is an unknown area in Europe. Use of IT and guiding patients to relevant sources of health information requires that nursing staff have positive attitudes toward computers and accept IT use as a part of daily practises. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of the implementation of a web-based patient support system on staff's attitudes towards computers and IT use on psychiatric wards. Hundred and forty-nine nurses in two psychiatric hospitals in Finland were randomised to two groups to deliver patient education for patients with schizophrenia and psychosis with a web-based system (n = 76) or leaflets (n = 73). After baseline nurses were followed-up for 18 months after the introduction of the system. The primary outcome was nurses' motivation to utilise computers, and the secondary outcomes were nurses' beliefs in and satisfaction with computers, and use of computer and internet. There were no statistically significant differences between study groups in attitudes towards computers (motivation p = 0.936, beliefs p = 0.270, satisfaction p = 0.462) and internet use (p = 0.276). However, nurses' general computer use (p = 0.029) increased more in the leaflet group than in the IT intervention group. We can conclude that IT has promise as an alternative method in patient education, as the implementation of the web-based patient support system in daily basis did not have a negative effect on nurses' attitudes towards IT. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Nursing students' attitudes toward video games and related new media technologies.

PubMed

Lynch-Sauer, Judith; Vandenbosch, Terry M; Kron, Frederick; Gjerde, Craig Livingston; Arato, Nora; Sen, Ananda; Fetters, Michael D

2011-09-01

Little is known about Millennial nursing students' attitudes toward computer games and new media in nursing education and whether these attitudes differ between undergraduates and graduates. This study elicited nursing students' experience with computer games and new media, their attitudes toward various instructional styles and methods, and the role of computer games and new media technologies in nursing education. We e-mailed all nursing students enrolled in two universities to invite their participation in an anonymous cross-sectional online survey. The survey collected demographic data and participants' experience with and attitudes toward video gaming and multi-player online health care simulations. We used descriptive statistics and logistic regression to compare the differences between undergraduates and graduates. Two hundred eighteen nursing students participated. Many of the nursing students support using new media technologies in nursing education. Nurse educators should identify areas suitable for new media integration and further evaluate the effectiveness of these technologies. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

The Effects of a Computer-Assisted Teaching Material, Designed According to the ASSURE Instructional Design and the ARCS Model of Motivation, on Students' Achievement Levels in a Mathematics Lesson and Their Resulting Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karakis, Hilal; Karamete, Aysen; Okçu, Aydin

2016-01-01

This study examined the effects that computer-assisted instruction had on students' attitudes toward a mathematics lesson and toward learning mathematics with computer-assisted instruction. The computer software we used was based on the ASSURE Instructional Systems Design and the ARCS Model of Motivation, and the software was designed to teach…

The Impact of Internet Virtual Physics Laboratory Instruction on the Achievement in Physics, Science Process Skills and Computer Attitudes of 10th-Grade Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Kun-Yuan; Heh, Jia-Sheng

2007-10-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the impact of Internet Virtual Physics Laboratory (IVPL) instruction with traditional laboratory instruction in physics academic achievement, performance of science process skills, and computer attitudes of tenth grade students. One-hundred and fifty students from four classes at one private senior high school in Taoyuan Country, Taiwan, R.O.C. were sampled. All four classes contained 75 students who were equally divided into an experimental group and a control group. The pre-test results indicated that the students' entry-level physics academic achievement, science process skills, and computer attitudes were equal for both groups. On the post-test, the experimental group achieved significantly higher mean scores in physics academic achievement and science process skills. There was no significant difference in computer attitudes between the groups. We concluded that the IVPL had potential to help tenth graders improve their physics academic achievement and science process skills.

Validation of the early childhood attitude toward women in science scale (ECWiSS): A pilot administration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulkey, Lynn M.

The intention of this research was to measure attitudes of young children toward women scientists. A 27-item instrument, the Early Childhood Women in Science Scale (ECWiSS) was validated in a test case of the proposition that differential socialization predicts entry into the scientific talent pool. Estimates of internal consistency indicated that the scale is highly reliable. Known groups and correlates procedures, employed to determine the validity of the instrument, revealed that the scale is able to discriminate significant differences between groups and distinguishes three dimensions of attitude (role-specific self-concept, home-related sex-role conflict, and work-related sex-role conflict). Results of the analyses also confirmed the anticipated pattern of correlations with measures of another construct. The findings suggest the utility of the ECWiSS for measurement of early childhood attitudes in models of the ascriptive and/or meritocratic processes affecting recruitment to science and more generally in program and curriculum evaluation where attitude toward women in science is the construct of interest.

Exploring Undergraduate Student Attitudes toward Persons with Disabilities: Application of the Disability Social Relationship Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hergenrather, Kenneth; Rhodes, Scott

2007-01-01

The Disability Social Relations Generalized Disability (DSRGD) Scale was used to explore the influence of the social context on attitudes toward persons with disabilities. The DSRGD Scale was based on the Disability Social Relationship (DSR) Scale (Grand, Bernier, & Strohmer, 1982; Strohmer, Grand, & Purcell, 1984). A sample of 1,013 undergraduate…

LQG/LTR optimal attitude control of small flexible spacecraft using free-free boundary conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fulton, Joseph M.

Due to the volume and power limitations of a small satellite, careful consideration must be taken while designing an attitude control system for 3-axis stabilization. Placing redundancy in the system proves difficult and utilizing power hungry, high accuracy, active actuators is not a viable option. Thus, it is customary to find dependable, passive actuators used in conjunction with small scale active control components. This document describes the application of Elastic Memory Composite materials in the construction of a flexible spacecraft appendage, such as a gravity gradient boom. Assumed modes methods are used with Finite Element Modeling information to obtain the equations of motion for the system while assuming free-free boundary conditions. A discussion is provided to illustrate how cantilever mode shapes are not always the best assumption when modeling small flexible spacecraft. A key point of interest is first resonant modes may be needed in the system design plant in spite of these modes being greater than one order of magnitude in frequency when compared to the crossover frequency of the controller. LQG/LTR optimal control techniques are implemented to compute attitude control gains while controller robustness considerations determine appropriate reduced order controllers and which flexible modes to include in the design model. Key satellite designer concerns in the areas of computer processor sizing, material uncertainty impacts on the system model, and system performance variations resulting from appendage length modifications are addressed.

Teachers' Attitudes to Using iPads or Tablet Computers; Implications for Developing New Skills, Pedagogies and School-Provided Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Keith

2016-01-01

This study examined the attitudes of teachers towards using tablet computers, predominantly Apple's iPad, across 22 post primary-schools in Ireland. The study also questions some previous research and assumptions on the educational use of tablet computers. The majority of schools were using devices with students and teachers; the combined size of…

Reliability and validity of the Euthanasia Attitude Scale (EAS) for Hong Kong medical doctors.

PubMed

Tang, Wai-Kiu; Mak, Kwok-Kei; Kam, Philip Ming-Ho; Ho, Joanna Wing-Kiu; Chan, Denise Che-Ying; Suen, To-Lam; Lau, Michael Chak-Kwan; Cheng, Adrian Ka-Chun; Wan, Yuen-Ting; Wan, Ho-Yan; Hussain, Assad

2010-08-01

This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Euthanasia Attitude Scale (EAS) in Hong Kong medical doctors. A total of 107 medical doctors (61.7% men) participated in a survey at clinical settings in 2008. The 21-item EAS was used to assess their attitudes toward euthanasia. The mean (standard deviation) and median of the EAS were 63.60 (60.31) and 63.00. Total EAS scores correlated well with ''Ethical Considerations,'' ''Practical Considerations,'' and ''Treasuring Life'' (Spearman rho =.37-.96, P < .001) but not ''Naturalistic Beliefs.'' The construct validity of the 3-factor model was appropriate (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin [KMO] value = 0.90) and showed high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha =.79-.92). Euthanasia Attitude Scale may be a reliable and valid measure for assessing the attitudes toward euthanasia in medical professionals.

Instrumentation and data acquisition for full-scale aircraft crash testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Lisa E.; Fasanella, Edwin L.

1993-01-01

The Landing and Impact Dynamics Branch of the NASA Langley Research Center has been conducting full-scale aircraft crash tests since the 1970s. Using a pendulum method, aircraft are suspended by cables from a 240-ft high gantry and swung into the impact surface at various attitudes and velocities. Instrumentation for these tests include on-board high-speed cameras, strain gages, load cells, displacement transducers, and accelerometers. Transducers in the aircraft are hard-wired through a long umbilical cable to the data acquisition room. Up to 96 channels of data can be collected at a typical rate of 4000 samples per second. Data acquisition using an FM multiplexed analog system and a high-speed personal computer based digital system is described.

An Analysis of Graduate Nursing Students' Innovation-Decision Process

PubMed Central

Kacynski, Kathryn A.; Roy, Katrina D.

1984-01-01

This study's purpose was to examine the innovation-decision process used by graduate nursing students when deciding to use computer applications. Graduate nursing students enrolled in a mandatory research class were surveyed before and after their use of a mainframe computer for beginning data analysis about their general attitudes towards computers, individual characteristics such as “cosmopoliteness”, and their desire to learn more about a computer application. It was expected that an experimental intervention, a videotaped demonstration of interactive video instruction of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); previous computer experience; and the subject's “cosmopoliteness” wolud influence attitudes towards computers and the desire to learn more about a computer application.

Attitudes toward Mental Illness: The Construction of the Libertarian Mental Health Ideology Scale.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nevid, Jeffrey S.; Morrison, James

1980-01-01

The study was an attempt to construct an attitude scale to measure the radical psychosocial or libertarian position about "mental illness" and mental health practices. The factor analysis defined four scale factors: mental illness mythology, antimedical model, social deviance control, and anti-coercive treatment. (Author)

Development of an Attitudes towards Complementary Therapies Scale for Psychologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Lee-Ann; White, Katherine M.

2007-01-01

This study designed and tested a scale to measure psychologists' attitudes towards complementary and alternative therapies. The scale, derived from existing measures for medical professionals, was tested on a sample of psychology students (N = 163) using an online survey. The data were factor analysed and three correlated subscales were…

Evaluating the Convergence of Muscle Appearance Attitude Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cafri, Guy; Thompson, J. Kevin

2004-01-01

There has been growing interest in the assessment of a muscular appearance. Given the importance of assessing muscle appearance attitudes, the aim of this study was to explore the convergence of the Drive for Muscularity Scale, Somatomorphic Matrix, Contour Drawing Rating Scale, Male Figure Drawings, and the Muscularity Rating Scale. Participants…

Designing the Nuclear Energy Attitude Scale.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calhoun, Lawrence; And Others

1988-01-01

Presents a refined method for designing a valid and reliable Likert-type scale to test attitudes toward the generation of electricity from nuclear energy. Discusses various tests of validity that were used on the nuclear energy scale. Reports results of administration and concludes that the test is both reliable and valid. (CW)

The Reliability and Validity of a Scale to Measure Teachers' Attitudes toward Integration in an Australian Context.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Clare; Pratt, Chris

1988-01-01

The study evaluated the psychometric properties of reliability and construct validity of the Attitude Toward Mainstreaming Scale (ATMS) in an Australian context. It was concluded that the scale is both reliable and factorially valid in an Australian context. (Author/DB)

The "Interaction with Disabled Persons" Scale: Revisiting Its Internal Consistency and Factor Structure, and Examining Item-Level Properties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iacono, Teresa; Tracy, Jane; Keating, Jenny; Brown, Ted

2009-01-01

The "Interaction with Disabled Persons" scale (IDP) has been used in research into baseline attitudes and to evaluate whether a shift in attitudes towards people with developmental disabilities has occurred following some form of intervention. This research has been conducted on the assumption that the IDP measures attitudes as a…

Factorial Validity of the Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes towards Children with Handicaps Scale (CATCH)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bossaert, Goele; Petry, Katja

2013-01-01

The Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes towards Children with Handicaps Scale (CATCH) has been developed to measure the attitudes of children toward peers with disabilities. The present study aims to evaluate the factorial validity of the CATCH in a sample of 2396 students in 7th grade, including 179 students with disabilities and 2217 typically developing…

The Effect on Prospective Teachers of the Learning Environment Supported by Dynamic Statistics Software

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koparan, Timur

2016-01-01

In this study, the effect on the achievement and attitudes of prospective teachers is examined. With this aim ahead, achievement test, attitude scale for statistics and interviews were used as data collection tools. The achievement test comprises 8 problems based on statistical data, and the attitude scale comprises 13 Likert-type items. The study…

Examination of the Relationship between Internet Attitudes and Internet Addictions of 13-18-Year-Old Students: The Case of Kahramanmaras

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ilhan, Aziz; Çelik, H. Coskun; Gemcioglu, Muharrem; Çiftaslan, Malik Ejder

2016-01-01

This study aims to determine internet attitudes and internet addiction levels of 13-18-year-old students and examine the relationship between these variables. The "internet attitude scale", developed by Tavsancil and Keser (2002) and the "internet addiction scale", developed by Hahn and Jerusalem and adapted into Turkish by…

Human Rights Attitude Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ercan, Recep; Yaman, Tugba; Demir, Selcuk Besir

2015-01-01

The objective of this study is to develop a valid and reliable attitude scale having quality psychometric features that can measure secondary school students' attitudes towards human rights. The study group of the research is comprised by 710 6th, 7th and 8th grade students who study at 4 secondary schools in the centre of Sivas. The study group…

Validation of the Olympic Games Attitude Scale (OGAS): Evidence from Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mak, Jennifer Y.; Cheung, Siu-Yin; King, Carina C.; Lam, Eddie T. C.

2016-01-01

There have been extensive studies of local residents' perception and reaction to the impacts of mega events. However, there is limited empirical research on the social impacts that shape foreign attitudes toward the host country. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Olympic Games Attitude Scale (OGAS) to examine viewers'…

A Scale for the Assessment of Attitudes and Knowledge Regarding Sexuality in the Aged.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Charles B.

This paper presents the Aging Sexuality Knowledge and Attitudes Scale (ASKAS), an instrument designed to assess the particular aspects of sexual knowledge and attitudes as they relate to the aged. Development of ASKAS items from a survey of existant physiological research on sexuality in older adults and a review of social-psychological writing on…

An Investigation of Pre-Service Primary School Teachers' Attitudes towards Digital Technology and Digital Citizenship Levels in Terms of Some Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çiftci, Serdar; Aladag, Soner

2018-01-01

This study aims at investigating the relationship between pre-service primary school teachers' attitudes towards digital technology and digital citizenship scale levels. The research was designed in descriptive survey model. The data collection tools were "Attitude Scale for Digital Technology" (ASDT) developed by Cabi (2016) and…

Teacher Reporting Attitudes Scale (TRAS): Confirmatory and Exploratory Factor Analyses with a Malaysian Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choo, Wan Yuen; Walsh, Kerryann; Chinna, Karuthan; Tey, Nai Peng

2013-01-01

The Teacher Reporting Attitude Scale (TRAS) is a newly developed tool to assess teachers' attitudes toward reporting child abuse and neglect. This article reports on an investigation of the factor structure and psychometric properties of the short form Malay version of the TRAS. A self-report cross-sectional survey was conducted with 667 teachers…

Efficiently Assessing Negative Cognition in Depression: An Item Response Theory Analysis of the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beevers, Christopher G.; Strong, David R.; Meyer, Bjorn; Pilkonis, Paul A.; Miller, Ivan R.

2007-01-01

Despite a central role for dysfunctional attitudes in cognitive theories of depression and the widespread use of the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale, form A (DAS-A; A. Weissman, 1979), the psychometric development of the DAS-A has been relatively limited. The authors used nonparametric item response theory methods to examine the DAS-A items and…

User group attitudes toward forest management treatments on the Shawnee National Forest: application of a photo-evaluation technique

Treesearch

Jonathan M. Cohen; Jean C. Mangun; Mae A. Davenport; Andrew D. Carver

2008-01-01

Diverse public opinions, competing management goals, and polarized interest groups combine with problems of scale to create a complex management arena for managers in the Central Hardwood Forest region. A mixed-methods approach that incorporated quantitative analysis of data from a photo evaluation-attitude scale survey instrument was used to assess attitudes toward...

The Bicycle Helmet Attitudes Scale: Using the Health Belief Model to Predict Helmet Use among Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Thomas P.; Ross, Lisa Thomson; Rahman, Annalise; Cataldo, Shayla

2010-01-01

Objective: This study examined bicycle helmet attitudes and practices of college undergraduates and developed the Bicycle Helmet Attitudes Scale, which was guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM; Rosenstock, 1974, in Becker MH, ed. "The Health Belief Model and Personal Health Behavior". Thorofare, NJ: Charles B. Slack; 1974:328-335) to predict…

The Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS): translation and validation of the Taiwanese version.

PubMed

Kao, Yu-Chen; Liu, Yia-Ping

2010-04-09

Over the last few decades, research concerning the insight of patients with schizophrenia and its relationships with other clinical variables has been given much attention in the clinical setting. Since that time, a series of instruments assessing insight have been developed. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Taiwanese version of the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS). The BCIS is a self-administered instrument designed to evaluate cognitive processes that involves reevaluating patients' anomalous experiences and specific misinterpretations. The English language version of the BCIS was translated into Taiwanese for use in this study. A total of 180 subjects with and without psychosis completed the Taiwanese version of the BCIS and additional evaluations to assess researcher-rated insight scales and psychopathology. Psychometric properties (factor structures and various types of reliability and validity) were assessed for this translated questionnaire. Overall, the Taiwanese version of the BCIS showed good reliability and stability over time. This translated scale comprised a two-factor solution corresponding to reflective attitude and certain attitude subscales. Following the validation of the internal structure of the scale, we obtained an R-C (reflective attitude minus certain attitude) index of the translated BCIS, representing the measurement of cognitive insight by subtracting the score of the certain attitude subscale from that of the reflective attitude subscale. As predicted, the differences in mean reflective attitude, certain attitude and R-C index between subjects with and without psychosis were significant. Our data also demonstrated that psychotic patients were significantly less reflective, more confident in their beliefs, and had less cognitive insight compared with nonpsychotic control groups. In light of these findings, we believe that the Taiwanese version of BCIS is a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of cognitive insight in psychotic patients.

Rasch Analysis for Psychometric Improvement of Science Attitude Rating Scales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oon, Pey-Tee; Fan, Xitao

2017-01-01

Students' attitude towards science (SAS) is often a subject of investigation in science education research. Survey of rating scale is commonly used in the study of SAS. The present study illustrates how Rasch analysis can be used to provide psychometric information of SAS rating scales. The analyses were conducted on a 20-item SAS scale used in an…

An Attitude Scale on Individual Instrument and Individual Instrument Course: Validity-Reliability Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuçukosmanoglu, Hayrettin Onur

2015-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to develop a scale to determine students' attitude levels on individual instruments and individual instrument courses in instrument training, which is an important dimension of music education, and to conduct a validity-reliability research of the scale that has been developed. The scale consists of 16 items. The…

System and method for generating attitude determinations using GPS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Clark E. (Inventor)

1996-01-01

A GPS attitude receiver for determining the attitude of a moving vehicle in conjunction with a first, a second, a third, and a fourth antenna mounted to the moving vehicle. Each of the antennas receives a plurality of GPS signals that each include a carrier component. For each of the carrier components of the received GPS signals there is an integer ambiguity associated with the first and fourth antennas, an integer ambiguity associated with second and fourth antennas, and an integer ambiguity associated with the third and fourth antennas. The GPS attitude receiver measures phase values for the carrier components of the GPS signals received from each of the antennas at a plurality of measurement epochs during an initialization period and at a measurement epoch after the initialization period. In response to the phase values measured at the measurement epochs during the initialization period, the GPS attitude receiver computes integer ambiguity resolution values representing resolution of the integer ambiguities. Then, in response to the computed integer ambiguity resolution values and the phase value measured at the measurement epoch after the initialization period, it computes values defining the attitude of the moving vehicle at the measurement epoch after the initialization period.

The Relationship Between Computer Experience and Computerized Cognitive Test Performance Among Older Adults

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Objective. This study compared the relationship between computer experience and performance on computerized cognitive tests and a traditional paper-and-pencil cognitive test in a sample of older adults (N = 634). Method. Participants completed computer experience and computer attitudes questionnaires, three computerized cognitive tests (Useful Field of View (UFOV) Test, Road Sign Test, and Stroop task) and a paper-and-pencil cognitive measure (Trail Making Test). Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to examine differences in cognitive performance across the four measures between those with and without computer experience after adjusting for confounding variables. Results. Although computer experience had a significant main effect across all cognitive measures, the effect sizes were similar. After controlling for computer attitudes, the relationship between computer experience and UFOV was fully attenuated. Discussion. Findings suggest that computer experience is not uniquely related to performance on computerized cognitive measures compared with paper-and-pencil measures. Because the relationship between computer experience and UFOV was fully attenuated by computer attitudes, this may imply that motivational factors are more influential to UFOV performance than computer experience. Our findings support the hypothesis that computer use is related to cognitive performance, and this relationship is not stronger for computerized cognitive measures. Implications and directions for future research are provided. PMID:22929395

Pedagogical Beliefs and Attitudes of Computer Science Teachers in Greece

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fessakis, Georgios; Karakiza, Tsampika

2011-01-01

Pedagogical beliefs and attitudes significantly determine the professional skills and practice of teachers. Many professional development programs for teachers aim to the elaboration of the pedagogical knowledge in order to improve teaching quality. This paper presents the study of pedagogical beliefs of computer science teachers in Greece. The…

Using Computers in Early Childhood Classrooms: Teachers' Attitudes, Skills and Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Jie-Qi; Chang, Charles

2006-01-01

To better prepare early childhood teachers for computer use, more information about their current skills and classroom practices is needed. Sampling from a large metropolitan public school system in the USA, the study surveyed 297 state pre-kindergarten teachers, gathering information about their attitudes, skills, and instructional methods…

Managing Microcomputer Applications: A Primer and Guide to Good Practice,

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-03-01

15 What are the Attitude Changes...39 Behavioral Characteristics of the Computer-Oriented Worker ....... 42 Implications for...widespread in the Corps. Attitudes Computer usage is often Communications problems with ADP groups in many looked on as an ’extra’ FOA’s have created a

Attitudes toward epilepsy among the primary and secondary school teachers in Malaysia, using the public attitudes toward epilepsy (PATE) scale.

PubMed

Lim, Kheng Seang; Hills, Michael D; Choo, Wan Yuen; Wong, Mee Hoo; Wu, Cathie; Tan, Chong Tin

2013-10-01

There is a lack of study comparing the attitudes toward epilepsy between the teachers and general population, teachers and students, using a similar quantitative scale. This study was performed in one primary and one secondary school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, using the Public Attitudes Toward Epilepsy (PATE) scale. A total of 186 teachers aged 39.6±10.4 years completed the questionnaire. The mean scores in both personal and general domains of PATE scale were significantly better in the teachers, comparing to the scores in the secondary and college students reported in previous study (Lim et al., 2013; p<0.001 and <0.05, respectively). The mean scores in personal domain was significantly better in the teachers, comparing to the general population reported by Lim et al. (2012; p<0.001). This hold true when comparing teachers with general population with tertiary education, suggesting that the better attitude is specific to the job, rather than tertiary education generally. Subanalysis showed that the attitudes of teachers were significantly better than the general population and the students related to employment and social life, but were equally negative on issues directly related to education, such as placing children with epilepsy in regular classes. Teachers had more positive attitudes toward epilepsy as compared with the general population with tertiary education. Attitude to epilepsy may differ specific to types of work. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Attitudes towards genetically modified and organic foods.

PubMed

Saher, Marieke; Lindeman, Marjaana; Hursti, Ulla-Kaisa Koivisto

2006-05-01

Finnish students (N=3261) filled out a questionnaire on attitudes towards genetically modified and organic food, plus the rational-experiential inventory, the magical thinking about food and health scale, Schwartz's value survey and the behavioural inhibition scale. In addition, they reported their eating of meat. Structural equation modelling of these measures had greater explanatory power for attitudes towards genetically modified (GM) foods than for attitudes towards organic foods (OF). GM attitudes were best predicted by natural science education and magical food and health beliefs, which mediated the influence of thinking styles. Positive attitudes towards organic food, on the other hand, were more directly related to such individual differences as thinking styles and set of values. The results of the study indicate that OF attitudes are rooted in more fundamental personal attributes than GM attitudes, which are embedded in a more complex but also in a more modifiable network of characteristics.

The Effect of a Computer Program Designed with Constructivist Principles for College Non-Science Majors on Understanding of Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wielard, Valerie Michelle

2013-01-01

The primary objective of this project was to learn what effect a computer program would have on academic achievement and attitude toward science of college students enrolled in a biology class for non-science majors. It became apparent that the instructor also had an effect on attitudes toward science. The researcher designed a computer program,…

Measuring Technological and Content Knowledge of Undergraduate Primary Teachers in Mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doukakis, Spyros; Chionidou-Moskofoglou, Maria; Mangina-Phelan, Eleni; Roussos, Petros

Twenty-five final-year undergraduate students of primary education who were attending a course on mathematics education participated in a research project during the 2009 spring semester. A repeated measures experimental design was used. Quantitative data on students' computer attitudes, self-efficacy in ICT, attitudes toward educational software, and self-efficacy in maths were collected. Data analysis showed a statistically non-significant improvement on participants' computer attitudes and self-efficacy in ICT and ES, but a significant improvement of self-efficacy in mathematics.

[Nursing personnel attitudes prior to the introduction of informatic tools and contemporary vision of a hospital information system].

PubMed

Vereecke, P J

1996-09-01

Computerization is no more improvised just like that and the management of computer plans is from now on a matter for methods and approaches which leave nothing to chance. The main purpose of the present work's empirical part is to a priori determine the attitude which will be the one of the nurses toward the implementation of computer aid in the care units that is expected on the short term. So we will have at our disposal pertinent information which will enable the concerned people to efficiently negotiate this change. For the realization of the present study, we built a LIKERT scale of attitude and integrated it within a question paper with nearly 40 questions. This later was submitted to a stratified random sample of 100 nurses in office at the Clinique St-Pierre in Ottignies (Belgium). After a presentation of that hospital's computer position and of observations made in other hospitals, a detailed study protocol specifies all the features of the research. The achieved results show us that the concerned nurses are highly favorable to the implementation of computer aid. The present work sets out and develops very numerous findings expressed in figures as well as relations and correlations between the attitude and certain features of the sample. The realization of the objectives of any care institution--i.e. a better nursing of the patients and a better managing of the care distribution--colldies with the abundance and the complexity of "Information" which is itself conveyed by numerous systems: nursing, medical, operational, managing information system,... Facing such a reality which is sometimes complex and relatively less analysed, this work is an outline reflection on a bibliographical basis, a conceptual approach that puts certain of the Nursing Information System's generalities in a prominent position--but also some of its specifies--themselves mainly brought to light by means of the introduction of computer aid. The reader will also find here a conceptual pattern integrating the various hospital information sub-systems in interaction, as well as a graphical representation of their information and overlap areas. As the reader will see, the information system--which has become an essential notion in today's data processing--is in the heart of the running of any hospital. Hardly unperceptible, the information system, as long as it is not materialized by the computerization project nonetheless represents a major stake which is covetted by the whole hospital contributors.

Preliminary Validation of the Sex Trafficking Attitudes Scale.

PubMed

Houston-Kolnik, Jaclyn D; Todd, Nathan R; Wilson, Midge

2016-09-01

This study presents the Sex Trafficking Attitudes Scale (STAS), assessing cognitive, behavioral, and affective attitudes toward the sex trafficking of women and girls. Across two studies, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed and confirmed six subscales: (a) Knowledge About Sex Trafficking, (b) Awareness of Sex Trafficking, (c) Attitudes Toward Ability to Leave Sex Trafficking, (d) Attitudes Toward Helping Survivors, (e) Empathic Reactions Toward Sex Trafficking, and (f) Efficacy to Reduce Sex Trafficking. Results showed support for convergent validity as the subscales were associated with related measures. The STAS holds promise to expand research and inform efforts to support trafficking survivors. © The Author(s) 2016.

Attitude Determination Algorithm based on Relative Quaternion Geometry of Velocity Incremental Vectors for Cost Efficient AHRS Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Byungjin; Lee, Young Jae; Sung, Sangkyung

2018-05-01

A novel attitude determination method is investigated that is computationally efficient and implementable in low cost sensor and embedded platform. Recent result on attitude reference system design is adapted to further develop a three-dimensional attitude determination algorithm through the relative velocity incremental measurements. For this, velocity incremental vectors, computed respectively from INS and GPS with different update rate, are compared to generate filter measurement for attitude estimation. In the quaternion-based Kalman filter configuration, an Euler-like attitude perturbation angle is uniquely introduced for reducing filter states and simplifying propagation processes. Furthermore, assuming a small angle approximation between attitude update periods, it is shown that the reduced order filter greatly simplifies the propagation processes. For performance verification, both simulation and experimental studies are completed. A low cost MEMS IMU and GPS receiver are employed for system integration, and comparison with the true trajectory or a high-grade navigation system demonstrates the performance of the proposed algorithm.

Attitudes towards motherhood of women with physical versus psychiatric disabilities.

PubMed

Hasson-Ohayon, Ilanit; Hason-Shaked, Meiran; Silberg, Tamar; Shpigelman, Carmit-Noa; Roe, David

2018-05-16

Women with disabilities may face social negative attitudes with regard to their being mothers. In addition, attitudes toward different disabilities form a hierarchy, with more positive attitudes being displayed toward persons with physical disabilities than toward persons with psychiatric disabilities. Current observational study examined whether the relationship between a woman's type of disability (psychiatric vs. physical) and the social attitude towards her would be moderated by her being presented as a mother. University students (N = 100) filled out the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons With Disabilities and the Social Distance Scale, after reading one of six randomly assigned fictitious vignettes. The vignettes consisted of a woman with a physical disability/a woman with a psychiatric disability/a woman without a disability, who either was or was not a mother. Type of disability was found to have a main effect in some attitude domains, suggesting that attitudes toward women with physical disabilities were better than attitudes towards women with psychiatric disabilities. An interaction between type of disability and motherhood was found for the interpersonal distress subscale of the attitudes scale. It was found that when women had physical disabilities, there was no change in attitude towards them regardless of whether they were presented as mothers or not; However, when the target woman had a psychiatric disability, and she was presented as a mother, negative attitudes were generated towards her. The study demonstrates the existence of a hierarchy of stigmatization and the effect of being a mother on stigmatization. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Demographic Group Differences in Adolescents' Time Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andretta, James R.; Worrell, Frank C.; Mello, Zena R.; Dixson, Dante D.; Baik, Sharon H.

2013-01-01

In the present study, we examined demographic differences in time attitudes in a sample of 293 adolescents. Time attitudes were measured using the Adolescent Time Attitude Scale (Mello & Worrell, 2007; Worrell, Mello, & Buhl, 2011), which assesses positive and negative attitudes toward the past, the present, and the future. Generally, African…

Information and Attitudes toward Disability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hafer, Marilyn; Narcus, Margery

1979-01-01

Examined effects of two movies, Like Other People and The Music Box, on attitudes as measured by the Attitudes toward Disabled Persons scale. Results indicated more negative attitudes were induced in pretested participants by Like Other People at initial post-test; however, more favorable attitudes were exhibited by participants six weeks later.…

Clinician attitudes, social norms and intentions to use a computer-assisted intervention.

PubMed

Buti, Allison L; Eakins, Danielle; Fussell, Holly; Kunkel, Lynn E; Kudura, Aisha; McCarty, Dennis

2013-04-01

The National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) works to bridge the gap between research and practice and tested a Web-delivered psychosocial intervention (the Therapeutic Education System, TES) in 10 community treatment centers. Computer-assisted therapies, such as Web-delivered interventions, may improve the consistency and efficiency of treatment for alcohol and drug use disorders. Prior to the start of the study, we surveyed counselors (N=96) in participating treatment centers and assessed counselor attitudes, perceived social norms and intentions to use a Web-delivered intervention. Analysis of the intention to adopt a Web-delivered intervention assessed the influence of attitudes and perceived social norms. Perceived social norms were a significant contributor to clinician intention to adopt Web-based interventions while attitude was not. To promote successful implementation, it may be helpful to create social norms supportive of computer-assisted therapies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Attitudes towards same-sex marriage in Portugal: predictors and scale validation.

PubMed

de Oliveira, João Manuel; Lopes, Diniz; Cameira, Miguel; Nogueira, Conceição

2014-12-19

The goal of the present research was to validate a Portuguese version of Pearl and Galupo's (2007) Attitudes toward Same-Sex Marriage Scale (ATSM). Participants were 1,402 heterosexual men and women that completed an on-line questionnaire. The final 15-item scale formed a single factor showing high internal consistency (α = .95). This one factor structure was backed-up by a confirmatory factorial analysis. In a general way, the results indicate a clearly positive attitude toward same-sex marriage (overall mean was 63.79, SD = 12.66, above the scale mid-point, t(1401) = 55.55, p < .001). Furthermore, analysis of the scale's predictors demonstrates how a left-wing orientation (β = .22, p < .001) and the level of denial of deservingness for lesbian/gay discrimination (β = .30, p < .001) prove to be the best predictors of attitudes towards same-sex marriage. On the whole, these results indicate that the Portuguese ATSM version is a reliable instrument for carrying out scientific research and measuring and monitoring public opinion on this subject.

Impact of life stories on college students' positive and negative attitudes toward older adults.

PubMed

Yamashita, Takashi; Hahn, Sarah J; Kinney, Jennifer M; Poon, Leonard W

2017-03-28

Gerontological educators are increasingly interested in reducing college students' negative, and promoting their positive, attitudes toward older adults. Over the course of a semester, students from six 4-year institutions viewed three life story videos (documentaries) of older adults and completed pre- and posttest surveys that assessed their positive (Allophilia Scale) and negative (Fraboni Scale of Ageism) attitudes. The authors assessed changes in attitudinal scales between treatment (with videos, n = 80) and control (no video, n = 40) groups. Change score analysis with 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals estimated the effects of the documentaries on students' attitudes. The treatment group showed significant increases in kinship, engagement, and enthusiasm, and decreases in antilocution and avoidance (all ps <.05). There was no significant change in affect, comfort, or discrimination. This study demonstrated how video stories impact students' attitudes about older adults.

A model of Beijing drivers' scrambling behaviors.

PubMed

Shi, Jing; Bai, Yun; Tao, Li; Atchley, Paul

2011-07-01

A major, but unstudied, cause of crashes in China is drivers that "scramble" to gain the right of way in violation of traffic regulations. The motivation of this study is to explore the features of drivers' scrambling behaviors and the attitudes and driving skills that influence them. In this study, we established a scrambling behavior scale, and developed a driving attitude scale and a driving skill scale using factor analysis of an Internet survey of 486 drivers in Beijing. A structural equation model of scrambling behavior toward cars and pedestrians/cyclists was developed with attitudes and skills as predictors of behavior. Skills and attitudes of approval toward violations of traffic rules did not predict scrambling behaviors, while the motivation for safety and attitudes against violating traffic rules led to reduced scrambling behaviors. The current work highlights this peculiar aspect of Chinese roads and suggests methods to reduce the behavior. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULTURAL IDENTITY AND SELF-ESTEEM AMONG CHINESE UYGHUR COLLEGE STUDENTS: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF ACCULTURATION ATTITUDES.

PubMed

Dong, Li; Lin, Chongde; Li, Tsingan; Dou, Donghui; Zhou, Liqing

2015-08-01

Most acculturation research throughout the world has been conducted in immigrant settings. In order to examine the generalizability of the previous conclusions in immigrant settings, the present study tried to explore the relationship between cultural identity and self-esteem and the mediating role of acculturation attitudes in China. Using the cross-sectional design, a total number of 342 Uyghur college students were asked to complete a survey comprising the Multi-Group Ethnic/National Identity Measure-Revised Scale, the Acculturation Attitudes Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Using hierarchical multiple regression, the results indicated that cultural identity was positively correlated with self-esteem. A significant mediation of acculturation was observed between cultural identity and self-esteem. These findings demonstrated the significance of cultural identity and acculturation attitudes in the adaptation of Chinese Uyghur college students, in which integration is an optimal acculturation attitude.

Can We Rate Public Support for Democracy in a Comparable Way? Cross-National Equivalence of Democratic Attitudes in the World Value Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ariely, Gal; Davidov, Eldad

2011-01-01

In this study we examine the cross-cultural equivalence of two scales that measure attitudes toward democracy across 36 countries in the World Value Survey (WVS) 2000. We examine the equivalence of these scales in order to explore if we can meaningfully compare democratic attitudes across countries. Multiple group confirmatory factor analyses…

French Validation of the Multidimensional Attitude Scale toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS): The Case of Attitudes toward Autism and Their Moderating Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dachez, Julie; Ndobo, Andre; Ameline, Anaïs

2015-01-01

This research investigates the renewed interest in autism, the stigmatization of persons with autism and the need to better measure such stigmatization. Two studies were thus conducted on 101 and 104 participants in order to validate the French version of the Multidimensional Attitude Scale toward persons with disabilities, and examine the…

Get+Connected: Development and Pilot Testing of an Intervention to Improve Computer and Internet Attitudes and Internet Use Among Women Living With HIV.

PubMed

Seplovich, Gabriela; Horvath, Keith J; Haughton, Lorlette J; Blackstock, Oni J

2017-03-31

For persons living with chronic medical conditions, the Internet can be a powerful tool for health promotion, and allow for immediate access to medical information and social support. However, women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States face numerous barriers to computer and Internet use. Health behavior change models suggest that the first step towards adopting a new health behavior is to improve attitudes towards that behavior. To develop and pilot test Get+Connected, an intervention to improve computer and Internet attitudes and Internet use among women living with HIV. To develop Get+Connected, we reviewed the extant literature, adapted an existing curriculum, and conducted a focus group with HIV-positive women (n=20) at a community-based organization in the Bronx, New York. Get+Connected was comprised of five weekly sessions covering the following topics: basic computer knowledge and skills, identifying reliable health-related websites, setting up and using email and Facebook accounts, and a final review session. We recruited 12 women to participate in pilot testing. At baseline, we collected data about participants' sociodemographic information, clinical characteristics, and technology device ownership and use. At baseline, intervention completion, and three months postintervention, we collected data regarding attitudes towards computers and the Internet (Attitudes Towards Computers and the Internet Questionnaire [ATCIQ]; possible scores range from 5-50) as well as frequency of Internet use (composite measure). To examine changes in ATCIQ scores and Internet use over time, we used generalized estimating equations. We also collected qualitative data during intervention delivery. Among women in our sample, the median age was 56 years (interquartile range=52-63). All participants were black/African American and/or Latina. Seven participants (7/12, 58%) had a high school diploma (or equivalent) or higher degree. Ten participants (10/12, 83%) reported owning a mobile phone, while only one (1/12, 8%) reported owning a computer or tablet. Only one participant (1/12, 8%) reported having ever used the Internet or email. Internet nonusers cited lack of computer/Internet knowledge (6/11, 54%) and lack of access to a computer or similar device (4/11, 36%) as the main barriers to use. Over time, we observed an improvement in attitudes towards computers and the Internet (ATCIQ scores: 33.5 at baseline, 35 at intervention completion, and 36 at three months postintervention; P=.008). No significant increase in Internet use was observed (P=.61). Qualitative findings indicated excitement and enthusiasm for the intervention. In our sample of urban, technology-inexperienced HIV-positive women, participation in Get+Connected was associated with an improvement in attitudes towards computers and the Internet, but not Internet use. Changing attitudes is the first step in many health behavior change models, indicating that with improved access to computer and Internet resources, frequency of Internet use may also have increased. Future studies should consider addressing issues of access to technology in conjunction with Get+Connected. ©Gabriela Seplovich, Keith J Horvath, Lorlette J Haughton, Oni J Blackstock. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 31.03.2017.

Get+Connected: Development and Pilot Testing of an Intervention to Improve Computer and Internet Attitudes and Internet Use Among Women Living With HIV

PubMed Central

Seplovich, Gabriela; Horvath, Keith J; Haughton, Lorlette J

2017-01-01

Background For persons living with chronic medical conditions, the Internet can be a powerful tool for health promotion, and allow for immediate access to medical information and social support. However, women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States face numerous barriers to computer and Internet use. Health behavior change models suggest that the first step towards adopting a new health behavior is to improve attitudes towards that behavior. Objective To develop and pilot test Get+Connected, an intervention to improve computer and Internet attitudes and Internet use among women living with HIV. Methods To develop Get+Connected, we reviewed the extant literature, adapted an existing curriculum, and conducted a focus group with HIV-positive women (n=20) at a community-based organization in the Bronx, New York. Get+Connected was comprised of five weekly sessions covering the following topics: basic computer knowledge and skills, identifying reliable health-related websites, setting up and using email and Facebook accounts, and a final review session. We recruited 12 women to participate in pilot testing. At baseline, we collected data about participants’ sociodemographic information, clinical characteristics, and technology device ownership and use. At baseline, intervention completion, and three months postintervention, we collected data regarding attitudes towards computers and the Internet (Attitudes Towards Computers and the Internet Questionnaire [ATCIQ]; possible scores range from 5-50) as well as frequency of Internet use (composite measure). To examine changes in ATCIQ scores and Internet use over time, we used generalized estimating equations. We also collected qualitative data during intervention delivery. Results Among women in our sample, the median age was 56 years (interquartile range=52-63). All participants were black/African American and/or Latina. Seven participants (7/12, 58%) had a high school diploma (or equivalent) or higher degree. Ten participants (10/12, 83%) reported owning a mobile phone, while only one (1/12, 8%) reported owning a computer or tablet. Only one participant (1/12, 8%) reported having ever used the Internet or email. Internet nonusers cited lack of computer/Internet knowledge (6/11, 54%) and lack of access to a computer or similar device (4/11, 36%) as the main barriers to use. Over time, we observed an improvement in attitudes towards computers and the Internet (ATCIQ scores: 33.5 at baseline, 35 at intervention completion, and 36 at three months postintervention; P=.008). No significant increase in Internet use was observed (P=.61). Qualitative findings indicated excitement and enthusiasm for the intervention. Conclusions In our sample of urban, technology-inexperienced HIV-positive women, participation in Get+Connected was associated with an improvement in attitudes towards computers and the Internet, but not Internet use. Changing attitudes is the first step in many health behavior change models, indicating that with improved access to computer and Internet resources, frequency of Internet use may also have increased. Future studies should consider addressing issues of access to technology in conjunction with Get+Connected. PMID:28363879

Development and Initial Psychometric Assessment of the Plant Attitude Questionnaire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fančovičová, Jana; Prokop, Pavol

2010-10-01

Plants are integral parts of ecosystems which determine life on Earth. People's attitudes toward them are however, largely overlooked. Here we present initial psychometric assessment of self-constructed Plant Attitude Scale (PAS) that was administered to a sample of 310 Slovakian students living in rural areas aged 10-15 years. The final version of PAS consists from 29 Likert-scale items that were loaded to four distinct dimensions (Interest, Importance, Urban trees and Utilization). Mean scores revealed that Slovakian students lack positive attitudes toward plants and that gender had no effect on their mean attitude scores. Living in a family with a garden was associated with a more positive attitude toward plants. Further correlative research on diverse samples containing urban children and experimental research examining the impact of gardening in schools on student attitudes toward plants is required.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the short-form condom attitude scale: validity assessment in a sub-sample of rural-to-urban migrant workers in Bangladesh

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The reliable and valid measurement of attitudes towards condom use are essential to assist efforts to design population specific interventions aimed at promoting positive attitude towards, and increased use of condoms. Although several studies, mostly in English speaking western world, have demonstrated the utility of condom attitude scales, very limited culturally relevant condom attitude measures have been developed till to date. We have developed a scale and evaluated its psychometric properties in a sub-sample of rural-to-urban migrant workers in Bangladesh. Methods This paper reports mostly on cross-sectional survey components of a mixed methods sexual health research in Bangladesh. The survey sample (n = 878) comprised rural-to-urban migrant taxi drivers (n = 437) and restaurant workers (n = 441) in Dhaka (aged 18–35 years). The study also involved focus group sessions with same populations to establish the content validity and cultural equivalency of the scale. The current scale was administered with a large sexual health survey questionnaire and consisted of 10 items. Quantitative and qualitative data were assessed with statistical and thematic analysis, respectively, and then presented. Results The participants found the scale simple and easy to understand and use. The internal consistency (α) of the scale was 0.89 with high construct validity (the first component accounted for about 52% of variance and second component about 20% of the total variance with an Eigen-value for both factors greater than one). The test-retest reliability (repeatability) was also found satisfactory with high inter-item correlations (the majority of the intra-class correlation coefficient values was above 2 and was significant for all items on the scale, p < 0.001). The 2-week repeatability assessed by the Pearson product–moment correlation coefficient was 0.75. Conclusion The results indicated that Bengali version of the scale have good metric properties for assessing attitudes toward condom use. Validated scale is a short, simple and reliable instrument for measuring attitudes towards condom use in vulnerable populations like current study sample. This culturally-customized scale can be used to monitor the progress of condom uptake and promotion activities in Bangladesh or similar settings. PMID:23510383

Cross-cultural adaptation of the short-form condom attitude scale: validity assessment in a sub-sample of rural-to-urban migrant workers in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Roy, Tapash; Anderson, Claire; Evans, Catrin; Rahman, Mohammad Shafiqur; Rahman, Mosiur

2013-03-19

The reliable and valid measurement of attitudes towards condom use are essential to assist efforts to design population specific interventions aimed at promoting positive attitude towards, and increased use of condoms. Although several studies, mostly in English speaking western world, have demonstrated the utility of condom attitude scales, very limited culturally relevant condom attitude measures have been developed till to date. We have developed a scale and evaluated its psychometric properties in a sub-sample of rural-to-urban migrant workers in Bangladesh. This paper reports mostly on cross-sectional survey components of a mixed methods sexual health research in Bangladesh. The survey sample (n = 878) comprised rural-to-urban migrant taxi drivers (n = 437) and restaurant workers (n = 441) in Dhaka (aged 18-35 years). The study also involved focus group sessions with same populations to establish the content validity and cultural equivalency of the scale. The current scale was administered with a large sexual health survey questionnaire and consisted of 10 items. Quantitative and qualitative data were assessed with statistical and thematic analysis, respectively, and then presented. The participants found the scale simple and easy to understand and use. The internal consistency (α) of the scale was 0.89 with high construct validity (the first component accounted for about 52% of variance and second component about 20% of the total variance with an Eigen-value for both factors greater than one). The test-retest reliability (repeatability) was also found satisfactory with high inter-item correlations (the majority of the intra-class correlation coefficient values was above 2 and was significant for all items on the scale, p < 0.001). The 2-week repeatability assessed by the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was 0.75. The results indicated that Bengali version of the scale have good metric properties for assessing attitudes toward condom use. Validated scale is a short, simple and reliable instrument for measuring attitudes towards condom use in vulnerable populations like current study sample. This culturally-customized scale can be used to monitor the progress of condom uptake and promotion activities in Bangladesh or similar settings.

Teachers' Attitudes, Beliefs and Self-Efficacy about Multicultural Education: A Scale Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildirim, Soner; Tezci, Erdogan

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop a scale--acceptable to potential studies in the context of multicultural education--for determining teachers' attitudes, self-efficacy perceptions and beliefs regarding necessity of multicultural education. The items of the scale which were developed according to opinions of experts and literature were…

Can Stereotype Threat Be Measured? A Validation of the Social Identities and Attitudes Scale (SIAS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Picho, Katherine; Brown, Scott W.

2011-01-01

This study reported the development and validation of the Social Identities and Attitudes Scale (SIAS), a stereotype threat susceptibility measure. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted with college students indicate that the scale possesses strong psychometric properties. The SIAS explained 65% of the variance in the items…

Adolescent Time Attitude Scale: Adaptation into Turkish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çelik, Eyüp; Sahranç, Ümit; Kaya, Mehmet; Turan, Mehmet Emin

2017-01-01

This research is aimed at examining the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Time Attitude Scale. Data was collected from 433 adolescents; 206 males and 227 females participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analysis performed to discover the structural validity of the scale. The internal consistency method was used for…

Use of the Acceptance Scale To Measure Attitudes of Kindergarten-Age Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Favazza, Paddy C.; Odom, Samuel L.

1996-01-01

A study of 188 kindergarten children evaluated the effectiveness of the Assessment Scale for Kindergartners, which was designed to evaluate the attitudes of kindergarten children toward children with disabilities. Results found the scale provided evidence of criterion-related validity and that children who'd had contact with children with…

Multiscale factors affecting human attitudes toward snow leopards and wolves.

PubMed

Suryawanshi, Kulbhushansingh R; Bhatia, Saloni; Bhatnagar, Yash Veer; Redpath, Stephen; Mishra, Charudutt

2014-12-01

The threat posed by large carnivores to livestock and humans makes peaceful coexistence between them difficult. Effective implementation of conservation laws and policies depends on the attitudes of local residents toward the target species. There are many known correlates of human attitudes toward carnivores, but they have only been assessed at the scale of the individual. Because human societies are organized hierarchically, attitudes are presumably influenced by different factors at different scales of social organization, but this scale dependence has not been examined. We used structured interview surveys to quantitatively assess the attitudes of a Buddhist pastoral community toward snow leopards (Panthera uncia) and wolves (Canis lupus). We interviewed 381 individuals from 24 villages within 6 study sites across the high-elevation Spiti Valley in the Indian Trans-Himalaya. We gathered information on key explanatory variables that together captured variation in individual and village-level socioeconomic factors. We used hierarchical linear models to examine how the effect of these factors on human attitudes changed with the scale of analysis from the individual to the community. Factors significant at the individual level were gender, education, and age of the respondent (for wolves and snow leopards), number of income sources in the family (wolves), agricultural production, and large-bodied livestock holdings (snow leopards). At the community level, the significant factors included the number of smaller-bodied herded livestock killed by wolves and mean agricultural production (wolves) and village size and large livestock holdings (snow leopards). Our results show that scaling up from the individual to higher levels of social organization can highlight important factors that influence attitudes of people toward wildlife and toward formal conservation efforts in general. Such scale-specific information can help managers apply conservation measures at appropriate scales. Our results reiterate the need for conflict management programs to be multipronged. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

Factor Analysis of the Omega Scale: A Scale Designed To Measure the Attitudes of College Students toward Their Own Deaths and the Disposition of Their Bodies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staik, Irene M.

A study was undertaken to provide a factor analysis of the Omega Scale, a 25-item, Likert-type scale developed in 1984 to assess attitudes toward death and funerals and other body disposition practices. The Omega Scale was administered to 250 students enrolled in introductory psychology classes at two higher education institutions in Alabama.…

Singularity-free extraction of a quaternion from a direction-cosine matrix. [for spacecraft control and guidance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klumpp, A. R.

1976-01-01

A computer algorithm for extracting a quaternion from a direction-cosine matrix (DCM) is described. The quaternion provides a four-parameter representation of rotation, as against the nine-parameter representation afforded by a DCM. Commanded attitude in space shuttle steering is conveniently computed by DCM, while actual attitude is computed most compactly as a quaternion, as is attitude error. The unit length of the rotation quaternion, and interchangeable of a quaternion and its negative, are used to advantage in the extraction algorithm. Protection of the algorithm against square root failure and division overflow are considered. Necessary and sufficient conditions for handling the rotation vector element of largest magnitude are discussed

Financial stress, attitudes toward money, and scores on a Dream Inventory.

PubMed

Kroth, Jerry; Mann, Sonia; Cervantes, Carolina; Jaffe, Matthew; Ristic, Vera

2010-08-01

During stock market losses in 2009 and high unemployment, ratings on the KJP Dream Inventory were correlated with factors of the Money Attitude Scale and items on the Contemporary Financial Stress Inventory for 71 graduate students in Counseling Psychology and Education. Correlations were significant for Retention on the Money Attitude Scale with Dissociative Avoidance (-.31), Dreams of falling (.26), Risk-taking in dreams (.24), and Dreaming of being chased (.28). Also, ratings for the Money Attitude Scale of Distrust correlated with Discontentedness in dreams (.33) and Dreams of being chased (.26), Repetitive trauma (.33), Nightmares (.30), and Recurring nightmares (.35). Concern about retention in graduate school due to finances correlated with recalled frequencies of nightmares (.27) and dreams of flying (.25).

Physician/Computer Interaction

PubMed Central

Dlugacz, Yosef D.; Siegel, Carole; Fischer, Susan

1981-01-01

Despite the fact that the physician's involvement with computer operations has dramatically increased with automation in the health care industry, few studies have focused on the physician's experiences with and reactions to computers. This paper reports on these dimensions for physicians and their medical supervisors who have begun to use a computerized drug review system. Their attitudes and opinions are assessed towards this system and more generally towards the use of computers in medicine. Clinicians' attitudes towards computers are related to their clinical role and feelings about the working milieu. This report presents preliminary data of the study in terms of the frequency distribution of responses.

Concurrent validation of CHIRP, a new instrument for measuring healthcare student attitudes towards interdisciplinary teamwork.

PubMed

Hollar, David; Hobgood, Cherri; Foster, Beverly; Aleman, Marco; Sawning, Susan

2012-01-01

Positive attitudes towards teamwork among health care professionals are critical to patient safety. The purpose of this study is to describe the development and concurrent validation of a new instrument to measure attitudes towards healthcare teamwork that is generalizable across various populations of healthcare students. The Collaborative Healthcare Interdisciplinary Planning (CHIRP) scale was validated against the Readiness for Inter-Professional Learning Scale (RIPLS). Analyses included student (n = 266) demographics, ANOVA, internal consistency, factor analysis, and Rasch analysis. The two instruments correlated at r = .582. The CHIRP showed a multifactorial structure having excellent internal consistency (alpha = .850), with 25 of the 36 scale items loading onto a single Teamwork Attitudes factor. The RIPLS likewise had strong internal consistency (alpha = .796) and a three-factor structure, supporting previous studies of the instrument. However, Rasch analyses showed 14 (38.9%) of the 36 CHIRP items, but only four (21.1%) of the 19 RIPLS items remaining within the satisfactory standardized OUTFIT zone of 2.0 standard deviation units. We propose the 14 fitting items as a new, validated teamwork attitudes scale.

Effects of Experimenter Contact, Setting, Inquiry Mode, and Race on Women's Self-Report of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors: An Experimental Study.

PubMed

McCallum, Ethan B; Peterson, Zoë D

2015-11-01

Factors related to the research context, such as inquiry mode, setting, and experimenter contact, may affect participants' comfort with and willingness to disclose certain sexual attitudes or admit to engaging in sensitive sexual behaviors. In this study, 255 female undergraduates (42.7 % non-White) completed a survey containing measures of sexual behavior and attitudes. The level of experimenter contact (high vs. low contact), setting (in lab vs. out of lab), and inquiry mode (pencil-and-paper vs. computer) were manipulated and participants were randomly assigned to conditions. We hypothesized that low-contact, out-of-lab, computer conditions would be associated with more liberal sexual attitudes and higher rates of reported sexual behaviors than high-contact, in-lab, and paper-and-pencil conditions, respectively. Further, we hypothesized that effects would be moderated by race, such that differences would be greater for non-White participants because of concerns that reporting socially undesirable behavior might fuel racial stereotypes. For attitudinal measures, White participants endorsed more liberal attitudes toward sex in high-contact conditions and non-White participants endorsed more liberal attitudes in low-contact conditions. For behavioral measures, non-White participants reported more behaviors on pencil-and-paper surveys than on computers. White participants demonstrated no significant mode-related differences or reported more sexual behaviors in computer conditions than paper-and-pencil conditions. Overall, results suggest that experimenter contact and mode significantly impact sexual self-report and this impact is often moderated by race.

The Effect of In-Service Training of Computer Science Teachers on Scratch Programming Language Skills Using an Electronic Learning Platform on Programming Skills and the Attitudes towards Teaching Programming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkaria, Ahmed; Alhassan, Riyadh

2017-01-01

This study was conducted to examine the effect of in-service training of computer science teachers in Scratch language using an electronic learning platform on acquiring programming skills and attitudes towards teaching programming. The sample of this study consisted of 40 middle school computer science teachers. They were assigned into two…

A Case Study of Computer Gaming for Math: Engaged Learning from Gameplay?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ke, Fengfeng

2008-01-01

Employing mixed-method approach, this case study examined the in situ use of educational computer games in a summer math program to facilitate 4th and 5th graders' cognitive math achievement, metacognitive awareness, and positive attitudes toward math learning. The results indicated that students developed more positive attitudes toward math…

Mobile Learning According to Students of Computer Engineering and Computer Education: A Comparison of Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gezgin, Deniz Mertkan; Adnan, Muge; Acar Guvendir, Meltem

2018-01-01

Mobile learning has started to perform an increasingly significant role in improving learning outcomes in education. Successful and efficient implementation of m-learning in higher education, as with all educational levels, depends on users' acceptance of this technology. This study focuses on investigating the attitudes of undergraduate students…

Attitudes of Jordanian Undergraduate Students towards Using Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saeed, Farah Jamal Abed Alrazeq; Al-Zayed, Norma Nawaf

2018-01-01

The study aimed at investigating the attitudes of Jordanian undergraduate students towards using computer assisted-language learning (CALL) and its effectiveness in the process of learning the English language. In order to fulfill the study's objective, the researchers used a questionnaire to collect data, followed-up with semi-structured…

Effects of Educational Beliefs on Attitudes towards Using Computer Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Onen, Aysem Seda

2012-01-01

This study, aiming to determine the relationship between pre-service teachers' beliefs about education and their attitudes towards utilizing computers and internet, is a descriptive study in scanning model. The sampling of the study consisted of 270 pre-service teachers. The potential relationship between the beliefs of pre-service teachers about…

An Analysis of Attitudes toward Computer Networks and Internet Addiction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Chin-Chung; Lin, Sunny S. J.

The purpose of this study was to explore the interplay between young people's attitudes toward computer networks and Internet addiction. After analyzing questionnaire responses of an initial sample of 615 Taiwanese high school students, 78 subjects, viewed as possible Internet addicts, were selected for further explorations. It was found that…

Occasional Papers in Open and Distance Learning, Number 15.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donnan, Peter, Ed.

This issue consists of four papers which have an orientation towards the student's perspective. The first paper, "CSU Distance Students' Attitudes toward Computer Use" (Helen Geissinger), presents the results of a survey which examined students' responses to the use of computers in their courses and their attitudes to the more frequent…

Associations among Teachers' Attitudes towards Computer-Assisted Education and TPACK Competencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baturay, Meltem Huri; Gökçearslan, Sahin; Sahin, Semsettin

2017-01-01

The current study investigates the attitudes of teachers towards Computer-Assisted Education (CAE) and their knowledge of technology, pedagogy and content via TPACK model that assesses the competencies for developing and implementing successful teaching. There were 280 participants in the study. The results of the study indicate that teachers'…

Using computers for planning and evaluating nursing in the health care services.

PubMed

Emuziene, Vilma

2009-01-01

This paper describes that the nurses attitudes, using and motivation towards the computer usage significantly influenced by area of nursing/health care service. Today most of the nurses traditionally document patient information in a medical record using pen and paper. Most nursing administrators not currently involved with computer applications in their settings are interested in exploring whether technology could help them with the day-to-day and long - range tasks of planning and evaluating nursing services. The results of this investigation showed that respondents (nurses), as specialists and nursing informatics, make their activity well: they had "positive" attitude towards computers and "good" or "average" computer skills. The nurses overall computer attitude did influence by the age of the nurses, by sex, by professional qualification. Younger nurses acquire informatics skills while in nursing school and are more accepting of computer advancements. The knowledge about computer among nurses who don't have any training in computers' significantly differs, who have training and using the computer once a week or everyday. In the health care services often are using the computers and the automated data systems, data for the statistical information (visit information, patient information) and billing information. In nursing field often automated data systems are using for statistical information, billing information, information about the vaccination, patient assessment and patient classification.

Attitudes towards care robots among Finnish home care personnel - a comparison of two approaches.

PubMed

Rantanen, Teemu; Lehto, Paula; Vuorinen, Pertti; Coco, Kirsi

2017-08-22

The significance of care robotics has been highlighted in recent years. The article examines the adoption of care robots in home care settings, and in particular Finnish home care personnel's attitudes towards robots. The study compares the importance of the Negative Attitudes towards Robots Scale advanced by Nomura and specific positive attitudes related to the usefulness of care robots for different tasks in the home care. A cross-sectional study conducted by questionnaire. The research data were gathered from a survey of Finnish home care personnel (n = 200). Exploratory factor analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis. The Negative Attitudes towards Robots Scale (NARS), by Nomura, with a specific behavioural intention scale based on Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour, and a measure of positive attitudes towards the usefulness of care robots for different tasks in home care and the promotion of independent living of older persons. The study shows that NARS helps to explain psychological resistance related to the introduction of care robots, although the scale is susceptible to cultural differences. Care personnel's behavioural intentions related to the introduction of robot applications are influenced also by the perception of the usefulness of care robots. The study is based only on a Finnish sample, and the response rate of the study was relatively small (18.2%), which limits the generalisability of the results. The study shows that the examination of home care personnel's attitudes towards robots is not justified to focus only on one aspect, but a better explanation is achieved by combining the perspectives of societal attitudes, attitudes related to psychological reactions and the practical care and promotion of the independent living of older people. © 2017 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Measuring Implicit Attitudes with the Inclusion ST-IAT: A Replication and Further Validation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wüthrich, Sergej; Sahli Lozano, Caroline

2018-01-01

Assessment of attitudes in inclusive education research is almost exclusively based on self-report scales. This may lead to overestimation of positive attitudes due to social desirability bias, and self-reported attitudes may not capture all relevant aspects of attitudes. Recently, Lüke and Grosche (2018a) proposed a new attitude test based on a…

Implicit versus explicit attitude to doping: Which better predicts athletes' vigilance towards unintentional doping?

PubMed

Chan, Derwin King Chung; Keatley, David A; Tang, Tracy C W; Dimmock, James A; Hagger, Martin S

2018-03-01

This preliminary study examined whether implicit doping attitude, explicit doping attitude, or both, predicted athletes' vigilance towards unintentional doping. A cross-sectional correlational design. Australian athletes (N=143;M age =18.13, SD=4.63) completed measures of implicit doping attitude (brief single-category implicit association test), explicit doping attitude (Performance Enhancement Attitude Scale), avoidance of unintentional doping (Self-Reported Treatment Adherence Scale), and behavioural vigilance task of unintentional doping (reading the ingredients of an unfamiliar food product). Positive implicit doping attitude and explicit doping attitude were negatively related to athletes' likelihood of reading the ingredients table of an unfamiliar food product, and positively related to athletes' vigilance towards unintentional doping. Neither attitude measures predicted avoidance of unintentional doping. Overall, the magnitude of associations by implicit doping attitude appeared to be stronger than that of explicit doping attitude. Athletes with positive implicit and explicit doping attitudes were less likely to read the ingredients table of an unknown food product, but were more likely to be aware of the possible presence of banned substances in a certain food product. Implicit doping attitude appeared to explain athletes' behavioural response to the avoidance of unintentional doping beyond variance explained by explicit doping attitude. Copyright © 2017 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Closed-form integrator for the quaternion (euler angle) kinematics equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitmore, Stephen A. (Inventor)

2000-01-01

The invention is embodied in a method of integrating kinematics equations for updating a set of vehicle attitude angles of a vehicle using 3-dimensional angular velocities of the vehicle, which includes computing an integrating factor matrix from quantities corresponding to the 3-dimensional angular velocities, computing a total integrated angular rate from the quantities corresponding to a 3-dimensional angular velocities, computing a state transition matrix as a sum of (a) a first complementary function of the total integrated angular rate and (b) the integrating factor matrix multiplied by a second complementary function of the total integrated angular rate, and updating the set of vehicle attitude angles using the state transition matrix. Preferably, the method further includes computing a quanternion vector from the quantities corresponding to the 3-dimensional angular velocities, in which case the updating of the set of vehicle attitude angles using the state transition matrix is carried out by (a) updating the quanternion vector by multiplying the quanternion vector by the state transition matrix to produce an updated quanternion vector and (b) computing an updated set of vehicle attitude angles from the updated quanternion vector. The first and second trigonometric functions are complementary, such as a sine and a cosine. The quantities corresponding to the 3-dimensional angular velocities include respective averages of the 3-dimensional angular velocities over plural time frames. The updating of the quanternion vector preserves the norm of the vector, whereby the updated set of vehicle attitude angles are virtually error-free.

Economic Attitudes and Attitude Change: The Impact of Economic Instruction in Early Adolescence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingels, Steven J.; O'Brien, Mary Utne

A cognitively-oriented course of economics instruction will affect student attitudes toward economic issues. This was the finding of a study designed to ascertain economic attitudes in adolescents. Economic attitudes were measured by an instrument which used eight moderately reliable multi-item scales. The measure was applied in a…

Attitude determination using digital earth pictures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gunshol, L. P.

1975-01-01

A computer program called PICATT is reported, which stands for picture attitude determination. Described are the particular satellite to which this technique of attitude determination has been applied, the method of solution, and the results that have been attained using the PICATT program.

Measuring safety culture in the ambulatory setting: the safety attitudes questionnaire--ambulatory version.

PubMed

Modak, Isitri; Sexton, J Bryan; Lux, Thomas R; Helmreich, Robert L; Thomas, Eric J

2007-01-01

Provider attitudes about issues pertinent to patient safety may be related to errors and adverse events. We know of no instruments that measure safety-related attitudes in the outpatient setting. To adapt the safety attitudes questionnaire (SAQ) to the outpatient setting and compare attitudes among different types of providers in the outpatient setting. We modified the SAQ to create a 62-item SAQ-ambulatory version (SAQ-A). Patient care staff in a multispecialty, academic practice rated their agreement with the items using a 5-point Likert scale. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to determine reliability of scale scores. Differences in SAQ-A scores between providers were assessed using ANOVA. Of the 409 staff, 282 (69%) returned surveys. One hundred ninety (46%) surveys were included in the analyses. Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.68 to 0.86 for the scales: teamwork climate, safety climate, perceptions of management, job satisfaction, working conditions, and stress recognition. Physicians had the least favorable attitudes about perceptions of management while managers had the most favorable attitudes (mean scores: 50.4 +/- 22.5 vs 72.5 +/- 19.6, P < 0.05; percent with positive attitudes 18% vs 70%, respectively). Nurses had the most positive stress recognition scores (mean score 66.0 +/- 24.0). All providers had similar attitudes toward teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction, and working conditions. The SAQ-A is a reliable tool for eliciting provider attitudes about the ambulatory work setting. Attitudes relevant to medical error may differ among provider types and reflect behavior and clinic operations that could be improved.

Constructs of power and equity and their association with contraceptive use among men and women in rural Ethiopia and Kenya.

PubMed

Stephenson, Rob; Bartel, Doris; Rubardt, Marcie

2012-01-01

Using samples of reproductive aged men and women from rural Ethiopia and Kenya, this study examines the associations between two scales measuring balances of power and equitable attitudes within relationships and modern contraceptive use. The scales are developed from the Sexual and Reproductive Power Scale (SRPS) and Gender Equitable Male (GEM) scale, which were originally developed to measure relationship power (SRPS) among women and gender equitable attitudes (GEM) among men. With the exception of Ethiopian women, a higher score on the balance of power scale was associated with significantly higher odds of reporting modern contraceptive use. For men and women in both countries, a higher score on the equitable attitudes scale was associated with significantly higher odds of reporting modern contraceptive use. However, only the highest categories of the scales are associated with contraceptive use, suggesting a threshold effect in the relationships between power, equity and contraceptive use. The results presented here demonstrate how elements of the GEM and SRPS scales can be used to create scales measuring balances of power and equitable attitudes within relationships that are associated with self-reporting of modern contraceptive use in two resource-poor settings. However, further work with larger sample sizes is needed to confirm these findings, and to examine the extent to which these scales can be applied to other social and cultural contexts.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN IDENTITY AND ACADEMIC MOTIVATION.

PubMed

Matsushima, Rumi; Ozaki, Hitomi

2015-08-01

This study examined university students' academic motivation, focusing on individual differences in their sense of identity. The participants were 109 female Japanese students from two private universities (age range = 19-22 yr., M = 19.3, SD = 0.6). They completed four scales: the Multidimensional Ego Identity Scale, the Scale of Students' Attitude Toward Their Classes, the Academic Motivation Inventory, and the Scale of Lecture Self-Evaluation. Correlational analyses assessed the relationships between subscales. Then, path analysis was conducted to evaluate whether sense of identity affected attitude toward classes, academic motivation, and lecture self-evaluation. Differences particularly in psychosocial identity and self-identity accounted for significant variance in the students' attitudes toward classes, academic motivation, and lecture self-evaluation.

Who has the worst attitudes toward sexual minorities? Comparison of transphobia and homophobia levels in gender dysphoric individuals, the general population and health care providers.

PubMed

Fisher, A D; Castellini, G; Ristori, J; Casale, H; Giovanardi, G; Carone, N; Fanni, E; Mosconi, M; Ciocca, G; Jannini, E A; Ricca, V; Lingiardi, V; Maggi, M

2017-03-01

To date, few studies have addressed attitudes toward transgender individuals. In addition, little is known about health care providers' (HCP) attitudes toward sexual minorities. The aim of the present study is to compare attitudes toward homosexual and transgender individuals between gender dysphoric individuals (GDs), general population controls (C) and HCP. A total of 310 subjects were considered, including 122 GDs (63 transwomen and 59 transmen), 53 heterosexual HCP (26 males and 27 females) and 135 C. Participants completed the Modern Homophobia Scale (MHS) and the Attitudes Toward Transgendered Individuals Scale (ATTI) in order to assess attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women and toward transgender individuals, respectively. In addition, GDs completed the Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Questionnaire (GIDYQ-AA) and ATTI to measure, respectively, gender dysphoria levels and internalized transphobia. Religious attitudes were evaluated by means of the Religious Fundamentalism Scale (RFS), and Discrimination and Stigma Scale (DISC-12) was used to measure perceived discrimination. (1) Men showed significantly higher levels of homophobia and transphobia when compared to women (p < 0.001); (2) perceived discrimination was higher in lesbian women compared to gay men and in transwomen compared to transmen (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively); and (3) religious fundamentalism was associated with both homophobia and transphobia (both p < 0.001). Our results underline the need to promote awareness and acceptance of the sexual minorities, who are more at risk of discriminatory attitudes, which are strongly dependent on religious precepts and dogma.

Understanding the Dimensions of Anti-Vaccination Attitudes: the Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) Scale.

PubMed

Martin, Leslie R; Petrie, Keith J

2017-10-01

Anti-vaccination attitudes are important predictors of vaccination behavior. Existing measures of vaccination attitudes focus on specific age groups and/or particular vaccines; a more comprehensive measure would facilitate comparisons across studies. The aim of this study was to develop a short measure of general vaccination attitudes and establish its reliability and validity. Two studies were conducted using the VAX scale. For Study 1, participants were 409 individuals (53% female), with a mean age of 34.5 years. For Study 2, participants were 92 individuals (67% female) with a mean age of 28.6. Participants answered paper-and-pencil questions about their attitudes toward vaccines, prior and expected-future vaccination behaviors, perceived sensitivity to medicines, online behavior, and basic demographic information. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted with correlations and t tests then used to assess the scale's reliability and validity. Four distinct but correlated vaccine attitudes were identified: (1) mistrust of vaccine benefit, (2) worries about unforeseen future effects, (3) concerns about commercial profiteering, and (4) preference for natural immunity. These factors were significantly related to prior vaccination behavior, future intentions to obtain recommended vaccinations, perceived sensitivity to medicines, and the tendency to obtain health information online. The VAX scale provides an efficient method for identifying those with vaccination resistance, and the four subscales enable a more nuanced understanding of the nature of those views. It should be noted, however, that the strong correlations amongst the four subscales suggest that interventions should target all four attitude areas, and it remains to be seen whether differential emphasis across the four areas is warranted.

Development of a Scale for Measuring Teachers' Attitudes toward Students' Inappropriate Behaviour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malak, Md. Saiful; Sharma, Umesh; Deppeler, Joanne M.

2017-01-01

This study aimed at developing a valid and reliable instrument for measuring attitudes of primary schoolteachers toward inappropriate student behaviour. A systematic approach was used to develop the scale. Results provide preliminary evidence that the new instrument (consisting of 13 items on a six-point Likert type scale) meets the standards for…

Research with the Attitudes towards Disabled Persons Scales (ATDP) 1960-1985.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuker, Harold E.; Block, J. R.

The monograph provides a review of research studies over the past 25 years which have made use of the Attitude Toward Disabled Persons (ATDP) Scale. The report focuses on pertinent information about the scales, their psychometric properties, and the multitude of ways they have been used. An introductory chapter looks briefly at the history of the…

Developing Attitudes Scale towards German Reading: A Study on Reliability and Validity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arslan Çavusoglu, Ayse; Tepebasili, Fatih

2017-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to develop a scale for German teacher candidates' attitude towards the German reading. The scale was applied to 156 students who were enrolled in the Foreign Language Teaching Department of the Ahmet Kelesoglu Education Faculty, Necmettin Erbakan University. Out of 156 students, %14.1 (n = 22) were preparation…

Validation of the Chinese Expanded Euthanasia Attitude Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chong, Alice Ming-Lin; Fok, Shiu-Yeu

2013-01-01

This article reports the validation of the Chinese version of an expanded 31-item Euthanasia Attitude Scale. A 4-stage validation process included a pilot survey of 119 college students and a randomized household survey with 618 adults in Hong Kong. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a 4-factor structure of the scale, which can therefore be…

Women's Liberation Scale (WLS): A Measure of Attitudes Toward Positions Advocated by Women's Groups.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldberg, Carlos

The Women's Liberation Scale (WLS) is a 14-item, Likert-type scale designed to measure attitudes toward positions advocated by women's groups. The WLS and its four-alternative response schema is presented, along with descriptive statistics of scores based on male and female college samples. Reliability and validity measures are reported, and the…

Attitudes toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help: A Shortened Form and Considerations for Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Edward H.; Farina, Amerigo

1995-01-01

Tested a new, shortened scale for measuring willingness to seek help from mental health professionals. Scores correlated with the 29-item scale developed by Fischer and Turner (1970); the new scale's brevity (10 items) should make it easier and less obtrusive for use in research. Discusses the need for further studies on attitudes toward…

Content Validation of the Scale of Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusive Classrooms (STATIC)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nishimura, Trisha Sugita; Busse, R. T.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the content validity of the Scale of Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusive Classrooms (STATIC). An expert panel of 20 special education teachers and five university faculty members provided individual item ratings on a five-point scale regarding wording and content, along with comments. Item and comment…

Learning about and from others' prudence, impatience or laziness: The computational bases of attitude alignment.

PubMed

Devaine, Marie; Daunizeau, Jean

2017-03-01

Peoples' subjective attitude towards costs such as, e.g., risk, delay or effort are key determinants of inter-individual differences in goal-directed behaviour. Thus, the ability to learn about others' prudent, impatient or lazy attitudes is likely to be critical for social interactions. Conversely, how adaptive such attitudes are in a given environment is highly uncertain. Thus, the brain may be tuned to garner information about how such costs ought to be arbitrated. In particular, observing others' attitude may change one's uncertain belief about how to best behave in related difficult decision contexts. In turn, learning from others' attitudes is determined by one's ability to learn about others' attitudes. We first derive, from basic optimality principles, the computational properties of such a learning mechanism. In particular, we predict two apparent cognitive biases that would arise when individuals are learning about others' attitudes: (i) people should overestimate the degree to which they resemble others (false-consensus bias), and (ii) they should align their own attitudes with others' (social influence bias). We show how these two biases non-trivially interact with each other. We then validate these predictions experimentally by profiling people's attitudes both before and after guessing a series of cost-benefit arbitrages performed by calibrated artificial agents (which are impersonating human individuals).

Learning about and from others' prudence, impatience or laziness: The computational bases of attitude alignment

PubMed Central

Devaine, Marie

2017-01-01

Peoples' subjective attitude towards costs such as, e.g., risk, delay or effort are key determinants of inter-individual differences in goal-directed behaviour. Thus, the ability to learn about others' prudent, impatient or lazy attitudes is likely to be critical for social interactions. Conversely, how adaptive such attitudes are in a given environment is highly uncertain. Thus, the brain may be tuned to garner information about how such costs ought to be arbitrated. In particular, observing others' attitude may change one's uncertain belief about how to best behave in related difficult decision contexts. In turn, learning from others' attitudes is determined by one's ability to learn about others' attitudes. We first derive, from basic optimality principles, the computational properties of such a learning mechanism. In particular, we predict two apparent cognitive biases that would arise when individuals are learning about others’ attitudes: (i) people should overestimate the degree to which they resemble others (false-consensus bias), and (ii) they should align their own attitudes with others’ (social influence bias). We show how these two biases non-trivially interact with each other. We then validate these predictions experimentally by profiling people's attitudes both before and after guessing a series of cost-benefit arbitrages performed by calibrated artificial agents (which are impersonating human individuals). PMID:28358869

SSS-A attitude control prelaunch analysis and operations plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Werking, R. D.; Beck, J.; Gardner, D.; Moyer, P.; Plett, M.

1971-01-01

A description of the attitude control support being supplied by the Mission and Data Operations Directorate is presented. Descriptions of the computer programs being used to support the mission for attitude determination, prediction, control, and definitive attitude processing are included. In addition, descriptions of the operating procedures which will be used to accomplish mission objectives are provided.

Attitude measurement: Judging the emotional intensity of likert-type science attitude statements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrigley, Robert L.; Koballa, Thomas R., Jr.

Emotional intensity, that readiness of a teacher to respond favorably or unfavorably toward such psychological objects as science or the teaching of science, is the quality that distinguishes the attitude concept from other related psychological concepts. It would seem, then, that valid attitude statements, if they are to reflect the definition of attitude, would evoke emotional intensity, responses in both a favorable and unfavorable direction by a group of teachers on each item on a science attitude scale. Science educators who design or modify science attitude scales should continue using item-total correlations and other quantitative techniques to test for emotional intensity, but qualitative judgments are necessary, too. In addition, the frequency distribution of data generated by each statement should be examined for skewness and high percentages of neutral responses, both of which can impair the emotional intensity of an item.

Students' attitudes towards mathematics in single-sex and coeducational schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norton, Stephen J.; Rennie, Léonie J.

1998-04-01

This paper examines students' attitudes towards mathematics at the secondary school level. Using five of the Fennema-Sherman scales, the attitudes of boys and girls in Grades 8 to 12 in four schools were compared: a single-sex boys' and a single-sex girls' private school, and a state and a private coeducational school. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to guide an exploration of how students' attitudes varied according to grade, sex and educational setting. There were no differences between students in the two coeducational schools. In general, students' attitudes were found to be less positive in more senior grades; and overall, boys had more positive attitudes than girls. There were clear differences between boys and girls on the Mathematics as a Male Domain scale, with girls being less stereotyped in their perceptions than boys. Except for this scale, effects related to the sex of the student were small, and effects relating to grade level and school type on all variables were also small. Implications are drawn for future research in this area.

Effects of perceived parental attitudes on children's views of smoking.

PubMed

Ozturk, Candan; Kahraman, Seniha; Bektas, Murat

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of perceived parental attitudes on children's discernment of cigarettes. The study sample consisted of 250 children attending grades 6, 7 and 8. Data were collected via a socio-demographic survey questionnaire, the Parental Attitude Scale (PAS) and the Decisional Balance Scale (DBS). Data analysis covered percentages, medians, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests using a statistical package. There were 250 participants; 117 were male, 133 were female. The mean age was 13.1 ± 0.98 for the females and 13.3 ± 0.88 for the males. A statistically significant difference was found in the children's mean scores for 'pros' subscale on the Decisional Balance Scale (DBS) according to perceived parental attitudes (F=3.172, p=0.025). There were no statistically significant differences in the DBS 'cons' subscale scores by perceived parental attitudes. It was determined that while perceived parental attitudes affect children's views on advantages of smoking, they have no effect on children's views on its disadvantages.

Condoms and US college-aged men and women: briefly assessing attitudes toward condoms and general condom use behaviours.

PubMed

Hill, Brandon J; Amick, Erick E; Sanders, Stephanie A

2011-09-01

The purpose of this study was to develop an abbreviated reliable tool for assessing the attitudes US college-aged men and women have about condoms and condom use. An online questionnaire was constructed and completed by 674 participants incorporating modified items from the Attitudes Towards Condom Scale (1984) and the Multidimensional Condom Attitude Scale (1994), with the addition of gender-neutral worded and condom positive or erotic items. The original 40 items were reduced to 18 Likert-type items comprising the Brief Condom Attitude Scale (BCAS). Gender comparisons on a subset of 584 self-identified heterosexual participants indicated that women were significantly more likely to consider condoms as less protective, while men were significantly more likely to consider condoms as more interruptive. Additional analyses examining partnership indicated that monogamous participants were significantly more likely to view condoms as less interruptive, more erotic and less negative than non-monogamous participants. The BCAS appears to be a reliable measure for assessing US college-aged individuals' attitudes about condoms.

A comprehensive approach to psychometric assessment of instruments used in dementia educational interventions for health professionals: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Wang, Yao; Xiao, Lily Dongxia; He, Guo-Ping

2015-02-01

Suboptimal care for people with dementia in hospital settings has been reported and is attributed to the lack of knowledge and inadequate attitudes in dementia care among health professionals. Educational interventions have been widely used to improve care outcomes; however, Chinese-language instruments used in dementia educational interventions for health professionals are lacking. The aims of this study were to select, translate and evaluate instruments used in dementia educational interventions for Chinese health professionals in acute-care hospitals. A cross-sectional study design was used. A modified stratified random sampling was used to recruit 442 participants from different levels of hospitals in Changsha, China. Dementia care competence was used as a framework for the selection and evaluation of Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale and Dementia Care Attitudes Scale for health professionals in the study. These two scales were translated into Chinese using forward and back translation method. Content validity, test-retest reliability and internal consistency were assessed. Construct validity was tested using exploratory factor analysis. Known-group validity was established by comparing scores of Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale and Dementia Care Attitudes Scale in two sub-groups. A person-centred care scale was utilised as a gold standard to establish concurrent validity of these two scales. Results demonstrated acceptable content validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability and concurrent validity. Exploratory factor analysis presented a single-factor structure of the Chinese Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale and a two-factor structure of the Chinese Dementia Care Attitudes Scale, supporting the conceptual dimensions of the original scales. The Chinese Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale and Chinese Dementia Care Attitudes Scale demonstrated known-group validity evidenced by significantly higher scores identified from the sub-group with a longer work experience compared to those in the sub-group with less work experience. The use of dementia care competence as a framework to inform the selection and evaluation of instruments used in dementia educational interventions for health professionals has wide applicability in other areas. The results support that Chinese Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale and Chinese Dementia Care Attitudes Scale are reliable and valid instruments for health professionals to use in acute-care settings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mothers' attitudes toward adolescent confidential services: development and validation of scales for use in English- and Spanish-speaking populations.

PubMed

Tebb, Kathleen P; Pollack, Lance M; Millstein, Shana; Otero-Sabogal, Regina; Wibbelsman, Charles J

2014-09-01

To explore parental beliefs and attitudes about confidential services for their teenagers; and to develop an instrument to assess these beliefs and attitudes that could be used among English and Spanish speakers. The long-term goal is to use this research to better understand and evaluate interventions to improve parental knowledge and attitudes toward their adolescent's access and utilization of comprehensive confidential health services. The instrument was developed using an extensive literature review and theoretical framework followed by qualitative data from focus groups and in-depth interviews. It was then pilot tested with a random sample of English- and Spanish-speaking parents and further revised. The final instrument was administered to a random sample of 1,000 mothers. The psychometric properties of the instrument were assessed for Spanish and English speakers. The instrument consisted of 12 scales. Most Cronbach alphas were >.70 for Spanish and English speakers. Fewer items for Spanish speakers "loaded" for the Responsibility and Communication scales. Parental Control of Health Information failed for Spanish speakers. The Parental Attitudes of Adolescent Confidential Health Services Questionnaire (PAACS-Q) contains 12 scales and is a valid and reliable instrument to assess parental knowledge and attitudes toward confidential health services for adolescents among English speakers and all but one scale was applicable for Spanish speakers. More research is needed to understand key constructs with Spanish speakers. Copyright © 2014 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring Attitudes toward Inclusive Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilczenski, Felicia L.

1992-01-01

Developed scale to measure attitudes toward inclusive education, in which disabled students are responsibility of regular teacher supported by specialists. Administered scale to 301 elementary and secondary teachers and to 144 undergraduate elementary education majors. Analysis yielded four discrete dimensions of inclusive education with…

A Qualitative Analysis and Comparison of the Educational Technology Diffusion and Attitudes toward Adopting Computing Technologies, of the Ministry of Education, Principals/Vice-Principals, and Teachers, in Jamaican Public Primary and Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Kerry-Ann

2012-01-01

Given the lack of computer diffusion studies in the Caribbean, and coupled with the necessity to understand Jamaica in efforts to get a clearer global representation of the digital divide, this study takes an exploratory approach and examines the differences of the computer technology adoption and diffusion attitudes and viewpoints between the…

The Math Problem: Advertising Students' Attitudes toward Statistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fullerton, Jami A.; Kendrick, Alice

2013-01-01

This study used the Students' Attitudes toward Statistics Scale (STATS) to measure attitude toward statistics among a national sample of advertising students. A factor analysis revealed four underlying factors make up the attitude toward statistics construct--"Interest & Future Applicability," "Confidence," "Statistical Tools," and "Initiative."…

Do medical students like communication? Validation of the German CSAS (Communication Skills Attitude Scale).

PubMed

Busch, Anne-Kathrin; Rockenbauch, Katrin; Schmutzer, Gabriele; Brähler, Elmar

2015-01-01

Attitudes towards communication skills of medical undergraduates can be gathered using the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS). We aimed to develop a German version of the CSAS (CSAS-G) in order to explore attitudes towards communication skills in a German cohort. Additionally the potential influence of demographic factors was examined. We realized the CSAS-G and conducted a survey with 529 participants from 3 different years of study. We then carried out an explorative as well as confirmatory factor analysis and compared the attitudinal scores. Multiple regression analysis was performed. The confirmatory analysis confirmed the two-subscale system revealed by the explorative factor analysis. Students indicate low levels of negative attitudes and moderate levels of positive attitudes. Attitudinal scores differ significantly in relation to gender. The CSAS-G can be used in German cohorts to evaluate attitudes towards communication skills. Medical students in our study show basically a positive approach. Further investigation is necessary to explore and understand attitudes towards communication skills of German medical students.

Stigmatising attitudes towards people with mental disorders: a comparison of Australian health professionals with the general community.

PubMed

Reavley, Nicola J; Mackinnon, Andrew J; Morgan, Amy J; Jorm, Anthony F

2014-05-01

The aim of this paper was to explore attitudes towards people with mental disorders among Australian health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists and general practitioners (GPs)) and to compare their attitudes with members of the general community. The study involved a postal survey of 518 GPs, 506 psychiatrists and 498 clinical psychologists and a telephone survey of 6019 members of the general community. Participants were given a case vignette describing a person with either depression, depression with suicidal thoughts, early schizophrenia, chronic schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or social phobia and two questionnaires to assess stigmatising attitudes (the Depression Stigma Scale and the Social Distance Scale). Exploratory structural equation modelling was used to elucidate the structure of stigma as measured by the two scales, to establish dimensions of stigma and to compare patterns of association according to gender, age, vignette and professional grouping. The measurement characteristics of stigmatising attitudes in health professionals were found to be comparable to those in members of the general community in social distance and also in personal and perceived attitude stigma, with each forming distinct dimensions and each comprising 'Weak-not-sick' and 'Dangerous/unpredictable' components. Among health professionals, female gender, age and being a GP were associated with higher scores on the personal stigma scales. Mental health professionals had lower scores on the personal 'Weak-not-sick' and 'Dangerous/unpredictable' scales than members of the general community, while there were no significant differences in the desire for social distance between health professionals and the general community. While mental health professionals have less stigmatising attitudes than the general public, the greater beliefs in dangerousness and personal weakness by GPs should be addressed.

Student Computer Attitudes, Experience and Perceptions about the Use of Two Software Applications in Building Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiner, Esther; Garcia-Vera, Victoria E.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine students' computer attitudes and experience, as well as students' perceptions about the use of two specific software applications (Google Drive Spreadsheets and Arquimedes) in the Building Engineering context. The relationships among these variables were also examined. Ninety-two students took part in this…

Basic Technology Competencies, Attitude towards Computer Assisted Education and Usage of Technologies in Turkish Lesson: A Correlation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özdemir, Serpil

2017-01-01

The present research was done to determine the basic technology competency of Turkish teachers, their attitude towards computer-assisted education, and their technology operation level in Turkish lessons, and to designate the relationship between them. 85 Turkish teachers studying in public schools in Bartin participated in the research. The…

The Relationship between Attitudes of Prospective Physical Education Teachers towards Education Technologies and Computer Self-Efficacy Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalemoglu Varol, Yaprak

2014-01-01

The aim of research is to investigate the relationship between attitudes of prospective physical education teacher towards education technologies and their computer self-efficacy beliefs. Relational research method has been used in the study. Study group consists of 337 prospective physical education teachers ("M"[subscript age] = 21.57…

CS Unplugged and Middle-School Students' Views, Attitudes, and Intentions regarding CS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taub, Rivka; Armoni, Michal; Ben-Ari, Mordechai

2012-01-01

Many students hold incorrect ideas and negative attitudes about computer science (CS). In order to address these difficulties, a series of learning activities called Computer Science Unplugged was developed by Tim Bell and his colleagues. These activities expose young people to central concepts in CS in an entertaining way without requiring a…

Attitudes toward Advanced and Multivariate Statistics When Using Computers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Robert L.; McCallister, Corliss Jean

This study investigated the attitudes toward statistics of graduate students who studied advanced statistics in a course in which the focus of instruction was the use of a computer program in class. The use of the program made it possible to provide an individualized, self-paced, student-centered, and activity-based course. The three sections…

Personality Types and Megabytes: Student Attitudes toward Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) in the Language Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beauvois, Margaret Healy; Eledge, Jean

1996-01-01

Describes the results of a pilot study to examine the attitudes of university students toward the use of computer-mediated communication in their French conversation and composition course. Results indicate that both introvert and extrovert personality types generally perceive the use of a local area network as a beneficial experience. (15…

Instructors' Attitudes towards CALL and MALL in L2 Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pagel, James W.; Lambacher, Stephen; Reedy, David W.

2015-01-01

As part of an ongoing study on learners' and instructors' attitudes toward the use of computers and mobile devices in second-language (L2) learning situations, our purpose here is to identify how language instructors value the use of computers and mobile devices in their teaching. We compare the responses of a survey administered during the past…

The Effects of Computer-Assisted Material on Students' Cognitive Levels, Misconceptions and Attitudes Towards Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cepni, Salih; Tas, Erol; Kose, Sacit

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a Computer-Assisted Instruction Material (CAIM) related to "photosynthesis" topic on student cognitive development, misconceptions and attitudes. The study conducted in 2002-2003 academic year and was carried out in two different classes taught by the same teacher, in which…

Students' Perceptions of Computer-Based Learning Environments, Their Attitude towards Business Statistics, and Their Academic Achievement: Implications from a UK University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, ThuyUyen H.; Charity, Ian; Robson, Andrew

2016-01-01

This study investigates students' perceptions of computer-based learning environments, their attitude towards business statistics, and their academic achievement in higher education. Guided by learning environments concepts and attitudinal theory, a theoretical model was proposed with two instruments, one for measuring the learning environment and…

Development and Validation of the Attitudes toward Outdoor Play Scales for Children

PubMed Central

Beyer, Kirsten; Bizub, Jessica; Szabo, Aniko; Heller, Beth; Kistner, Amy; Shawgo, Erin; Zetts, Corey

2015-01-01

The natural world has long been associated with health and described as a therapeutic landscape, and a growing body of research demonstrates the benefits of interacting with nature for mental and physical health. However, concern is growing that children have lost connection to the natural world and spend less time outdoors, despite the known health benefits of doing so. It is likely that healthy behaviors related to engagement with nature are mediated by beliefs about the value and safety of play in nature. While the literature abounds with qualitative examinations of children’s attitudes toward outdoor play, there exist few instruments to quantitatively measure these attitudes. Informed by health behavior change theories, we describe the development and validation of the Attitudes toward Outdoor Play (ATOP) scales. As part of a community-academic partnership project called More Than a Pretty Place, the development of the ATOP scales unfolded in stages: (1) item generation based on a comprehensive literature review and consensus among the project team, (2) interviews with environmental educators, (3) initial pilot testing, (4) scale refinement, (5) administration during 2012 and 2013 to a sample of school children ages 9–13 (n=362) in Milwaukee, WI, USA, and (6) quantitative psychometric evaluation. Two distinct scales emerged: ATOP-benefits (alpha=.79) and ATOP-fears (alpha=.79). Validity analyses found that both scales correlated as expected with measures of engagement in outdoor play, parental support for outdoor play, and sedentary behaviors. The ATOP scales are reliable and valid instruments for measuring attitudes toward outdoor play that may mediate children’s outdoor activity in natural settings. The ATOP scales could be a useful for evaluating the effects of programming, such as environmental education programming, on improving children’s attitudes toward the benefits of nature and reducing their fears, and may predict more distal outcomes including engagement in outdoor activity. PMID:25459206

Development and validation of the attitudes toward outdoor play scales for children.

PubMed

Beyer, Kirsten; Bizub, Jessica; Szabo, Aniko; Heller, Beth; Kistner, Amy; Shawgo, Erin; Zetts, Corey

2015-05-01

The natural world has long been associated with health and described as a therapeutic landscape, and a growing body of research demonstrates the benefits of interacting with nature for mental and physical health. However, concern is growing that children have lost connection to the natural world and spend less time outdoors, despite the known health benefits of doing so. It is likely that healthy behaviors related to engagement with nature are mediated by beliefs about the value and safety of play in nature. While the literature abounds with qualitative examinations of children's attitudes toward outdoor play, there exist few instruments to quantitatively measure these attitudes. Informed by health behavior change theories, we describe the development and validation of the Attitudes toward Outdoor Play (ATOP) scales. As part of a community-academic partnership project called More Than a Pretty Place, the development of the ATOP scales unfolded in stages: (1) item generation based on a comprehensive literature review and consensus among the project team, (2) interviews with environmental educators, (3) initial pilot testing, (4) scale refinement, (5) administration during 2012 and 2013 to a sample of school children ages 9-13 (n = 362) in Milwaukee, WI, USA, and (6) quantitative psychometric evaluation. Two distinct scales emerged: ATOP-benefits (alpha = 0.79) and ATOP-fears (alpha = 0.79). Validity analyses found that both scales correlated as expected with measures of engagement in outdoor play, parental support for outdoor play, and sedentary behaviors. The ATOP scales are reliable and valid instruments for measuring attitudes toward outdoor play that may mediate children's outdoor activity in natural settings. The ATOP scales could be useful for evaluating the effects of programming, such as environmental education programming, on improving children's attitudes toward the benefits of nature and reducing their fears, and may predict more distal outcomes including engagement in outdoor activity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scale construction utilising the Rasch unidimensional measurement model: A measurement of adolescent attitudes towards abortion.

PubMed

Hendriks, Jacqueline; Fyfe, Sue; Styles, Irene; Skinner, S Rachel; Merriman, Gareth

2012-01-01

Measurement scales seeking to quantify latent traits like attitudes, are often developed using traditional psychometric approaches. Application of the Rasch unidimensional measurement model may complement or replace these techniques, as the model can be used to construct scales and check their psychometric properties. If data fit the model, then a scale with invariant measurement properties, including interval-level scores, will have been developed. This paper highlights the unique properties of the Rasch model. Items developed to measure adolescent attitudes towards abortion are used to exemplify the process. Ten attitude and intention items relating to abortion were answered by 406 adolescents aged 12 to 19 years, as part of the "Teen Relationships Study". The sampling framework captured a range of sexual and pregnancy experiences. Items were assessed for fit to the Rasch model including checks for Differential Item Functioning (DIF) by gender, sexual experience or pregnancy experience. Rasch analysis of the original dataset initially demonstrated that some items did not fit the model. Rescoring of one item (B5) and removal of another (L31) resulted in fit, as shown by a non-significant item-trait interaction total chi-square and a mean log residual fit statistic for items of -0.05 (SD=1.43). No DIF existed for the revised scale. However, items did not distinguish as well amongst persons with the most intense attitudes as they did for other persons. A person separation index of 0.82 indicated good reliability. Application of the Rasch model produced a valid and reliable scale measuring adolescent attitudes towards abortion, with stable measurement properties. The Rasch process provided an extensive range of diagnostic information concerning item and person fit, enabling changes to be made to scale items. This example shows the value of the Rasch model in developing scales for both social science and health disciplines.

Access to, interest in and attitude toward e-learning for continuous education among Malaysian nurses.

PubMed

Chong, Mei Chan; Francis, Karen; Cooper, Simon; Abdullah, Khatijah Lim; Hmwe, Nant Thin Thin; Sohod, Salina

2016-01-01

Continuous nursing education (CNE) courses delivered through e-learning is believed to be an effective mode of learning for nurses. Implementation of e-learning modules requires pre-assessment of infrastructure and learners' characteristics. Understanding the learners' needs and their perspectives would facilitate effective e-learning delivery by addressing the underlying issues and providing necessary support to learners. The aim of this study was to examine access to computer and Internet facilities, interest in and preferences regarding e-learning, and attitudes toward e-learning among nurses in Peninsular Malaysia. The study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive survey. Government hospitals and community clinics in four main regions of Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 300 registered nurses. Data were collected using questionnaires, which consisted of demographic and background items and questions on access to computer and Internet facilities, interest and preferences in e-learning, and attitudes toward e-learning. Descriptive analysis and a chi-squared test were used to identify associations between variables. Most Malaysian nurses had access to a personal or home computer (85.3%, n=256) and computer access at work (85.3%, n=256). The majority had Internet access at home (84%, n=252) and at work (71.8%, n=215); however, average hours of weekly computer use were low. Most nurses (83%, n=249) did not have an e-learning experience but were interested in e-learning activities. Most nurses displayed positive attitudes toward e-learning. Average weekly computer use and interest in e-learning were positively associated with attitudes toward e-learning. Study findings suggest that organizational support is needed to promote accessibility of information and communications technology (ICT) facilities for Malaysian nurses to motivate their involvement in e-learning. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Relationship between Gender, Sexual Attitudes, Attitudes towards Gender and High School Counselors' Ethical Decision-Making regarding Adolescent Sexuality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin-Donald, Kimberly A.

2010-01-01

This study investigated relationships between high school counselors' ethical decision-making, gender, attitudes towards gender, and sexual attitudes. Of the 161 respondents, only 157 participants' data sets were included in the data set. Participants completed the Ethical Decision-Making Questionnaire, The Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale (Hendrick,…

A new computer-based counselling system for the promotion of physical activity in patients with chronic diseases--results from a pilot study.

PubMed

Becker, Annette; Herzberg, Dominikus; Marsden, Nicola; Thomanek, Sabine; Jung, Hartmut; Leonhardt, Corinna

2011-05-01

To develop a computer-based counselling system (CBCS) for the improvement of attitudes towards physical activity in chronically ill patients and to pilot its efficacy and acceptance in primary care. The system is tailored to patients' disease and motivational stage. During a pilot study in five German general practices, patients answered questions before, directly and 6 weeks after using the CBCS. Outcome criteria were attitudes and self-efficacy. Qualitative interviews were performed to identify acceptance indicators. Seventy-nine patients participated (mean age: 64.5 years, 53% males; 38% without previous computer experience). Patients' affective and cognitive attitudes changed significantly, self-efficacy showed only minor changes. Patients mentioned no difficulties in interacting with the CBCS. However, perception of the system's usefulness was inconsistent. Computer-based counselling for physical activity related attitudes in patients with chronic diseases is feasible, but the circumstances of use with respect to the target group and its integration into the management process have to be clarified in future studies. This study adds to the understanding of computer-based counselling in primary health care. Acceptance indicators identified in this study will be validated as part of a questionnaire on technology acceptability in a subsequent study. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Large scale static tests of a tilt-nacelle V/STOL propulsion/attitude control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

The concept of a combined V/STOL propulsion and aircraft attitude control system was subjected to large scale engine tests. The tilt nacelle/attitude control vane package consisted of the T55 powered Hamilton Standard Q-Fan demonstrator. Vane forces, moments, thermal and acoustic characteristics as well as the effects on propulsion system performance were measured under conditions simulating hover in and out of ground effect.

Preliminary investigation of the STBBI Stigma Scale: Description and pilot results.

PubMed

Wagner, Anne C; MacLean, Rachel

2017-11-09

Sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) are associated with stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs, which can affect the quality of and access to health care, as well as mental health and quality of life. The current study describes the adaptation from an HIV-related stigma scale and pilot testing of a new STBBI Stigma Scale, assessing the stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs of health and social service providers in Canada. 144 health and social service providers from across Canada completed the newly adapted scale assessing stigma associated with HIV, hepatitis C, other viral STBBIs and bacterial STBBIs, as well as demographic information, a scale of social desirability and measures of convergent and divergent validity. Participants were recruited through listservs and completed the scale online. The new scale, consisting of 21 items for each category, demonstrated excellent internal consistency, reliability, and convergent and divergent validity. The factor structure of the scale supports a tripartite model of stigma consisting of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination. Stereotyping had the highest relative scores on the subscales, and attitudes regarding other viral STBBIs differed significantly from the other STBBI categories. The new scale provides a contextually relevant and applicable psychometrically valid tool to assess STBBI-related stigma among health and social service providers in Canada. The tool can be used to assess attitudes and beliefs, as well as guide self-assessment and possible trainings for providers.

Patient Perceptions of Physician Use of Handheld Computers

PubMed Central

Houston, Thomas K.; Ray, Midge N.; Crawford, Myra A.; Giddens, Tonya; Berner, Eta S.

2003-01-01

Background Handheld computers have advantages for physicians, including portability and integration into office workflow. However, negative patient perceptions of physician use of handheld computers in the examining room might limit integration. Objective To survey patients’ perceptions of handheld use, and compare those with their providers’ perceptions. Methods A survey of patient attitudes toward handhelds was conducted among patients at a low-income university clinic. Internal Medicine residents providing care were also surveyed. Results Patients (N=93) were mostly female (79%) and ethnic minorities (67%) with average age of 39. Only 10% of patients did not like the idea of a handheld computer in the exam room. Other negative attitudes were also seen in a minority of patients. Some physicians (23%) reported reservations about using the handheld with patients. Conclusions Negative attitudes were rare among patients, but some providers were concerned about using the handheld in the exam room. PMID:14728182

Proceedings of the 1997 Space Control Conference, Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-03-27

of attitude information are used in our orbit determination. The attitude history buffer on MSX holds quaternions and time tags at 100-second...being able to use the attitude quaternions , DYNAMO can also compute the park-mode attitude of MSX if, for example, some of the raw on-board attitude ... used to aid the target discrimination process. THE MSX SPACECRAFT The SBV sensor was launched on the BMDO supported MSX spacecraft on 24 April

Angular-Rate Estimation Using Quaternion Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Azor, Ruth; Bar-Itzhack, Y.; Deutschmann, Julie K.; Harman, Richard R.

1998-01-01

In most spacecraft (SC) there is a need to know the SC angular rate. Precise angular rate is required for attitude determination, and a coarse rate is needed for attitude control damping. Classically, angular rate information is obtained from gyro measurements. These days, there is a tendency to build smaller, lighter and cheaper SC, therefore the inclination now is to do away with gyros and use other means and methods to determine the angular rate. The latter is also needed even in gyro equipped satellites when performing high rate maneuvers whose angular-rate is out of range of the on board gyros or in case of gyro failure. There are several ways to obtain the angular rate in a gyro-less SC. When the attitude is known, one can differentiate the attitude in whatever parameters it is given and use the kinematics equation that connects the derivative of the attitude with the satellite angular-rate and compute the latter. Since SC usually utilize vector measurements for attitude determination, the differentiation of the attitude introduces a considerable noise component in the computed angular-rate vector.

Dynamic Model Investigation of Water Pressures and Accelerations Encountered During Landings of the Apollo Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stubbs, Sandy M.

1967-01-01

An experimental investigation was made to determine impact water pressures, accelerations, and landing dynamics of a 1/4-scale dynamic model of the command module of the Apollo spacecraft. A scaled-stiffness aft heat shield was used on the model to simulate the structural deflections of the full-scale heat shield. Tests were made on water to obtain impact pressure data at a simulated parachute letdown (vertical) velocity component of approximately 30 ft/sec (9.1 m/sec) full scale. Additional tests were made on water, sand, and hard clay-gravel landing surfaces at simulated vertical velocity components of 23 ft/sec (7.0 m/sec) full scale. Horizontal velocity components investigated ranged from 0 to 50 ft/sec (15 m/sec) full scale and the pitch attitudes ranged from -40 degrees to 29 degrees. Roll attitudes were O degrees, 90 degrees, and 180 degrees, and the yaw attitude was 0 degrees.

An Exploration of African American Students' Attitudes toward Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okwumabua, Theresa M.; Walker, Kristin M.; Hu, Xiangen; Watson, Andrea

2011-01-01

The current work presents exploratory research findings concerning African American students' attitudes toward online learning. The Online Tutoring Attitudes Scale (OTAS; Graff, 2003) was administered to 124 African American students in a positive youth development program. Findings suggest that African American students' attitudes toward…

The Construct Validity of Attitudes toward Career Counseling Scale for Korean College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nam, Suk Kyung; In Park, Hyung

2015-01-01

This study aimed to examine the construct validity of the Attitudes Toward Career Counseling Scale (ATCCS) in Korea. In Study 1, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used for testing the factor structure of the scale. The results supported a two-factor (value and stigma) model, which was theoretically driven from the original study. Results of…

Development of an Attitude Scale towards High School Physics Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yavas, Pervin Ünlü; Çagan, Sultan

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop a Likert type attitude scale for high school students with regard to high school physics lessons. The research was carried out with high school students who were studying in Ankara. First, the opinions of 105 high school students about physics lessons were obtained and then 55 scale items were determined from…

Relationships of the Leadership Attitudes and Beliefs Scale with Student Types, Study Habits, Life-Long Learning, and GPA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wielkiewicz, Richard M.; Prom, Christina L.; Loos, Steven

2005-01-01

The Leadership Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (LABS-III; Wielkiewicz, 2000) was validated against a measure with a more traditional, position-based definition of leadership. Disagreement with Hierarchical Thinking was associated with a higher GPA. A Life-Long Learning scale was strongly associated with GPA, Systemic Thinking, and social activism.…

Is the Attitudes toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale Applicable to Ethnic Chinese Students? Psychometric Properties and Cultural Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Han, Der-Yan; Chen, Sue-Huei

2015-01-01

The Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale has been applied widely. However, there is no complete report on the reliability and validity of its Chinese version (ATSPPHS-C). A total of 353 Taiwanese undergraduates completed the ATSPPHS-C, Help-Seeking Willingness Scale, Symptom Check List-90R, and Marlowe-Crowne Social…

Feasibility study of scanning celestial Attitude System (SCADS) for Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

The feasibility of using the Scanning Celestial Attitude Determination System (SCADS) during Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) missions to compute an accurate spacecraft attitude by use of stellar measurements is considered. The spacecraft is local-vertical-stabilized. A heuristic discussion of the SCADS concept is first given. Two concepts are introduced: a passive system which contains no moving parts, and an active system in which the reticle is caused to rotate about the sensor's axis. A quite complete development of the equations of attitude motions is then given. These equations are used to generate the true attitude which in turn is used to compute the transit times of detectable stars and to determine the errors associated with the SCADS attitude. A more complete discussion of the analytical foundation of SCADS concept and its use for the geometries particular to this study, as well as salient design parameters for the passive and active systems are included.

Attitude identification for SCOLE using two infrared cameras

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shenhar, Joram

1991-01-01

An algorithm is presented that incorporates real time data from two infrared cameras and computes the attitude parameters of the Spacecraft COntrol Lab Experiment (SCOLE), a lab apparatus representing an offset feed antenna attached to the Space Shuttle by a flexible mast. The algorithm uses camera position data of three miniature light emitting diodes (LEDs), mounted on the SCOLE platform, permitting arbitrary camera placement and an on-line attitude extraction. The continuous nature of the algorithm allows identification of the placement of the two cameras with respect to some initial position of the three reference LEDs, followed by on-line six degrees of freedom attitude tracking, regardless of the attitude time history. A description is provided of the algorithm in the camera identification mode as well as the mode of target tracking. Experimental data from a reduced size SCOLE-like lab model, reflecting the performance of the camera identification and the tracking processes, are presented. Computer code for camera placement identification and SCOLE attitude tracking is listed.

Attitudes toward Bisexual Men and Women among a Nationally Representative Probability Sample of Adults in the United States.

PubMed

Dodge, Brian; Herbenick, Debby; Friedman, M Reuel; Schick, Vanessa; Fu, Tsung-Chieh Jane; Bostwick, Wendy; Bartelt, Elizabeth; Muñoz-Laboy, Miguel; Pletta, David; Reece, Michael; Sandfort, Theo G M

2016-01-01

As bisexual individuals in the United States (U.S.) face significant health disparities, researchers have posited that these differences may be fueled, at least in part, by negative attitudes, prejudice, stigma, and discrimination toward bisexual individuals from heterosexual and gay/lesbian individuals. Previous studies of individual and social attitudes toward bisexual men and women have been conducted almost exclusively with convenience samples, with limited generalizability to the broader U.S. Our study provides an assessment of attitudes toward bisexual men and women among a nationally representative probability sample of heterosexual, gay, lesbian, and other-identified adults in the U.S. Data were collected from the 2015 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB), via an online questionnaire with a probability sample of adults (18 years and over) from throughout the U.S. We included two modified 5-item versions of the Bisexualities: Indiana Attitudes Scale (BIAS), validated sub-scales that were developed to measure attitudes toward bisexual men and women. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, gamma regression, and paired t-tests. Gender, sexual identity, age, race/ethnicity, income, and educational attainment were all significantly associated with participants' attitudes toward bisexual individuals. In terms of responses to individual scale items, participants were most likely to "neither agree nor disagree" with all attitudinal statements. Across sexual identities, self-identified other participants reported the most positive attitudes, while heterosexual male participants reported the least positive attitudes. As in previous research on convenience samples, we found a wide range of demographic characteristics were related with attitudes toward bisexual individuals in our nationally-representative study of heterosexual, gay/lesbian, and other-identified adults in the U.S. In particular, gender emerged as a significant characteristic; female participants' attitudes were more positive than male participants' attitudes, and all participants' attitudes were generally more positive toward bisexual women than bisexual men. While recent population data suggest a marked shift in more positive attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women in the general population of the U.S., the largest proportions of participants in our study reported a relative lack of agreement or disagreement with all affective-evaluative statements in the BIAS scales. Findings document the relative lack of positive attitudes toward bisexual individuals among the general population of adults in the U.S. and highlight the need for developing intervention approaches to promote more positive attitudes toward bisexual individuals, targeted toward not only heterosexual but also gay/lesbian individuals and communities.

Attitudes toward Bisexual Men and Women among a Nationally Representative Probability Sample of Adults in the United States

PubMed Central

Herbenick, Debby; Friedman, M. Reuel; Schick, Vanessa; Fu, Tsung-Chieh (Jane); Bostwick, Wendy; Bartelt, Elizabeth; Muñoz-Laboy, Miguel; Pletta, David; Reece, Michael; Sandfort, Theo G. M.

2016-01-01

As bisexual individuals in the United States (U.S.) face significant health disparities, researchers have posited that these differences may be fueled, at least in part, by negative attitudes, prejudice, stigma, and discrimination toward bisexual individuals from heterosexual and gay/lesbian individuals. Previous studies of individual and social attitudes toward bisexual men and women have been conducted almost exclusively with convenience samples, with limited generalizability to the broader U.S. population. Our study provides an assessment of attitudes toward bisexual men and women among a nationally representative probability sample of heterosexual, gay, lesbian, and other-identified adults in the U.S. Data were collected from the 2015 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB), via an online questionnaire with a probability sample of adults (18 years and over) from throughout the U.S. We included two modified 5-item versions of the Bisexualities: Indiana Attitudes Scale (BIAS), validated sub-scales that were developed to measure attitudes toward bisexual men and women. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, gamma regression, and paired t-tests. Gender, sexual identity, age, race/ethnicity, income, and educational attainment were all significantly associated with participants' attitudes toward bisexual individuals. In terms of responses to individual scale items, participants were most likely to “neither agree nor disagree” with all attitudinal statements. Across sexual identities, self-identified other participants reported the most positive attitudes, while heterosexual male participants reported the least positive attitudes. As in previous research on convenience samples, we found a wide range of demographic characteristics were related with attitudes toward bisexual individuals in our nationally-representative study of heterosexual, gay/lesbian, and other-identified adults in the U.S. In particular, gender emerged as a significant characteristic; female participants’ attitudes were more positive than male participants’ attitudes, and all participants’ attitudes were generally more positive toward bisexual women than bisexual men. While recent population data suggest a marked shift in more positive attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women in the general population of the U.S., the largest proportions of participants in our study reported a relative lack of agreement or disagreement with all affective-evaluative statements in the BIAS scales. Findings document the relative lack of positive attitudes toward bisexual individuals among the general population of adults in the U.S. and highlight the need for developing intervention approaches to promote more positive attitudes toward bisexual individuals, targeted toward not only heterosexual but also gay/lesbian individuals and communities. PMID:27783644

Factors associated with attitudes toward the elderly in a sample of elderly caregivers.

PubMed

Luchesi, Bruna Moretti; Alexandre, Tiago da Silva; de Oliveira, Nathalia Alves; Brigola, Allan Gustavo; Kusumota, Luciana; Pavarini, Sofia Cristina Iost; Marques, Sueli

2016-12-01

The number of elderly caregivers is increasing in the world. It is important to know the attitudes toward the elderly, because they can influence a range of behaviors. Our aim was to determine factors associated with attitudes toward the elderly in a sample of older carers. Three hundred and thirteen elderly caregivers (75.4% women, mean age 69.7 ± 7.1) who cared for a dependent older person at home completed a cross-sectional household interview. In addition to the four domains of the Neri Scale to Assess Attitudes Toward the Elderly, participants were evaluated regarding the demographics, care recipient (CR) characteristics, functional and cognitive status, general health, life satisfaction, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms. Overall, attitudes toward the elderly were neutral in this sample. More negative attitudes in some Neri Scale domains were associated with being older, living in an urban setting, taking more medications per day, caring for an elderly dependent in basic Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), being "more or less" satisfied with life, and having higher levels of perceived stress. There was a negative association between positive attitudes and educational level. The results highlight the need for public policies to promote more positive attitudes toward aging and change negative stereotypes usually used to designate older people. These public policies can try to modify some predictors of negative attitudes, such as perceived stress, which was associated with all four domains of Neri Scale.

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Instrument: Attitudes Towards Organ Donor Advocacy Scale (ATODAS)

PubMed Central

Flodén, Anne; Lennerling, Annette; Fridh, Isabell; Rizell, Magnus; Forsberg, Anna

2011-01-01

The consequences of advocacy in nursing are critical when caring for a potential organ donor. No specific instrument has been available to measure attitudes toward organ donor advocacy. The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate an instrument for measuring intensive and critical care (ICU) nurses’ attitudes toward organ donor advocacy. The study was conducted in two stages: instrument development and instrument evaluation and refinement. A questionnaire was developed (Attitude Toward Organ Donor Advocacy Scale (ATODAS)), which was sent to half of all nurses working in ICUs (general-, neuro-, thoracic- or paediatric-) in Sweden (n=1180). The final response rate was 42.5% (n=502). In order to explore validity and reliability, the expected scale dimensionality of the questionnaire was examined both by explorative principal component analysis (with oblique, varimax rotation) and by confirmatory multi-trait analysis. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the ATODAS could best be explained by five factors; Attitudes toward championing organ donation at a structural hospital level; Attitudes toward championing organ donation at a political and research level; Attitudes toward actively and personally safeguarding the will and wishes of the potential organ donor, Attitudes toward safeguarding the potential donor’s will and wishes by a professional approach and Attitudes toward safeguarding the will and wishes of the relatives. This initial testing indicated that the ATODAS has good psychometric properties and can be used in future research to explore if interventions may influence attitudes and behaviors related to organ donor advocacy. PMID:22046210

The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire: psychometric properties, benchmarking data, and emerging research.

PubMed

Sexton, John B; Helmreich, Robert L; Neilands, Torsten B; Rowan, Kathy; Vella, Keryn; Boyden, James; Roberts, Peter R; Thomas, Eric J

2006-04-03

There is widespread interest in measuring healthcare provider attitudes about issues relevant to patient safety (often called safety climate or safety culture). Here we report the psychometric properties, establish benchmarking data, and discuss emerging areas of research with the University of Texas Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. Six cross-sectional surveys of health care providers (n = 10,843) in 203 clinical areas (including critical care units, operating rooms, inpatient settings, and ambulatory clinics) in three countries (USA, UK, New Zealand). Multilevel factor analyses yielded results at the clinical area level and the respondent nested within clinical area level. We report scale reliability, floor/ceiling effects, item factor loadings, inter-factor correlations, and percentage of respondents who agree with each item and scale. A six factor model of provider attitudes fit to the data at both the clinical area and respondent nested within clinical area levels. The factors were: Teamwork Climate, Safety Climate, Perceptions of Management, Job Satisfaction, Working Conditions, and Stress Recognition. Scale reliability was 0.9. Provider attitudes varied greatly both within and among organizations. Results are presented to allow benchmarking among organizations and emerging research is discussed. The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire demonstrated good psychometric properties. Healthcare organizations can use the survey to measure caregiver attitudes about six patient safety-related domains, to compare themselves with other organizations, to prompt interventions to improve safety attitudes and to measure the effectiveness of these interventions.

Attitudes towards prisoners, as reported by prison inmates, prison employees and college students.

PubMed

Kjelsberg, Ellen; Skoglund, Tom Hilding; Rustad, Aase-Bente

2007-05-04

Positive attitudes towards prisoners are important in securing the effectiveness of various correctional rehabilitation programs and the successful reintegration of prisoners after release. We wanted to investigate the attitudes towards prisoners among prison inmates, prison employees and college students. The Attitudes Toward Prisoners scale was completed by 298 inmates in 4 Norwegian prisons, 387 employees working in the same prisons, and 183 college students. In addition, all respondents were asked a number of general questions about prisoners, crime and punishment. The study groups differed significantly in their attitudes towards prisoners, as measured by the Attitudes Toward Prisoners scale, with prison inmates holding the most positive attitudes. Prison officers held more negative attitudes than other prison employees. Prison employees working in female-only facilities held more positive attitudes than those working in male-only facilities. Students differed significantly in their attitudes, with those studying business economics holding more negative attitudes than those studying nursing. A number of strong correlations emerged between negative attitudes towards prisoners and more pessimistic and punitive answers on general questions about prisoners, crime and punishment. The attitudes towards prisoners differed markedly among the groups investigated. The findings could have important implications, particularly for the preventive work carried out in our prisons. Whether attitudes toward prisoners can be influenced by educational programs and the dispersion of factual information needs to be investigated.

Attitudes towards prisoners, as reported by prison inmates, prison employees and college students

PubMed Central

Kjelsberg, Ellen; Skoglund, Tom Hilding; Rustad, Aase-Bente

2007-01-01

Background Positive attitudes towards prisoners are important in securing the effectiveness of various correctional rehabilitation programs and the successful reintegration of prisoners after release. We wanted to investigate the attitudes towards prisoners among prison inmates, prison employees and college students. Methods The Attitudes Toward Prisoners scale was completed by 298 inmates in 4 Norwegian prisons, 387 employees working in the same prisons, and 183 college students. In addition, all respondents were asked a number of general questions about prisoners, crime and punishment. Results The study groups differed significantly in their attitudes towards prisoners, as measured by the Attitudes Toward Prisoners scale, with prison inmates holding the most positive attitudes. Prison officers held more negative attitudes than other prison employees. Prison employees working in female-only facilities held more positive attitudes than those working in male-only facilities. Students differed significantly in their attitudes, with those studying business economics holding more negative attitudes than those studying nursing. A number of strong correlations emerged between negative attitudes towards prisoners and more pessimistic and punitive answers on general questions about prisoners, crime and punishment. Conclusion The attitudes towards prisoners differed markedly among the groups investigated. The findings could have important implications, particularly for the preventive work carried out in our prisons. Whether attitudes toward prisoners can be influenced by educational programs and the dispersion of factual information needs to be investigated. PMID:17480213

Are attitudes toward peace and war the two sides of the same coin? Evidence to the contrary from a French validation of the Attitudes Toward Peace and War Scale

PubMed Central

Van der Linden, Nicolas; Leys, Christophe; Klein, Olivier

2017-01-01

Bizumic et al. (2013) have recently shown that attitudes towards peace and war reflect two distinct constructs rather than two poles of a single dimension. We present an attempt at validating the French version of their 16-item Attitudes toward Peace and War Scale (APWS) on five distinct (mainly Belgian) French-speaking samples (total N = 808). Confirmatory factor and criterion validity analyses confirmed that attitudes toward peace and war, although negatively related, are distinct in terms of their antecedents and consequences. On the one hand, antecedents of attitudes toward peace included egalitarian ideological beliefs and empathic concern for others, and consequences included intentions to engage in pro-peace behaviors. On the other hand, antecedents of attitudes toward war included national identification and authoritarian ideological beliefs, and consequences included intentions to engage in pro-war behaviors. Furthermore, both attitudes toward peace and war were, respectively, negatively and positively related to (a right-wing) political orientation. Unexpectedly however, attitudes toward war were positively related to nonegalitarian ideological beliefs and were not related to personal distress. Scores on the translated scale were unrelated to socially desirable responding. In terms of known-groups validity, men had, respectively, more and less positive attitudes toward war and peace than women. Finally, based on exploratory factor analyses, the inclusion of some items for the factorial structure of the measure is questioned and a shortened form of the measure is validated. Overall, these findings are in line with Bizumic et al. and suggest that attitudes toward peace and war also reflect two distinct constructs in a French-speaking population. PMID:28892500

Are attitudes toward peace and war the two sides of the same coin? Evidence to the contrary from a French validation of the Attitudes Toward Peace and War Scale.

PubMed

Van der Linden, Nicolas; Leys, Christophe; Klein, Olivier; Bouchat, Pierre

2017-01-01

Bizumic et al. (2013) have recently shown that attitudes towards peace and war reflect two distinct constructs rather than two poles of a single dimension. We present an attempt at validating the French version of their 16-item Attitudes toward Peace and War Scale (APWS) on five distinct (mainly Belgian) French-speaking samples (total N = 808). Confirmatory factor and criterion validity analyses confirmed that attitudes toward peace and war, although negatively related, are distinct in terms of their antecedents and consequences. On the one hand, antecedents of attitudes toward peace included egalitarian ideological beliefs and empathic concern for others, and consequences included intentions to engage in pro-peace behaviors. On the other hand, antecedents of attitudes toward war included national identification and authoritarian ideological beliefs, and consequences included intentions to engage in pro-war behaviors. Furthermore, both attitudes toward peace and war were, respectively, negatively and positively related to (a right-wing) political orientation. Unexpectedly however, attitudes toward war were positively related to nonegalitarian ideological beliefs and were not related to personal distress. Scores on the translated scale were unrelated to socially desirable responding. In terms of known-groups validity, men had, respectively, more and less positive attitudes toward war and peace than women. Finally, based on exploratory factor analyses, the inclusion of some items for the factorial structure of the measure is questioned and a shortened form of the measure is validated. Overall, these findings are in line with Bizumic et al. and suggest that attitudes toward peace and war also reflect two distinct constructs in a French-speaking population.

Performance evaluation of the inverse dynamics method for optimal spacecraft reorientation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ventura, Jacopo; Romano, Marcello; Walter, Ulrich

2015-05-01

This paper investigates the application of the inverse dynamics in the virtual domain method to Euler angles, quaternions, and modified Rodrigues parameters for rapid optimal attitude trajectory generation for spacecraft reorientation maneuvers. The impact of the virtual domain and attitude representation is numerically investigated for both minimum time and minimum energy problems. Owing to the nature of the inverse dynamics method, it yields sub-optimal solutions for minimum time problems. Furthermore, the virtual domain improves the optimality of the solution, but at the cost of more computational time. The attitude representation also affects solution quality and computational speed. For minimum energy problems, the optimal solution can be obtained without the virtual domain with any considered attitude representation.

Understanding academic attitudes and achievement in mexican-origin youths: ethnic identity, other-group orientation, and fatalism.

PubMed

Guzmán, Michele R; Santiago-Rivera, Azara L; Hasse, Richard F

2005-02-01

This study tested the relationships among ethnic identity, other-group orientation, fatalism, and 2 dependent variables: attitude toward education and school, and grade point average (GPA). Mexican-origin adolescents (N = 222) completed the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (J. S. Phinney, 1992), the fatalism scale of the Multiphasic Assessment of Cultural Constructs-Short Form (I. Cuellar, B. Arnold, & G. Gonzalez, 1995), and the attitude scale of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory-High School (C. E. Weinstein & D. R. Palmer, 1990a). Other-group orientation was positively related to attitude and GPA, and a negative relationship between fatalism and attitude was demonstrated. No relationship emerged between ethnic identity and the dependent variables. ((c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved).

The relationship between self-reported oral health, self-regulation, proactive coping, procrastination and proactive attitude.

PubMed

Dumitrescu, A L; Dogaru, B C; Dogaru, C D; Manolescu, B

2011-06-01

This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between self-regulation, proactive coping, procrastination and proactive attitude, perceived oral health and self-reported oral-health behaviours. The study sample consisted of 198 first year medical students. The questionnaire included information about socio-demographic factors, behavioural variables, self-reported oral health status, proactive coping (proactive coping subscale of the Proactive Coping Inventory), procrastination (Procrastination Scale) and proactive attitude (Proactive Attitude Scale). Significant differences were found on self-regulation, proactive coping, procrastination and proactive attitude scales between participants who rated their gingival condition as very good/excellent and those who evaluated it as being poor, very poor or normal (p < 0.05). Results revealed significant differences in procrastination level among individuals who never visit their dentist and those who visit their dentist for check-up or for tooth cleaning and scaling (p = 0.001) or when treatment is needed or when in pain (p < 0.05). In multiple linear regression analyses, proactive coping was associated with toothbrushing frequency and reason for dental visiting. The result suggested that procrastination and proactive coping are important determinants of perceived oral health and self-reported oral-health behaviours.

Scaling of Attitudes Toward Population Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watkins, George A.

1975-01-01

This study related population problem attitudes and socioeconomic variables. Six items concerned with number of children, birth control, family, science, economic depression, and overpopulation were selected for a Guttman scalogram. Education, occupation, and number of children were correlated with population problems scale scores; marital status,…

Violence-Related Attitudes and Beliefs: Scale Construction and Psychometrics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brand, Pamela A.; Anastasio, Phyllis A.

2006-01-01

The 50-item Violence-Related Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (V-RABS) includes three subscales measuring possible causes of violent behavior (environmental influences, biological influences, and mental illness) and four subscales assessing possible controls of violent behavior (death penalty, punishment, prevention, and catharsis). Each subscale…

Understanding Student Attitudes toward Bible Reading: A Philippine Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baring, Rito V.

2008-01-01

Reflecting from the Philippine experience, this article explores an emerging picture that characterizes contemporary Bible reading attitudes of college students. Six new attitude factor definitions are developed following the development of the Bible Reading (BR) attitude scale for college students constructed by this author in a separate study.…

Chinese Undergraduates' Explicit and Implicit Attitudes toward Persons with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Shuang; Ma, Li; Zhang, Jian-Xin

2011-01-01

The present study is aimed at examining implicit and explicit attitudes toward persons with disabilities among Chinese college students. The "Implicit Association Test" was used to measure their implicit attitudes, whereas their explicit attitudes toward persons with disabilities were measured by using a scale of three items.…

College Students' Attitudes toward Elderly Sexuality: A Two Factor Solution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hillman, Jennifer L.; Stricker, George

1996-01-01

Factor analysis of scores of 458 college students on the Aging Sexuality Knowledge and Attitude Scale revealed a two-factor structure. Religious affiliation and ethnicity uniquely predicted permissive/restrictive attitudes. Death anxiety and salience of elderly sexuality uniquely predicted empathic/indifferent attitudes. Students of different ages…

Self Concept and Nigerian Teacher-Trainees' Attitude Toward Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Awanbor, David

1996-01-01

Surveys of Nigerian teacher trainees examined self-concept and attitudes toward teaching. Results established a significant relationship between self-concept and attitudes toward teaching. Most respondents scored high on the self-concept scale but did not show a positive attitude toward teaching due to poor financial benefits and low professional…

Use of the "Attitudes Toward Mainstreaming Scale" with Undergraduate Education Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilczenski, Felicia L.

Education students' attitudes towards mainstreaming are crucial to the future success of the movement toward inclusive education. This study describes the attitudes toward mainstreaming held by undergraduate education students and assesses attitude changes related to knowledge about handicapping conditions and the field of education as well as…

Reading Attitudes of Texas High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bussert-Webb, Kathy; Zhang, Zhidong

2016-01-01

Through random sampling, we surveyed 2,568 high school students throughout Texas to determine their reading attitudes vis-à-vis individual and school background variables. Sources were the Rhody reading attitude scale and public domain campus summary data; the lenses of attitude theory and social justice informed this study. Significant…

Computer simulation results of attitude estimation of earth orbiting satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kou, S. R.

1976-01-01

Computer simulation results of attitude estimation of Earth-orbiting satellites (including Space Telescope) subjected to environmental disturbances and noises are presented. Decomposed linear recursive filter and Kalman filter were used as estimation tools. Six programs were developed for this simulation, and all were written in the basic language and were run on HP 9830A and HP 9866A computers. Simulation results show that a decomposed linear recursive filter is accurate in estimation and fast in response time. Furthermore, for higher order systems, this filter has computational advantages (i.e., less integration errors and roundoff errors) over a Kalman filter.

A comparison of medical students', residents' and tutors' attitudes towards communication skills learning.

PubMed

Molinuevo, Beatriz; Aradilla-Herrero, Amor; Nolla, Maria; Clèries, Xavier

2016-01-01

The consensus about the importance of communication skills in patient-care does not guarantee that students and faculty perceive the usefulness of these skills. This study evaluated and compared medical students', residents' and tutors' attitudes towards learning communication skills, and examined the association with gender and year of residency. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 492 participants (282 second-year students, 131 residents and 79 tutors). They completed the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) and demographic/educational information. In general, participants showed positive attitudes towards learning communication skills. Medical students, residents and tutors did not differ on the Positive Attitudes Scale (CSAS-PAS). Residents scored higher than medical students on the Negative Attitudes Scale (CSAS-NAS) (P < 0.01). Females showed higher scores on the CSAS-PAS (P < 0.05) and lower scores on the CSAS-NAS (P < 0.01) than males in all subsamples. The effect sizes were medium. There were no significant differences according to year of residency. Medical students, residents and tutors consider training in communication skills an essential component for clinical practice and they agree about the need to learn these communication skills. Attention should be paid to measuring attitudes at all three levels of medical education in the design of communication skills courses.

Development of a battery of tests to measure attitudes and intended behaviours of dental students towards people with disability or those in marginalised groups.

PubMed

Faulks, D; Dougall, A; Ting, G; Ari, T; Nunn, J; Friedman, C; John, J; Daly, B; Roger-Leroi, V; Newton, J T

2018-05-01

Recommended curricula in Special Care Dentistry (SCD) outline learning objectives that include the domain of attitudes and behaviours, but these are notoriously difficult to measure. The aims of this study were (i) to develop a test battery comprising adapted and new scales to evaluate values, attitudes and intentions of dental students towards people with disability and people in marginalised groups and (ii) to determine reliability (interitem consistency) and validity of the scales within the test battery. A literature search identified pre-existing measures and models for the assessment of attitudes in healthcare students. Adaptation of three pre-existing scales was undertaken, and a new scale was developed based upon the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) using an elicitation survey. These scales underwent a process of content validation. The three adapted scales and the TPB scale were piloted by 130 students at 5 different professional stages, from 4 different countries. The scales were adjusted to ensure good internal reliability, variance, distribution, and face and content validity. In addition, the different scales showed good divergent validity. These results are positive, and the scales now need to be validated in the field. It is hoped that these tools will be useful to educators in SCD to evaluate the impact of teaching and clinical exposure on their students. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Violence involving intimate partners

PubMed Central

Ahmad, Farah; Hogg-Johnson, Sheilah; Stewart, Donna E.; Levinson, Wendy

2007-01-01

OBJECTIVE To investigate the prevalence of violence involving intimate partners among women visiting Canadian family practices and to assess participants’ attitudes toward future use of computer-assisted screening for violence and other health risks. DESIGN Self-report via written survey. SETTING Group family practice clinic in inner-city Toronto, Ont. PARTICIPANTS Women patients at least 18 years old who were fluent in English. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Responses to questions about violence selected from the Abuse Assessment Screen and the Partner Violence Screen. Participants’ attitudes toward computer-assisted screening as measured by the Computerized Lifestyle Assessment Scale (1 to 5) in the domains of benefits, privacy—barriers, interaction—barriers, and interest. RESULTS Responses were received from 202 patients, 144 of whom were in current or recent relationships and completed the section on intimate-partner violence (IPV). The overall prevalence of IPV in current or recent relationships was 14.6%. Emotional abuse was reported by 10.4%, threat of violence by 8.3%, and physical or sexual violence by 7.6% of respondents. Emotional abuse was significantly associated with threat of violence and physical or sexual violence (P≤.001). Analysis of responses to questions on computerized screening revealed that participants generally perceived it would have benefits (mean score 3.6) and were very interested in it (mean score 4.3). Those who reported experiencing IPV rated the benefits of computerized screening significantly higher than respondents without IPV experiences did (t2.3, df142, P < .05). Participants were “not sure” about barriers (mean score 3.0). Responses were similar in the 2 groups for the domains of interest, privacy—barriers, and interaction—barriers. CONCLUSION The high rate of IPV reported by women attending family practices calls for physicians to be vigilant. Future research should examine ways to facilitate physicians’ inquiry into IPV. The positive attitudes of our participants toward interactive computer-assisted screening indicates a need for more research in this area. PMID:17872682

The Australian Racism, Acceptance, and Cultural-Ethnocentrism Scale (RACES): item response theory findings.

PubMed

Grigg, Kaine; Manderson, Lenore

2016-03-17

Racism and associated discrimination are pervasive and persistent challenges with multiple cumulative deleterious effects contributing to inequities in various health outcomes. Globally, research over the past decade has shown consistent associations between racism and negative health concerns. Such research confirms that race endures as one of the strongest predictors of poor health. Due to the lack of validated Australian measures of racist attitudes, RACES (Racism, Acceptance, and Cultural-Ethnocentrism Scale) was developed. Here, we examine RACES' psychometric properties, including the latent structure, utilising Item Response Theory (IRT). Unidimensional and Multidimensional Rating Scale Model (RSM) Rasch analyses were utilised with 296 Victorian primary school students and 182 adolescents and 220 adults from the Australian community. RACES was demonstrated to be a robust 24-item three-dimensional scale of Accepting Attitudes (12 items), Racist Attitudes (8 items), and Ethnocentric Attitudes (4 items). RSM Rasch analyses provide strong support for the instrument as a robust measure of racist attitudes in the Australian context, and for the overall factorial and construct validity of RACES across primary school children, adolescents, and adults. RACES provides a reliable and valid measure that can be utilised across the lifespan to evaluate attitudes towards all racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious groups. A core function of RACES is to assess the effectiveness of interventions to reduce community levels of racism and in turn inequities in health outcomes within Australia.

Development and validation of a short-form Pain Medication Attitudes Questionnaire (PMAQ-14).

PubMed

Elander, James; Said, Omimah; Maratos, Frances A; Dys, Ada; Collins, Hannah; Schofield, Malcolm B

2017-03-01

Attitudes to pain medication are important aspects of adjustment to chronic pain. They are measured by the 47-item Pain Medication Attitudes Questionnaire (PMAQ). To measure those attitudes more quickly and easily, we developed and evaluated a 14-item PMAQ using data from 3 separate surveys of people with pain in the general population. In survey 1, participants (n = 295) completed the 47-item PMAQ and measures of pain, analgesic use, analgesic dependence, and attitudes to self-medication. For each of the 7 PMAQ scales, the 2 items that best preserved the content of the full parent scales were identified using correlation and regression. The 2-item and full parent scales had very similar relationships with other measures, indicating that validity had been maintained. The resulting 14-item PMAQ was then completed by participants in survey 2 (n = 241) and survey 3 (n = 147), along with the same other measures as in survey 1. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the 14-item PMAQ retained the 7-factor structure of the 47-item version, and correlations with other measures showed that it retained the validity of the 47-item version. The PMAQ scale Need was the most significant independent predictor of analgesic dependence in each of 4 separate multiple regression analyses. This short form of the PMAQ allows attitudes to pain medications to be measured in a valid and more efficient way.

Student Attitudes: A Study of Social Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardy, Clifford A.

1976-01-01

Student attitudes toward current controversial problems (bussing for racial integration, legalization of abortion, and legalization of marijuana) were studied with regard to social class. The 1960 revision of the Purdue Master Attitude Scale was used. (LBH)

Qualification and Gender Dimensions in Attitude of Secondary School Social Studies Teachers towards Computer Usage in Kogi State Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achor, Emmanuel E.; Shaibu, Joshua S.

2013-01-01

This study examined attitude dimensions of secondary school social studies teachers towards computer usage in Kogi State Nigeria. Qualification and Gender influence on their use was examined. Participants were 427 (Male = 224; female = 203) social studies teachers. Sampling was purposive and random. The study adopted the survey design. Data were…

Investigation of Pre-Service Physical Education Teachers' Attitudes Towards Computer Technologies (Case of Turkey)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Can, Suleyman

2015-01-01

Elicitation of pre-service physical education teachers' attitudes towards computer technologies seems to be of great importance to satisfy the conditions to be met for the conscious and effective use of the technologies required by the age to be used in educational settings. In this respect, the purpose of the present study is to investigate…

The Influence of Computer-Mediated Word-of-Mouth Communication on Student Perceptions of Instructors and Attitudes toward Learning Course Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Chad; Edwards, Autumn; Qing, Qingmei; Wahl, Shawn T.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to experimentally test the influence of computer-mediated word-of-mouth communication (WOM) on student perceptions of instructors (attractiveness and credibility) and on student attitudes toward learning course content (affective learning and state motivation). It was hypothesized that students who receive positive…

Effects of Computer Based Learning on Students' Attitudes and Achievements towards Analytical Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akcay, Hüsamettin; Durmaz, Asli; Tüysüz, Cengiz; Feyzioglu, Burak

2006-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of computer-based learning and traditional method on students' attitudes and achievement towards analytical chemistry. Students from Chemistry Education Department at Dokuz Eylul University (D.E.U) were selected randomly and divided into three groups; two experimental (Eg-1 and Eg-2) and a control…

A Path Analysis of Pre-Service Teachers' Attitudes to Computer Use: Applying and Extending the Technology Acceptance Model in an Educational Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teo, Timothy

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine pre-service teachers' attitudes to computers. This study extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) framework by adding subjective norm, facilitating conditions, and technological complexity as external variables. Results show that the TAM and subjective norm, facilitating conditions, and technological…

An Analysis on Distance Education Computer Programming Students' Attitudes Regarding Programming and Their Self-Efficacy for Programming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozyurt, Ozcan

2015-01-01

This study aims to analyze the attitudes of students studying computer programming through the distance education regarding programming, and their self-efficacy for programming and the relation between these two factors. The study is conducted with 104 students being thought with distance education in a university in the north region of Turkey in…

Interacting with a Computer-Simulated Pet: Factors Influencing Children's Humane Attitudes and Empathy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Yueh-Feng; Kaufman, David

2014-01-01

Previous research by Tsai and Kaufman (2010a, 2010b) has suggested that computer-simulated virtual pet dogs can be used as a potential medium to enhance children's development of empathy and humane attitudes toward animals. To gain a deeper understanding of how and why interacting with a virtual pet dog might influence children's social and…

Primary Trainee Teachers' Attitudes to and Use of Computer and Technology in Mathematics: The Case of Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dogan, Mustafa

2010-01-01

This study explores Turkish primary mathematics trainee teachers' attitudes to computer and technology. A survey was conducted with a self constructed questionnaire. Piloting, factor and reliability ([alpha] = 0.94) analyses were performed. The final version of the questionnaire has three parts with a total of 48 questions including a Likert type…

Development of an Attitude Scale to Measure the Undergraduate Students' Attitudes Towards Nanobiotechnology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gul, Seyda

2017-10-01

Nanobiotechnology, which resulted from the convergence of biotechnology and nanotechnology, is a new field of research, and it has an increasing impact on peoples' everyday lives. Thus, it is important to measure peoples' attitudes towards nanobiotechnology, in particular, those who are specifically involved in biology and science education. However, despite the existence of an adequate number of instruments on biotechnology or nanotechnology, for nanobiotechnology, there is no instrument that has been rigorously validated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a nanobiotechnology scale for assessing the undergraduate students' attitudes. The data were gathered from 236 student teachers enrolled in the departments of biology education and elementary science education. The findings from exploratory factor analysis (EFA) provided evidence for the validity and reliability of the final form of the scale. At total of 36 items were identified and contained within the following four factors, nanobiotechnology awareness, interest in nanobiotechnology, nanobiotechnology education, and the applications of nanobiotechnology. The total variance was 53.021%, and the Cronbach's alpha for the overall scale was 0.93. The scale was later given to 203 student teachers, the results of which were presented in this study. The results indicated significant differences in gender and department in some of the subscales of the scale. As a result, it is believed that the instrument will be a valuable tool for both instructors and researchers in science education to assess the student teachers' attitudes about nanobiotechnology.

[Greek students' attitudes towards mental disorders].

PubMed

Antoniadis, D; Gouti, A; Kaloudi, E; Τourlende, N; Douzenis, A; Christodoulou, C; Lykouras, L; Livaditis, M; Samakouri, M

2016-01-01

Attitudes and beliefs of the population regarding the mentally ill have been universally subject of many researches. Research of different groups' opinion for mental disorders has given remarkable findings that assist in the right design of psychiatric services. Objective of this thesis is to study the attitude of students towards mental illness. In particular, it intends to study the differences derived from the age, gender, place of birth, kind of studies, year of study, duration of stay at the place of studies and the existence of mental disorders in the student's family. Data were collected from 536 students randomly selected from Universities and Technological Institutions both in Athens and Thessaloniki. In general, the participants are being divided based on the subject of their studies in undergraduates of human sciences, exact sciences, social and health sciences. The short version of the scale "Community Attitudes Toward the Mentality III" (CAMI) was used, which consists of 26 questions sorted to four subscales (domination scale, humanism scale, social exclusion scale and the scale measuring the community beliefs regarding the care of mentally ill), along with a special questionnaire in order to collect social and demographic data. Students' attitudes towards mental illness are influenced by demographic factors, the department they are studying at and the year of study. Female gender (p=0.000), personal contact with mentally ill (p=0.012), studying in Universities (p=0.031) and especially social sciences (p=0.009) are associated with positive attitudes. On the contrary, less years of studying are associated with negative attitudes whereas older students appear to score less in the Domination Scale (p=0.000). It is significant that the place of birth (p=0,335) and the duration of stay at the place of studies (r=0.735) did not show any association with the variables studied in this research. However these results cannot be compared with older researches since there are not sufficient findings. Women tend to show more humanitarian attitude towards the mentally ill in comparison to men, emphasizing the role the community plays in their support reinforcing their reintegration in the community verifying the results of research conducted in Greece and other countries. Furthermore, students who have previously been in contact with mentally ill tend to have more favorable attitude and understanding towards them. The findings concerning the age and the years of studying highlight the imperative need of exploring thoroughly the knowledge regarding the attitudes towards mental illness.

Predicted torque equilibrium attitude utilization for Space Station attitude control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumar, Renjith R.; Heck, Michael L.; Robertson, Brent P.

1990-01-01

An approximate knowledge of the torque equilibrium attitude (TEA) is shown to improve the performance of a control moment gyroscope (CMG) momentum management/attitude control law for Space Station Freedom. The linearized equations of motion are used in conjunction with a state transformation to obtain a control law which uses full state feedback and the predicted TEA to minimize both attitude excursions and CMG peak and secular momentum. The TEA can be computationally determined either by observing the steady state attitude of a 'controlled' spacecraft using arbitrary initial attitude, or by simulating a fixed attitude spacecraft flying in desired orbit subject to realistic environmental disturbance models.

Interprofessional Education: What Measurable Learning Outcomes Are Realistic for the Physician Assistant Profession?

PubMed

Lohenry, Kevin; Lie, Désirée; Fung, Cha-Chi; Crandall, Sonia; Bushardt, Reamer L

2016-06-01

To compare physician assistant (PA) students' attitudes regarding interprofessional education by students' seniority, gender, age, and previous experience with interprofessional education. The validated 19-item Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale and the 12-item Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale were administered to matriculating and graduating PA students from 2 US institutions (N = 186). Primary outcomes were score differences by subgroup and institution using independent sample t-tests. We also examined scale validity measured by Cronbach's alpha (internal consistency) and Pearson correlation coefficients (concurrent validity). Student demographics at both institutions were similar. Initial comparisons did not demonstrate significant institutional differences. Consequently, data were combined for subsequent analyses. Matriculating students had significantly higher mean Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale scores than did graduating students. No significant differences were found by gender, age, or previous interprofessional education exposure for either scale. Both scales demonstrated high internal consistency (Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale α = 0.93; Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale α = 0.84). Physician assistant student attitudes regarding interprofessional education are very positive at matriculation and are less positive at graduation. Physician assistant student attitudes do not vary by gender, age, or previous interprofessional education exposure. Physician assistant educators should ensure that students' interprofessional education exposure makes full use of the students' initial positive attitudes and focuses on skill development for interprofessional education competencies.

Illness Attitudes Scale dimensions and their associations with anxiety-related constructs in a nonclinical sample.

PubMed

Stewart, S H; Watt, M C

2000-01-01

The Illness Attitudes Scale (IAS) is a self-rated measure that consists of nine subscales designed to assess fears, attitudes and beliefs associated with hypochondriacal concerns and abnormal illness behavior [Kellner, R. (1986). Somatization and hypochondriasis. New York: Praeger; Kellner, R. (1987). Abridged manual of the Illness Attitudes Scale. Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico]. The purposes of the present study were to explore the hierarchical factor structure of the IAS in a nonclinical sample of young adult volunteers and to examine the relations of each illness attitudes dimension to a set of anxiety-related measures. One-hundred and ninety-seven undergraduate university students (156 F, 41 M; mean age = 21.9 years) completed the IAS as well as measures of anxiety sensitivity, trait anxiety and panic attack history. The results of principal components analyses with oblique (Oblimin) rotation suggested that the IAS is best conceptualized as a four-factor measure at the lower order level (with lower-order dimensions tapping illness-related Fears, Behavior, Beliefs and Effects, respectively), and a unifactorial measure at the higher-order level (i.e. higher-order dimension tapping General Hypochondriacal Concerns). The factor structure overlapped to some degree with the scoring of the IAS proposed by Kellner (1986, 1987), as well as with the factor structures identified in previously-tested clinical and nonclinical samples [Ferguson, E. & Daniel, E. (1995). The Illness Attitudes Scale (IAS): a psychometric evaluation on a nonclinical population. Personality and Individual Differences, 18, 463-469; Hadjistavropoulos, H. D. & Asmundson, G. J. G. (1998). Factor analytic investigation of the Illness Attitudes Scale in a chronic pain sample. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36, 1185-1195; Hadjistavropoulos, H. D., Frombach, I. & Asmundson, G. J. G. (in press). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic investigations of the Illness Attitudes Scale in a nonclinical sample. Behaviour Research and Therapy; Speckens, A. E., Spinhoven, P., Sloekers, P. P. A., Bolk, J. H. & van Hemert, A. M. (1996). A validation study of the Whitley Index, the Illness Attitude Scales and the Somatosensory Amplification Scale in general medical and general practice patients. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 40, 95-104]. The Fears, Beliefs and Effects lower-order factors and the General Hypochondriacal Concerns higher-order factor, were shown to be strongly associated with anxiety sensitivity, even after accounting for trait anxiety and panic history. Implications for understanding the high degree of comorbidity between the diagnoses of panic disorder and hypochondriasis, as well as future research directions for exploring the utility of various IAS dimensions in predicting responses to lab-based bodily symptom-induction procedures, are discussed.

A cognitive-consistency based model of population wide attitude change.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lakkaraju, Kiran; Speed, Ann Elizabeth

Attitudes play a significant role in determining how individuals process information and behave. In this paper we have developed a new computational model of population wide attitude change that captures the social level: how individuals interact and communicate information, and the cognitive level: how attitudes and concept interact with each other. The model captures the cognitive aspect by representing each individuals as a parallel constraint satisfaction network. The dynamics of this model are explored through a simple attitude change experiment where we vary the social network and distribution of attitudes in a population.

The Cross Validation of the Attitudes toward Mainstreaming Scale (ATMS).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berryman, Joan D.; Neal, W. R. Jr.

1980-01-01

Reliability and factorial validity of the Attitudes Toward Mainstreaming Scale was supported in a cross-validation study with teachers. Three factors emerged: learning capability, general mainstreaming, and traditional limiting disabilities. Factor intercorrelations varied from .42 to .55; correlations between total scores and individual factors…

Health care interprofessional education: encouraging technology, teamwork, and team performance.

PubMed

2014-04-01

It is critical to prepare nurses for future practice to work in teams by engaging students in interprofessional education (IPE) that fosters positive attitudes toward teamwork. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of computer-supported IPE on students’ attitudes and perceptions toward health care teamwork and team performance. A hybrid approach to IPE was used to provide students with an educational experience that combined the benefits of traditional face-to-face communication methodology with a computer-mediated platform that focused on reflection and team building. A statistically significant difference was found in students’ perceptions of team performance after engaging in computer-supported IPE. No statistically significant difference in students’ pretest–posttest composite attitude toward teamwork scores was noted; however, there was a positive trend toward improved scores.

The effect of electronic networking on preservice elementary teachers' science teaching self-efficacy and attitude towards science teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathew, Nishi Mary

Preservice elementary teachers' science teaching efficacy and attitude towards science teaching are important determinants of whether and how they will teach science in their classrooms. Preservice teachers' understanding of science and science teaching experiences have an impact on their beliefs about their ability to teach science. This study had a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design (N = 60). Preservice elementary teachers in this study were networked through the Internet (using e-mail, newsgroups, listserv, world wide web access and electronic mentoring) during their science methods class and student practicum. Electronic networking provides a social context in which to learn collaboratively, share and reflect upon science teaching experiences and practices, conduct tele-research effectively, and to meet the demands of student teaching through peer support. It was hoped that the activities over the electronic networks would provide them with positive and helpful science learning and teaching experiences. Self-efficacy was measured using a 23-item Likert scale instrument, the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument, Form-B (STEBI-B). Attitude towards science teaching was measured using the Revised Science Attitude Scale (RSAS). Analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data, with pretest scores as the covariate. Findings of this study revealed that prospective elementary teachers in the electronically networked group had better science teaching efficacy and personal science teaching efficacy as compared to the non-networked group of preservice elementary teachers. The science teaching outcome expectancy of prospective elementary teachers in the networked group was not greater than that of the prospective teachers in the non-networked group (at p < 0.05). Attitude towards science teaching was not significantly affected by networking. However, this is surmised to be related to the duration of the study. Information about the experiences of the participants in this study was also collected through interview, and inventories. Findings from the interview data revealed that prospective teachers benefited from the interactions with peers, science mentors, and science methods instructors during student teaching. Students who did not have access to computers noted that time was a constraint in the use of the electronic networks.

CAVL: Does It Develop Learner's Attitude?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maleki, Hojjat; Ghasemi, Ali Aaghar; Moharami, Mehdi

2015-01-01

Individual's response to anything related to the immediate context can form attitudes concerning the learning situation where the language is taught. As an attempt to shed new light on the issues relevant to attitude, this study investigated the extent to which a Computer-Assisted Vocabulary Learning (CAVL), Mandegar, can improve learners'…

14 CFR 27.725 - Limit drop test.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) Each landing gear unit must be tested in the attitude simulating the landing condition that is most... rotorcraft in the most critical attitude. A rational method may be used in computing a main gear static... with the rotorcraft in the maximum nose-up attitude considered in the nose-up landing conditions. h...

Gender, Religiosity, Sexual Activity, Sexual Knowledge, and Attitudes Toward Controversial Aspects of Sexuality.

PubMed

Sümer, Zeynep Hatipoğlu

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of gender, religiosity, sexual activity, and sexual knowledge in predicting attitudes toward controversial aspects of sexuality among Turkish university students. Participants were 162 female and 135 male undergraduate students who were recruited on a volunteer basis from an urban state university in Turkey. The SKAT-A Attitude Scale along with background information form, sexual activities inventory, and sexual knowledge scale were administered to the participants. Simultaneous multiple regression analyses revealed that religiosity, particularly attendance to religious services was the most significant predictor in explaining university students' attitudes toward masturbation, abortion, homosexuality, pornography, and sexual coercion.