Exploratory study of factors influencing job-related stress in Japanese psychiatric nurses.

PubMed

Yada, Hironori; Lu, Xi; Omori, Hisamitsu; Abe, Hiroshi; Matsuo, Hisae; Ishida, Yasushi; Katoh, Takahiko

2015-01-01

This study explored the factor structure of psychiatric nurses' job-related stress and examined the specificity of the related stressors using the job stressor scale of the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ). The stressor scale of the BJSQ was administered to 296 nurses and assistant nurses. Answers were examined statistically. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to identify factor structures; two factors (overload and job environment) were valid. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the two-factor structure and found 11 items with factor loadings of >0.40 (model 1), 13 items with factor loadings from 0.30 to <0.40 (model 2), and 17 items with factor loadings from 0.20 to <0.30 (model 3) for one factor; model 1 demonstrated the highest goodness of fit. Then, we observed that the two-factor structure (model 1) showed a higher goodness of fit than the original six-factor structure. This differed from subscales based on general workers' job-related stressors, suggesting that the factor structure of psychiatric nurses' job-related stressors is specific. Further steps may be necessary to reduce job-related stress specifically related to overload including attention to many needs of patients and job environment including complex ethical dilemmas in psychiatric nursing.

[Development of an Instrument to Assess the Quality of Childbirth Care from the Mother's Perspective].

PubMed

Jeong, Geum Hee; Kim, Hyun Kyoung; Kim, Young Hee; Kim, Sun Hee; Lee, Sun Hee; Kim, Kyung Won

2018-02-01

This study aimed to develop an instrument to assess the quality of childbirth care from the perspective of a mother after delivery. The instrument was developed from a literature review, interviews, and item validation. Thirty-eight items were compiled for the instrument. The data for validity and reliability testing were collected using a questionnaire survey conducted on 270 women who had undergone normal vaginal delivery in Korea and analyzed with descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and reliability coefficients. The exploratory factor analysis reduced the number of items in the instrument to 28 items that were factored into four subscales: family-centered care, personal care, emotional empowerment, and information provision. With respect to convergence validation, there was positive correlation between this instrument and birth satisfaction scale (r=.34, p<.001). The internal consistency reliability was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha =.96). This instrument could be used as a measure of the quality of nursing care for women who have a normal vaginal delivery. © 2018 Korean Society of Nursing Science.

The Investigation of Construct Validity of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder-5 Personality Traits on Iranian sample with Antisocial and Borderline Personality Disorders.

PubMed

Amini, Mehdi; Pourshahbaz, Abbas; Mohammadkhani, Parvaneh; Ardakani, Mohammad-Reza Khodaie; Lotfi, Mozhgan

2014-12-01

The goal of this study was to examine the construct validity of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder-5 (DSM-5) conceptual model of antisocial and borderline personality disorders (PDs). More specifically, the aim was to determine whether the DSM-5 five-factor structure of pathological personality trait domains replicated in an independently collected sample that differs culturally from the derivation sample. This study was on a sample of 346 individuals with antisocial (n = 122) and borderline PD (n = 130), and nonclinical subjects (n = 94). Participants randomly selected from prisoners, out-patient, and in-patient clients. Participants were recruited from Tehran prisoners, and clinical psychology and psychiatry clinics of Razi and Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The SCID-II-PQ, SCID-II, DSM-5 Personality Trait Rating Form (Clinician's PTRF) were used to diagnosis of PD and to assessment of pathological traits. The data were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis. Factor analysis revealed a 5-factor solution for DSM-5 personality traits. Results showed that DSM-5 has adequate construct validity in Iranian sample with antisocial and borderline PDs. Factors similar in number with the other studies, but different in the content. Exploratory factor analysis revealed five homogeneous components of antisocial and borderline PDs. That may represent personality, behavioral, and affective features central to the disorder. Furthermore, the present study helps understand the adequacy of DSM-5 dimensional approach to evaluation of personality pathology, specifically on Iranian sample.

Personal Epistemologies of Statisticians in Academia: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diamond, Aurel H.; Stylianides, Andreas J.

2017-01-01

In this exploratory study, we investigated the personal epistemologies of statisticians in academia with the aim of offering some insight into what might be an availing epistemology for learning statistics. Findings from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with six academics in the UK currently researching within the field of statistics showed…

Measurement of self-evaluative motives: a shopping scenario.

PubMed

Wajda, Theresa A; Kolbe, Richard; Hu, Michael Y; Cui, Annie Peng

2008-08-01

To develop measures of consumers' self-evaluative motives of Self-verification, Self-enhancement, and Self-improvement within the context of a mall shopping environment, an initial set of 49 items was generated by conducting three focus-group sessions. These items were subsequently converted into shopping-dependent motive statements. 250 undergraduate college students responded on a 7-point scale to each statement as these related to the acquisition of recent personal shopping goods. An exploratory factor analysis yielded five factors, accounting for 57.7% of the variance, three of which corresponded to the Self-verification motive (five items), Self-enhancement motive (three items), and Self-improvement motive (six items). These 14 items, along with 9 reconstructed items, yielded 23 items retained and subjected to additional testing. In a final round of data collection, 169 college students provided data for exploratory factor analysis. 11 items were used in confirmatory factor analysis. Analysis indicated that the 11-item scale adequately captured measures of the three self-evaluative motives. However, further data reduction produced a 9-item scale with marked improvement in statistical fit over the 11-item scale.

A quantitative analysis of factors influencing the professional longevity of high school science teachers in Florida

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ridgley, James Alexander, Jr.

This dissertation is an exploratory quantitative analysis of various independent variables to determine their effect on the professional longevity (years of service) of high school science teachers in the state of Florida for the academic years 2011-2012 to 2013-2014. Data are collected from the Florida Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress databases. The following research hypotheses are examined: H1 - There are statistically significant differences in Level 1 (teacher variables) that influence the professional longevity of a high school science teacher in Florida. H2 - There are statistically significant differences in Level 2 (school variables) that influence the professional longevity of a high school science teacher in Florida. H3 - There are statistically significant differences in Level 3 (district variables) that influence the professional longevity of a high school science teacher in Florida. H4 - When tested in a hierarchical multiple regression, there are statistically significant differences in Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 that influence the professional longevity of a high school science teacher in Florida. The professional longevity of a Floridian high school science teacher is the dependent variable. The independent variables are: (Level 1) a teacher's sex, age, ethnicity, earned degree, salary, number of schools taught in, migration count, and various years of service in different areas of education; (Level 2) a school's geographic location, residential population density, average class size, charter status, and SES; and (Level 3) a school district's average SES and average spending per pupil. Statistical analyses of exploratory MLRs and a HMR are used to support the research hypotheses. The final results of the HMR analysis show a teacher's age, salary, earned degree (unknown, associate, and doctorate), and ethnicity (Hispanic and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander); a school's charter status; and a school district's average SES are all significant predictors of a Florida high school science teacher's professional longevity. Although statistically significant in the initial exploratory MLR analyses, a teacher's ethnicity (Asian and Black), a school's geographic location (city and rural), and a school's SES are not statistically significant in the final HMR model.

Bayesian Factor Analysis as a Variable Selection Problem: Alternative Priors and Consequences

PubMed Central

Lu, Zhao-Hua; Chow, Sy-Miin; Loken, Eric

2016-01-01

Factor analysis is a popular statistical technique for multivariate data analysis. Developments in the structural equation modeling framework have enabled the use of hybrid confirmatory/exploratory approaches in which factor loading structures can be explored relatively flexibly within a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) framework. Recently, a Bayesian structural equation modeling (BSEM) approach (Muthén & Asparouhov, 2012) has been proposed as a way to explore the presence of cross-loadings in CFA models. We show that the issue of determining factor loading patterns may be formulated as a Bayesian variable selection problem in which Muthén and Asparouhov’s approach can be regarded as a BSEM approach with ridge regression prior (BSEM-RP). We propose another Bayesian approach, denoted herein as the Bayesian structural equation modeling with spike and slab prior (BSEM-SSP), which serves as a one-stage alternative to the BSEM-RP. We review the theoretical advantages and disadvantages of both approaches and compare their empirical performance relative to two modification indices-based approaches and exploratory factor analysis with target rotation. A teacher stress scale data set (Byrne, 2012; Pettegrew & Wolf, 1982) is used to demonstrate our approach. PMID:27314566

A Brief History of the Philosophical Foundations of Exploratory Factor Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulaik, Stanley A.

1987-01-01

Exploratory factor analysis derives its key ideas from many sources, including Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Descartes, Pearson and Yule, and Kant. The conclusions of exploratory factor analysis are never complete without subsequent confirmatory factor analysis. (Author/GDC)

Development and psychometric properties rating scale of “clinical competency evaluation in mental health nurses”: Exploratory factor analysis

PubMed Central

Moskoei, Sara; Mohtashami, Jamileh; Ghalenoeei, Mahdie; Nasiri, Maliheh; Tafreshi, Mansoreh Zaghari

2017-01-01

Introduction Evaluation of clinical competency in nurses has a distinct importance in healthcare due to its significant impact on improving the quality of patient care and creation of opportunities for professional promotion. This is a psychometric study for development of the “Clinical Competency of Mental Health Nursing”(CCMHN) rating scale. Methods In this methodological research that was conducted in 2015, in Tehran, Iran, the main items were developed after literature review and the validity and reliability of the tool were identified. The face, content (content validity ratio and content validity index) and construct validities were calculated. For face and content validity, experts’ comments were used. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the construct validity. The reliability of scale was determined by the internal consistency and inter-rater correlation. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS version 16, using descriptive statistical analysis. Results A scale with 45 items in two parts including Emotional/Moral and Specific Care competencies was developed. Content validity ratio and content validity index were 0.88, 0.97 respectively. Exploratory factor analysis indicated two factors: The first factor with 23.93 eigenvalue and second factor with eigenvalue 2.58. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for determination of internal consistency was 0.98 and the ICC for confirmation inter-rater correlation was 0.98. Conclusion A scale with 45 items and two areas was developed with appropriate validity and reliability. This scale can be used to assess the clinical competency in nursing students and mental health nurses. PMID:28607650

Comparative Analysis of Academic Grades in Compulsory Secondary Education in Spain Using Statistical Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veas, Alejandro; Gilar, Raquel; Miñano, Pablo; Castejón, Juan Luis

2017-01-01

The present study, based on the construct comparability approach, performs a comparative analysis of general points average for seven courses, using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the Partial Credit model (PCM) with a sample of 1398 student subjects (M = 12.5, SD = 0.67) from 8 schools in the province of Alicante (Spain). EFA confirmed a…

A Comparison of Classroom and Online Asynchronous Problem-Based Learning for Students Undertaking Statistics Training as Part of a Public Health Masters Degree

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Jong, N.; Verstegen, D. M. L.; Tan, F. E. S.; O'Connor, S. J.

2013-01-01

This case-study compared traditional, face-to-face classroom-based teaching with asynchronous online learning and teaching methods in two sets of students undertaking a problem-based learning module in the multilevel and exploratory factor analysis of longitudinal data as part of a Masters degree in Public Health at Maastricht University. Students…

Factors underlying the psychological and behavioral characteristics of Office of Strategic Services candidates: the assessment of men data revisited.

PubMed

Lenzenweger, Mark F

2015-01-01

During World War II, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency, sought the assistance of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists to establish an assessment program for evaluating candidates for the OSS. The assessment team developed a novel and rigorous program to evaluate OSS candidates. It is described in Assessment of Men: Selection of Personnel for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS Assessment Staff, 1948). This study examines the sole remaining multivariate data matrix that includes all final ratings for a group of candidates (n = 133) assessed near the end of the assessment program. It applies the modern statistical methods of both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to this rich and highly unique data set. An exploratory factor analysis solution suggested 3 factors underlie the OSS assessment staff ratings. Confirmatory factor analysis results of multiple plausible substantive models reveal that a 3-factor model provides the best fit to these data. The 3 factors are emotional/interpersonal factors (social relations, emotional stability, security), intelligence processing (effective IQ, propaganda skills, observing and reporting), and agency/surgency (motivation, energy and initiative, leadership, physical ability). These factors are discussed in terms of their potential utility for personnel selection within the intelligence community.

A Review of CEFA Software: Comprehensive Exploratory Factor Analysis Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Soon-Mook

2010-01-01

CEFA 3.02(Browne, Cudeck, Tateneni, & Mels, 2008) is a factor analysis computer program designed to perform exploratory factor analysis. It provides the main properties that are needed for exploratory factor analysis, namely a variety of factoring methods employing eight different discrepancy functions to be minimized to yield initial…

Mismatch of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms and DSM-IV Symptom Clusters in a Cancer Sample: Exploratory Factor Analysis of the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version

PubMed Central

Shelby, Rebecca A.; Golden-Kreutz, Deanna M.; Andersen, Barbara L.

2007-01-01

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994a) conceptualization of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) includes three symptom clusters: reexperiencing, avoidance/numbing, and arousal. The PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) corresponds to the DSM-IV PTSD symptoms. In the current study, we conducted exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the PCL-C with two aims: (a) to examine whether the PCL-C evidenced the three-factor solution implied by the DSM-IV symptom clusters, and (b) to identify a factor solution for the PCL-C in a cancer sample. Women (N = 148) with Stage II or III breast cancer completed the PCL-C after completion of cancer treatment. We extracted two-, three-, four-, and five-factor solutions using EFA. Our data did not support the DSM-IV PTSD symptom clusters. Instead, EFA identified a four-factor solution including reexperiencing, avoidance, numbing, and arousal factors. Four symptom items, which may be confounded with illness and cancer treatment-related symptoms, exhibited poor factor loadings. Using these symptom items in cancer samples may lead to overdiagnosis of PTSD and inflated rates of PTSD symptoms. PMID:16281232

Psychometric properties of the Trust in Physician Scale in Tamil Nadu, India.

PubMed

Kalsingh, Maria Jusler; Veliah, Geetha; Gopichandran, Vijayaprasad

2017-01-01

Trust in health care is of high intrinsic value. It also leads to positive outcomes such as better treatment adherence and disclosure of sensitive information. Therefore, there is a need to measure trust in health care objectively. To assess the psychometric properties of the Trust in Physician Scale in Tamil Nadu, India. The study was conducted in a private tertiary hospital setting in Tamil Nadu by a cross-sectional survey design. The Trust in Physician Scale and General Trust Scale were administered to 288 participants in the waiting area of a tertiary care hospital in Tamil Nadu. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and Cronbach's alpha statistics were used to assess the validity and reliability of the scale. The respondents were predominantly men from rural areas, older than 35 years of age, and with lesser than 8 years of schooling. The questionnaire had acceptable internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha of 0.707 (95% confidence interval 0.654-0.755). Exploratory factor analysis divided the questionnaire into four domains. Seven items loaded into factor 1 which explained dependability and competence of the physician, two items loaded on factor 2, and one each in factors 3 and 4. The latter four items had very low item to total correlations and hence did not contribute much to the questionnaire. The Trust in Physician questionnaire needs to be modified to accurately measure the domains of trust in the context of the study area. More qualitative studies are required to understand the domains of trust in this cultural and social context.

Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire in Turkish Cancer Patients

PubMed Central

Karataş, Tuğba; Özen, Şükrü; Kutlutürkan, Sevinç

2017-01-01

Objective: The main aim of this study was to investigate the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ) in Turkish cancer patients. Methods: This methodological study involved 135 cancer patients. Statistical methods included confirmatory or exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach alpha coefficients for internal consistency. Results: The values of fit indices are within the acceptable range. The alpha coefficients for emotional illness representations, cognitive illness representations, and total scale are 0.83, 0.80, and 0.85, respectively. Conclusions: The results confirm the two-factor structure of the Turkish BIPQ and demonstrate its reliability and validity. PMID:28217734

Is It Feasible to Identify Natural Clusters of TSC-Associated Neuropsychiatric Disorders (TAND)?

PubMed

Leclezio, Loren; Gardner-Lubbe, Sugnet; de Vries, Petrus J

2018-04-01

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder with multisystem involvement. The lifetime prevalence of TSC-Associated Neuropsychiatric Disorders (TAND) is in the region of 90% in an apparently unique, individual pattern. This "uniqueness" poses significant challenges for diagnosis, psycho-education, and intervention planning. To date, no studies have explored whether there may be natural clusters of TAND. The purpose of this feasibility study was (1) to investigate the practicability of identifying natural TAND clusters, and (2) to identify appropriate multivariate data analysis techniques for larger-scale studies. TAND Checklist data were collected from 56 individuals with a clinical diagnosis of TSC (n = 20 from South Africa; n = 36 from Australia). Using R, the open-source statistical platform, mean squared contingency coefficients were calculated to produce a correlation matrix, and various cluster analyses and exploratory factor analysis were examined. Ward's method rendered six TAND clusters with good face validity and significant convergence with a six-factor exploratory factor analysis solution. The "bottom-up" data-driven strategies identified a "scholastic" cluster of TAND manifestations, an "autism spectrum disorder-like" cluster, a "dysregulated behavior" cluster, a "neuropsychological" cluster, a "hyperactive/impulsive" cluster, and a "mixed/mood" cluster. These feasibility results suggest that a combination of cluster analysis and exploratory factor analysis methods may be able to identify clinically meaningful natural TAND clusters. Findings require replication and expansion in larger dataset, and could include quantification of cluster or factor scores at an individual level. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploratory and Higher-Order Factor Analyses of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) Adolescent Subsample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canivez, Gary L.; Watkins, Marley W.

2010-01-01

The factor structure of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV; Wechsler, 2008a) with the adolescent participants (ages 16-19 years; N = 400) in the standardization sample was assessed using exploratory factor analysis, multiple factor extraction criteria, and higher-order exploratory factor analyses. Results from…

Factor structure and diagnostic efficiency of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria for avoidant personality disorder in Hispanic men and women with substance use disorders.

PubMed

Becker, Daniel F; Añez, Luis Miguel; Paris, Manuel; Bedregal, Luis; Grilo, Carlos M

2009-01-01

This study examined the internal consistency, factor structure, and diagnostic efficiency of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), criteria for avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) and the extent to which these metrics may be affected by sex. Subjects were 130 monolingual Hispanic adults (90 men, 40 women) who had been admitted to a specialty clinic that provides psychiatric and substance abuse services to Spanish-speaking patients. All were reliably assessed with the Spanish-Language Version of the Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders. The AVPD diagnosis was determined by the best-estimate method. After evaluating internal consistency of the AVPD criterion set, an exploratory factor analysis was performed using principal components extraction. Afterward, diagnostic efficiency indices were calculated for all AVPD criteria. Subsequent analyses examined men and women separately. For the overall group, internal consistency of AVPD criteria was good. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 1-factor solution (accounting for 70% of the variance), supporting the unidimensionality of the AVPD criterion set. The best inclusion criterion was "reluctance to take risks," whereas "interpersonally inhibited" was the best exclusion criterion and the best predictor overall. When men and women were examined separately, similar results were obtained for both internal consistency and factor structure, with slight variations noted between sexes in the patterning of diagnostic efficiency indices. These psychometric findings, which were similar for men and women, support the construct validity of the DSM-IV criteria for AVPD and may also have implications for the treatment of this particular clinical population.

Insight into dementia care management using social-behavioral theory and mixed methods.

PubMed

Connor, Karen; McNeese-Smith, Donna; van Servellen, Gwen; Chang, Betty; Lee, Martin; Cheng, Eric; Hajar, Abdulrahman; Vickrey, Barbara G

2009-01-01

For health organizations (private and public) to advance their care-management programs, to use resources effectively and efficiently, and to improve patient outcomes, it is germane to isolate and quantify care-management activities and to identify overarching domains. The aims of this study were to identify and report on an application of mixed methods of qualitative statistical techniques, based on a theoretical framework, and to construct variables for factor analysis and exploratory factor analytic steps for identifying domains of dementia care management. Care-management activity data were extracted from the care plans of 181 pairs of individuals (with dementia and their informal caregivers) who had participated in the intervention arm of a randomized controlled trial of a dementia care-management program. Activities were organized into types, using card-sorting methods, influenced by published theoretical constructs on self-efficacy and general strain theory. These activity types were mapped in the initial data set to construct variables for exploratory factor analysis. Principal components extraction with varimax and promax rotations was used to estimate the number of factors. Cronbach's alpha was calculated for the items in each factor to assess internal consistency reliability. The two-phase card-sorting technique yielded 45 activity types out of 450 unique activities. Exploratory factor analysis produced four care-management domains (factors): behavior management, clinical strategies and caregiver support, community agency, and safety. Internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha) of items for each factor ranged from.63 for the factor "safety" to.89 for the factor "behavior management" (Factor 1). Applying a systematic method to a large set of care-management activities can identify a parsimonious number of higher order categories of variables and factors to guide the understanding of dementia care-management processes. Further application of this methodology in outcome analyses and to other data sets is necessary to test its practicality.

Latent structure of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test: a confirmatory factor analytic study.

PubMed

Greve, Kevin W; Stickle, Timothy R; Love, Jeffrey M; Bianchini, Kevin J; Stanford, Matthew S

2005-05-01

The present study represents the first large scale confirmatory factor analysis of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The results generally support the three factor solutions reported in the exploratory factor analysis literature. However, only the first factor, which reflects general executive functioning, is statistically sound. The secondary factors, while likely reflecting meaningful cognitive abilities, are less stable except when all subjects complete all 128 cards. It is likely that having two discontinuation rules for the WCST has contributed to the varied factor analytic solutions reported in the literature and early discontinuation may result in some loss of useful information. Continued multivariate research will be necessary to better clarify the processes underlying WCST performance and their relationships to one another.

Patient experience and process measures of quality of care at home health agencies: Factors associated with high performance.

PubMed

Smith, Laura M; Anderson, Wayne L; Lines, Lisa M; Pronier, Cristalle; Thornburg, Vanessa; Butler, Janelle P; Teichman, Lori; Dean-Whittaker, Debra; Goldstein, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

We examined the effects of provider characteristics on home health agency performance on patient experience of care (Home Health CAHPS) and process (OASIS) measures. Descriptive, multivariate, and factor analyses were used. While agencies score high on both domains, factor analyses showed that the underlying items represent separate constructs. Freestanding and Visiting Nurse Association agencies, higher number of home health aides per 100 episodes, and urban location were statistically significant predictors of lower performance. Lack of variation in composite measures potentially led to counterintuitive results for effects of organizational characteristics. This exploratory study showed the value of having separate quality domains.

Exploratory Factor Analysis and Multisection Validation by Correlation of Student Self-Reported Attitudes of Teacher Effectiveness with Student Achievement as Measured by Achievement Tests for Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, David M.

2013-01-01

This study investigated the use of a student evaluation of teaching survey designed by a suburban school district. Several statistical methodologies were used to evaluate the validity and reliability of the instrument. One hundred sections of grades 6-8 reading and mathematics courses were used to examine the research question: Is the Student…

[Factor Analysis: Principles to Evaluate Measurement Tools for Mental Health].

PubMed

Campo-Arias, Adalberto; Herazo, Edwin; Oviedo, Heidi Celina

2012-09-01

The validation of a measurement tool in mental health is a complex process that usually starts by estimating reliability, to later approach its validity. Factor analysis is a way to know the number of dimensions, domains or factors of a measuring tool, generally related to the construct validity of the scale. The analysis could be exploratory or confirmatory, and helps in the selection of the items with better performance. For an acceptable factor analysis, it is necessary to follow some steps and recommendations, conduct some statistical tests, and rely on a proper sample of participants. Copyright © 2012 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Neighborhood adversity, ethnic diversity, and weak social cohesion and social networks predict high rates of maternal depressive symptoms: a critical realist ecological study in South Western Sydney, Australia.

PubMed

Eastwood, John Graeme; Kemp, Lynn Ann; Jalaludin, Bin Badrudin; Phung, Hai Ngoc

2013-01-01

The aim of the study reported here is to explore ecological covariate and latent variable associations with perinatal depressive symptoms in South Western Sydney for the purpose of informing subsequent theory generation of perinatal context, depression, and the developmental origins of health and disease. Mothers (n = 15,389) delivering in 2002 and 2003 were assessed at two to three weeks after delivery for risk factors for depressive symptoms. The binary outcome variables were Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)> 9 and > 12. Aggregated EPDS > 9 was analyzed for 101 suburbs. Suburb-level variables were drawn from the 2001 Australian Census, New South Wales Crime Statistics, and aggregated individual-level risk factors. Analysis included exploratory factor analysis, univariate and multivariate likelihood, and Bayesian linear regression with conditional autoregressive components. The exploratory factor analysis identified six factors: neighborhood adversity, social cohesion, health behaviors, housing quality, social services, and support networks. Variables associated with neighborhood adversity, social cohesion, social networks, and ethnic diversity were consistently associated with aggregated depressive symptoms. The findings support the theoretical proposition that neighborhood adversity causes maternal psychological distress and depression within the context of social buffers including social networks, social cohesion, and social services.

Associations between host characteristics and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella typhimurium.

PubMed

Ruddat, I; Tietze, E; Ziehm, D; Kreienbrock, L

2014-10-01

A collection of Salmonella Typhimurium isolates obtained from sporadic salmonellosis cases in humans from Lower Saxony, Germany between June 2008 and May 2010 was used to perform an exploratory risk-factor analysis on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) using comprehensive host information on sociodemographic attributes, medical history, food habits and animal contact. Multivariate resistance profiles of minimum inhibitory concentrations for 13 antimicrobial agents were analysed using a non-parametric approach with multifactorial models adjusted for phage types. Statistically significant associations were observed for consumption of antimicrobial agents, region type and three factors on egg-purchasing behaviour, indicating that besides antimicrobial use the proximity to other community members, health consciousness and other lifestyle-related attributes may play a role in the dissemination of resistances. Furthermore, a statistically significant increase in AMR from the first study year to the second year was observed.

The use and misuse of statistical methodologies in pharmacology research.

PubMed

Marino, Michael J

2014-01-01

Descriptive, exploratory, and inferential statistics are necessary components of hypothesis-driven biomedical research. Despite the ubiquitous need for these tools, the emphasis on statistical methods in pharmacology has become dominated by inferential methods often chosen more by the availability of user-friendly software than by any understanding of the data set or the critical assumptions of the statistical tests. Such frank misuse of statistical methodology and the quest to reach the mystical α<0.05 criteria has hampered research via the publication of incorrect analysis driven by rudimentary statistical training. Perhaps more critically, a poor understanding of statistical tools limits the conclusions that may be drawn from a study by divorcing the investigator from their own data. The net result is a decrease in quality and confidence in research findings, fueling recent controversies over the reproducibility of high profile findings and effects that appear to diminish over time. The recent development of "omics" approaches leading to the production of massive higher dimensional data sets has amplified these issues making it clear that new approaches are needed to appropriately and effectively mine this type of data. Unfortunately, statistical education in the field has not kept pace. This commentary provides a foundation for an intuitive understanding of statistics that fosters an exploratory approach and an appreciation for the assumptions of various statistical tests that hopefully will increase the correct use of statistics, the application of exploratory data analysis, and the use of statistical study design, with the goal of increasing reproducibility and confidence in the literature. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Factor analysis methods and validity evidence: A systematic review of instrument development across the continuum of medical education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wetzel, Angela Payne

Previous systematic reviews indicate a lack of reporting of reliability and validity evidence in subsets of the medical education literature. Psychology and general education reviews of factor analysis also indicate gaps between current and best practices; yet, a comprehensive review of exploratory factor analysis in instrument development across the continuum of medical education had not been previously identified. Therefore, the purpose for this study was critical review of instrument development articles employing exploratory factor or principal component analysis published in medical education (2006--2010) to describe and assess the reporting of methods and validity evidence based on the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing and factor analysis best practices. Data extraction of 64 articles measuring a variety of constructs that have been published throughout the peer-reviewed medical education literature indicate significant errors in the translation of exploratory factor analysis best practices to current practice. Further, techniques for establishing validity evidence tend to derive from a limited scope of methods including reliability statistics to support internal structure and support for test content. Instruments reviewed for this study lacked supporting evidence based on relationships with other variables and response process, and evidence based on consequences of testing was not evident. Findings suggest a need for further professional development within the medical education researcher community related to (1) appropriate factor analysis methodology and reporting and (2) the importance of pursuing multiple sources of reliability and validity evidence to construct a well-supported argument for the inferences made from the instrument. Medical education researchers and educators should be cautious in adopting instruments from the literature and carefully review available evidence. Finally, editors and reviewers are encouraged to recognize this gap in best practices and subsequently to promote instrument development research that is more consistent through the peer-review process.

A Chinese version of the City of Hope Quality of Life-Ostomy Questionnaire: validity and reliability assessment.

PubMed

Gao, Wenjun; Yuan, Changrong; Wang, Jichuan; Du, Jiarui; Wu, Huiqiao; Qian, Xiaojie; Hinds, Pamela S

2013-01-01

The City of Hope Quality of Life-Ostomy Questionnaire is a widely accepted scale to assess quality of life in ostomy patients. However, the validity and reliability of the Chinese version (C-COH) have not been studied. The objective of the study was to assess the validity and reliability of the C-COH among ostomy patients sampled from Shanghai from August 2010 to June 2011. Content validity was examined based on the reviews of a panel of 10 experts; test-retest was conducted to assess the item reliabilities of the scale; a pilot sample (n = 274) was selected to explore the factorial structure of the C-COH using exploratory factor analysis; a validation sample (n = 370) was selected to confirm the findings from the exploratory study using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Statistical package SPSS version 16.0 was used for the exploratory factor analysis, and Amos 17.0 was used for the CFA. The C-COH was developed by modifying 1 item and excluding 11 items from the original scale. Four factors/subscales (physical well-being, psychological well-being, social well-being, and spiritual well-being) were identified and confirmed in the C-COH The scale reliabilities estimated from the CFA results for the 4 subscales were 0.860, 0.885, 0.864, and 0.686, respectively. Findings support the reliability and validity of the C-COH. The C-COH could be a useful measure of the level of quality of life among Chinese patients with a stoma and may provide important intervention implications for healthcare providers to help improve the life quality of patients with a stoma.

End-of-life care practices of critical care nurses: A national cross-sectional survey.

PubMed

Ranse, Kristen; Yates, Patsy; Coyer, Fiona

2016-05-01

The critical care context presents important opportunities for nurses to deliver skilled, comprehensive care to patients at the end of life and their families. Limited research has identified the actual end-of-life care practices of critical care nurses. To identify the end-of-life care practices of critical care nurses. A national cross-sectional online survey. The survey was distributed to members of an Australian critical care nursing association and 392 critical care nurses (response rate 25%) completed the survey. Exploratory factor analysis using principal axis factoring with oblique rotation was undertaken on survey responses to identify the domains of end-of-life care practice. Descriptive statistics were calculated for individual survey items. Exploratory factor analysis identified six domains of end-of-life care practice: information sharing, environmental modification, emotional support, patient and family centred decision-making, symptom management and spiritual support. Descriptive statistics identified a high level of engagement in information sharing and environmental modification practices and less frequent engagement in items from the emotional support and symptom management practice areas. The findings of this study identified domains of end-of-life care practice, and critical care nurse engagement in these practices. The findings highlight future training and practice development opportunities, including the need for experiential learning targeting the emotional support practice domain. Further research is needed to enhance knowledge of symptom management practices during the provision of end-of-life care to inform and improve practice in this area. Copyright © 2015 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and validity of a scale to measure workplace culture of health.

PubMed

Kwon, Youngbum; Marzec, Mary L; Edington, Dee W

2015-05-01

To describe the development of and test the validity and reliability of the Workplace Culture of Health (COH) scale. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed on data from a health care organization (N = 627). To verify the factor structure, confirmatory factor analysis was performed on a second data set from a medical equipment manufacturer (N = 226). The COH scale included a structure of five orthogonal factors: senior leadership and polices, programs and rewards, quality assurance, supervisor support, and coworker support. With regard to construct validity (convergent and discriminant) and reliability, two different US companies showed the same factorial structure, satisfactory fit statistics, and suitable internal and external consistency. The COH scale represents a reliable and valid scale to assess the workplace environment and culture for supporting health.

Investigation of the factor structure of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV): exploratory and higher order factor analyses.

PubMed

Canivez, Gary L; Watkins, Marley W

2010-12-01

The present study examined the factor structure of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV; D. Wechsler, 2008a) standardization sample using exploratory factor analysis, multiple factor extraction criteria, and higher order exploratory factor analysis (J. Schmid & J. M. Leiman, 1957) not included in the WAIS-IV Technical and Interpretation Manual (D. Wechsler, 2008b). Results indicated that the WAIS-IV subtests were properly associated with the theoretically proposed first-order factors, but all but one factor-extraction criterion recommended extraction of one or two factors. Hierarchical exploratory analyses with the Schmid and Leiman procedure found that the second-order g factor accounted for large portions of total and common variance, whereas the four first-order factors accounted for small portions of total and common variance. It was concluded that the WAIS-IV provides strong measurement of general intelligence, and clinical interpretation should be primarily at that level.

Frailty Index Predicts All-Cause Mortality for Middle-Aged and Older Taiwanese: Implications for Active-Aging Programs.

PubMed

Lin, Shu-Yu; Lee, Wei-Ju; Chou, Ming-Yueh; Peng, Li-Ning; Chiou, Shu-Ti; Chen, Liang-Kung

2016-01-01

Frailty Index, defined as an individual's accumulated proportion of listed health-related deficits, is a well-established metric used to assess the health status of old adults; however, it has not yet been developed in Taiwan, and its local related structure factors remain unclear. The objectives were to construct a Taiwan Frailty Index to predict mortality risk, and to explore the structure of its factors. Analytic data on 1,284 participants aged 53 and older were excerpted from the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study (2006), in Taiwan. A consensus workgroup of geriatricians selected 159 items according to the standard procedure for creating a Frailty Index. Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to explore the association between the Taiwan Frailty Index and mortality. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify structure factors and produce a shorter version-the Taiwan Frailty Index Short-Form. During an average follow-up of 4.3 ± 0.8 years, 140 (11%) subjects died. Compared to those in the lowest Taiwan Frailty Index tertile (< 0.18), those in the uppermost tertile (> 0.23) had significantly higher risk of death (Hazard ratio: 3.2; 95% CI 1.9-5.4). Thirty-five items of five structure factors identified by exploratory factor analysis, included: physical activities, life satisfaction and financial status, health status, cognitive function, and stresses. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (C-statistics) of the Taiwan Frailty Index and its Short-Form were 0.80 and 0.78, respectively, with no statistically significant difference between them. Although both the Taiwan Frailty Index and Short-Form were associated with mortality, the Short-Form, which had similar accuracy in predicting mortality as the full Taiwan Frailty Index, would be more expedient in clinical practice and community settings to target frailty screening and intervention.

Corticosterone levels and behavioral changes induced by simultaneous exposure to chronic social stress and enriched environments in NMRI male mice.

PubMed

Mesa-Gresa, Patricia; Ramos-Campos, Marta; Redolat, Rosa

2016-05-01

Environmental enrichment (EE) is an experimental model which is believed to counteract some of the effects induced by stressors, although few studies have exposed rodents simultaneously to EE and stress. Our aim was to compare the short- and long-term effects of different housing conditions in mice submitted to chronic stress. 128 NMRI male mice arrived at our laboratory on postnatal day (PND) 21. During Phase I (PND 28), animals were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions: 1) EE+STRESS: mice housed in EE and submitted to social stress (n=32); 2) EE+NO STRESS: mice housed in EE without stress (n=32); 3) SE+STRESS: mice maintained in standard conditions (SE) and submitted to social stress (n=32); and 4) SE+NO STRESS (n=32). At the end of Phase I (PND 77), one cohort of 32 animals was used for behavioral assessment whereas another cohort of 32 was sacrificed for corticosterone analysis. Results indicated that EE animals showed less body weight, higher water and food intake, diminished anxiety response and decreased motor and exploratory behavior than SE mice. Mice exposed to stress gained less body weight, showed higher food and fluid intake and displayed decreased exploratory behavior than non-stressed mice. Furthermore, EE+STRESS group displayed significantly higher corticosterone levels than EE+NO STRESS group whereas EE+NO STRESS group showed lower levels than SE+NO STRESS. On PND 83, Phase II of the study began. Animals (n=96) were assigned to two different housing conditions: EE (n=48) and SE (n=48). On PND 112, corticosterone analysis (n=32) and behavioral study (n=64) were done. The factor "Housing Phase II" reached statistical significance. Results indicated that EE animals showed lower body weight and higher fluid intake than SE group, as well as decreased anxiety. No clear effects on motor and exploratory behavior or learning were observed. When long-term effects were analyzed, results indicated that "Initial Housing" condition was significant: animals allocated in EE during Phase I of the study showed higher corticosterone levels, lower body weight and higher fluid intake than SE mice. "Initial Stress" had significant long-term actions on food intake and exploratory behavior: animals initially reared under stress conditions displayed higher food intake and lower exploration levels on the hole-board test than non-stressed mice. In the elevated plus-maze, there were significant interactions between factors "Initial Housing" and "Initial Stress". These factors did not reach statistical significance for motor activity or learning task. We can conclude that both short- and long-term effects of housing conditions are evident for corticosterone levels, body weight and fluid intake. Social stress induced short-term effects on body weight, food and fluid intake and exploratory behavior whereas long-acting effects were reflected on food intake and exploratory behavior. Further studies are needed in order to explore more in depth behavioral and physiological consequences of social stress and environmental enrichment. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Comparisons of Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniel, Larry G.

Historically, most researchers conducting factor analysis have used exploratory methods. However, more recently, confirmatory factor analytic methods have been developed that can directly test theory either during factor rotation using "best fit" rotation methods or during factor extraction, as with the LISREL computer programs developed…

Secure software practices among Malaysian software practitioners: An exploratory study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, Shafinah Farvin Packeer; Baharom, Fauziah; Deraman, Aziz; Yahya, Jamaiah; Mohd, Haslina

2016-08-01

Secure software practices is increasingly gaining much importance among software practitioners and researchers due to the rise of computer crimes in the software industry. It has become as one of the determinant factors for producing high quality software. Even though its importance has been revealed, its current practice in the software industry is still scarce, particularly in Malaysia. Thus, an exploratory study is conducted among software practitioners in Malaysia to study their experiences and practices in the real-world projects. This paper discusses the findings from the study, which involved 93 software practitioners. Structured questionnaire is utilized for data collection purpose whilst statistical methods such as frequency, mean, and cross tabulation are used for data analysis. Outcomes from this study reveal that software practitioners are becoming increasingly aware on the importance of secure software practices, however, they lack of appropriate implementation, which could affect the quality of produced software.

Exploratory Bi-Factor Analysis: The Oblique Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jennrich, Robert I.; Bentler, Peter M.

2012-01-01

Bi-factor analysis is a form of confirmatory factor analysis originally introduced by Holzinger and Swineford ("Psychometrika" 47:41-54, 1937). The bi-factor model has a general factor, a number of group factors, and an explicit bi-factor structure. Jennrich and Bentler ("Psychometrika" 76:537-549, 2011) introduced an exploratory form of bi-factor…

Bootstrap Confidence Intervals for Ordinary Least Squares Factor Loadings and Correlations in Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Guangjian; Preacher, Kristopher J.; Luo, Shanhong

2010-01-01

This article is concerned with using the bootstrap to assign confidence intervals for rotated factor loadings and factor correlations in ordinary least squares exploratory factor analysis. Coverage performances of "SE"-based intervals, percentile intervals, bias-corrected percentile intervals, bias-corrected accelerated percentile…

Likelihood-Based Confidence Intervals in Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oort, Frans J.

2011-01-01

In exploratory or unrestricted factor analysis, all factor loadings are free to be estimated. In oblique solutions, the correlations between common factors are free to be estimated as well. The purpose of this article is to show how likelihood-based confidence intervals can be obtained for rotated factor loadings and factor correlations, by…

An Exploratory Investigation of the Factor Structure of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dombrowski, Stefan C.; Watkins, Marley W.; Brogan, Michael J.

2009-01-01

This study investigated the factor structure of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS) using rigorous exploratory factor analytic and factor extraction procedures. The results of this study indicate that the RIAS is a single factor test. Despite these results, higher order factor analysis using the Schmid-Leiman procedure indicates…

Statistical principle and methodology in the NISAN system.

PubMed Central

Asano, C

1979-01-01

The NISAN system is a new interactive statistical analysis program package constructed by an organization of Japanese statisticans. The package is widely available for both statistical situations, confirmatory analysis and exploratory analysis, and is planned to obtain statistical wisdom and to choose optimal process of statistical analysis for senior statisticians. PMID:540594

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, paranoid personality disorder diagnosis: a unitary or a two-dimensional construct?

PubMed

Falkum, Erik; Pedersen, Geir; Karterud, Sigmund

2009-01-01

This article examines reliability and validity aspects of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) paranoid personality disorder (PPD) diagnosis. Patients with personality disorders (n = 930) from the Norwegian network of psychotherapeutic day hospitals, of which 114 had PPD, were included in the study. Frequency distribution, chi(2), correlations, reliability statistics, exploratory, and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. The distribution of PPD criteria revealed no distinct boundary between patients with and without PPD. Diagnostic category membership was obtained in 37 of 64 theoretically possible ways. The PPD criteria formed a separate factor in a principal component analysis, whereas a confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the DSM-IV PPD construct consists of 2 separate dimensions as follows: suspiciousness and hostility. The reliability of the unitary PPD scale was only 0.70, probably partly due to the apparent 2-dimensionality of the construct. Persistent unwarranted doubts about the loyalty of friends had the highest diagnostic efficiency, whereas unwarranted accusations of infidelity of partner had particularly poor indicator properties. The reliability and validity of the unitary PPD construct may be questioned. The 2-dimensional PPD model should be further explored.

Development and Validation of the Caring Loneliness Scale.

PubMed

Karhe, Liisa; Kaunonen, Marja; Koivisto, Anna-Maija

2016-12-01

The Caring Loneliness Scale (CARLOS) includes 5 categories derived from earlier qualitative research. This article assesses the reliability and construct validity of a scale designed to measure patient experiences of loneliness in a professional caring relationship. Statistical analysis with 4 different sample sizes included Cronbach's alpha and exploratory factor analysis with principal axis factoring extraction. The sample size of 250 gave the most useful and comprehensible structure, but all 4 samples yielded underlying content of loneliness experiences. The initial 5 categories were reduced to 4 factors with 24 items and Cronbach's alpha ranging from .77 to .90. The findings support the reliability and validity of CARLOS for the assessment of Finnish breast cancer and heart surgery patients' experiences but as all instruments, further validation is needed.

[Psychometric evaluation of the Coach Orientation Questionnaire with a Spanish sample of handball coaches].

PubMed

Feu, Sebastián; Ibáñez, Sergio José; Graça, Amândio; Sampaio, Jaime

2007-11-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire to investigate volleyball coaches' orientations toward the coaching process. The study was preceded by four developmental stages in order to improve user understanding, validate the content, and refine the psychometric properties of the instrument. Participants for the reliability and validity study were 334 Spanish volleyball team coaches, 86.5% men and 13.2% women. The following 6 factors emerged from the exploratory factor analysis: team-work orientation, technological orientation, innovative orientation, dialogue orientation, directive orientation, and social climate orientation. Statistical results indicated that the instrument produced reliable and valid scores in all the obtained factors (a> .70), showing that this questionnaire is a useful tool to examine coaches' orientations towards coaching.

The Effectiveness of Course Web Sites in Higher Education: An Exploratory Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Comunale, Christie L.; Sexton, Thomas R.; Voss, Diana J. Pedagano

2002-01-01

Describes an exploratory study of the educational effectiveness of course Web sites among undergraduate accounting students and graduate students in business statistics. Measured Web site visit frequency, usefulness of each site feature, and the impacts of Web sites on perceived learning and course performance. (Author/LRW)

Do Program Implementation Factors or Fidelity Affect Chronic Disease Self-Management Education Programs' Outcomes?

PubMed

Brady, Teresa J; Murphy, Louise B; O'Colmain, Benita J; Hobson, Reeti Desai

2017-09-01

To evaluate whether implementation factors or fidelity moderate chronic disease self-management education program outcomes. Meta-analysis of 34 Arthritis Self-Management Program and Chronic Disease Self-Management Program studies. Community. N = 10 792. Twelve implementation factors: program delivery fidelity and setting and leader and participant characteristics. Eighteen program outcomes: self-reported health behaviors, physical health status, psychological health status, and health-care utilization. Meta-analysis using pooled effect sizes. Modest to moderate statistically significant differences for 4 of 6 implementation factors; these findings were counterintuitive with better outcomes when leaders and participants were unpaid, leaders had less than minimum training, and implementation did not meet fidelity requirements. Exploratory study findings suggest that these interventions tolerate some variability in implementation factors. Further work is needed to identify key elements where fidelity is essential for intervention effectiveness.

The Infinitesimal Jackknife with Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Guangjian; Preacher, Kristopher J.; Jennrich, Robert I.

2012-01-01

The infinitesimal jackknife, a nonparametric method for estimating standard errors, has been used to obtain standard error estimates in covariance structure analysis. In this article, we adapt it for obtaining standard errors for rotated factor loadings and factor correlations in exploratory factor analysis with sample correlation matrices. Both…

Mechanisms of aquatic species invasions across the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benson, Amy J.; Stith, Bradley M.; Engel, Victor C.

2016-12-15

Invasive species are a global issue, and the southeastern United States is not immune to the problems they present. Therefore, various analyses using modeling and exploratory statistics were performed on the U.S. Geological Survey Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Database with the primary objective of determining the most appropriate use of presence-only data as related to invasive species in the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) region. A hierarchical model approach showed that a relatively small amount of high-quality data from planned surveys can be used to leverage the information in presence-only observations, having a broad spatial coverage and high biases of observer detection and in site selection. Because a variety of sampling protocols can be used in planned surveys, this approach to the analysis of presence-only data is widely applicable. An important part of the management of natural landscapes is the preservation of designated protected areas. When the hydrologic connection was considered in this analysis, the number of potential invaders that could spread to each protected area within the SALCC region was greatly increased, with a mean exceeding 30 species and the maximum reaching 57 species. Nearly all protected areas are hydrologically connected to at least 20 nonindigenous aquatic species. To examine possible factors which may contribute to nonindigenous aquatic species richness in the SALCC region, a set of exploratory statistics was employed. The best statistical model that included a combination of three anthropogenic variables (densities of housing, roads, and reservoirs) and two environmental variables (elevation range and longitude) explained approximately 62 percent of the variation in introduced species richness. Highest nonindigenous aquatic species richness occurred in the more upland, mountainous regions, where elevation range favored reservoirs and attracted urban centers. Lastly, patterns seen in a diffusion model may reflect less about the diffusion process of the organism and more about the opportunistic nature of the data collection process. These results of the model are considered exploratory in nature.

Multivariate analysis: A statistical approach for computations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michu, Sachin; Kaushik, Vandana

2014-10-01

Multivariate analysis is a type of multivariate statistical approach commonly used in, automotive diagnosis, education evaluating clusters in finance etc and more recently in the health-related professions. The objective of the paper is to provide a detailed exploratory discussion about factor analysis (FA) in image retrieval method and correlation analysis (CA) of network traffic. Image retrieval methods aim to retrieve relevant images from a collected database, based on their content. The problem is made more difficult due to the high dimension of the variable space in which the images are represented. Multivariate correlation analysis proposes an anomaly detection and analysis method based on the correlation coefficient matrix. Anomaly behaviors in the network include the various attacks on the network like DDOs attacks and network scanning.

Using Horn's Parallel Analysis Method in Exploratory Factor Analysis for Determining the Number of Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çokluk, Ömay; Koçak, Duygu

2016-01-01

In this study, the number of factors obtained from parallel analysis, a method used for determining the number of factors in exploratory factor analysis, was compared to that of the factors obtained from eigenvalue and scree plot--two traditional methods for determining the number of factors--in terms of consistency. Parallel analysis is based on…

Application of the Chinese Version of the Whiteley Index-7 for Detecting DSM-5 Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders.

PubMed

Tu, Chao-Ying; Liao, Shih-Cheng; Liu, Chao-Yu; Chen, Tzu-Ting; Chen, I-Ming; Lin, Kuan-Fu; Huang, Wei-Lieh

2016-01-01

The Whiteley Index-7 (WI-7) is frequently used for evaluating patients with suspected hypochondriasis. However, information about its use on somatic symptom and related disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) is still lacking. This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Mandarin Chinese version of the WI-7 and its application to evaluation of somatic symptom and related disorders. Participants completed the WI-7 and received diagnostic interview based on both Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) and DSM-5 criteria. Exploratory factor analysis was performed, and the test-retest reliability and the internal consistency of the WI-7 were assessed. Receiver Operating Characteristic curves were established, and the area under the curve was calculated to determine the cutoff point to distinguish DSM-IV somatoform disorders and DSM-5 somatic symptom and related disorders, respectively. A total of 471 subjects were recruited for this study. The exploratory factor analysis of the WI-7 identified a single factor. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the WI-7 were 0.829 and 0.836, respectively. The area under Receiver Operating Characteristic curve using WI-7 to distinguish DSM-5 somatic symptom and related disorders is 0.660, higher than that when applying to distinguish DSM-IV somatoform disorders. The sensitivity and specificity at an optimal cutoff point of 0/1 are 0.645 and 0.675, respectively. The Mandarin Chinese version of the WI-7 is a potentially useful tool to detect individuals with DSM-5 somatic symptom and related disorders. Copyright © 2016 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dimensionality of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder and its association with suicide attempts: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III.

PubMed

Chen, Chiung M; Yoon, Young-Hee; Harford, Thomas C; Grant, Bridget F

2017-06-01

Emerging confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) studies suggest that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) is best characterized by seven factors, including re-experiencing, avoidance, negative affect, anhedonia, externalizing behaviors, and anxious and dysphoric arousal. The seven factors, however, have been found to be highly correlated, suggesting that one general factor may exist to explain the overall correlations among symptoms. Using data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III, a large, national survey of 36,309 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, this study proposed and tested an exploratory bifactor hybrid model for DSM-5 PTSD symptoms. The model posited one general and seven specific latent factors, whose associations with suicide attempts and mediating psychiatric disorders were used to validate the PTSD dimensionality. The exploratory bifactor hybrid model fitted the data extremely well, outperforming the 7-factor CFA hybrid model and other competing CFA models. The general factor was found to be the single dominant latent trait that explained most of the common variance (~76%) and showed significant, positive associations with suicide attempts and mediating psychiatric disorders, offering support to the concurrent validity of the PTSD construct. The identification of the primary latent trait of PTSD confirms PTSD as an independent psychiatric disorder and helps define PTSD severity in clinical practice and for etiologic research. The accurate specification of PTSD factor structure has implications for treatment efforts and the prevention of suicidal behaviors.

Factor structure and psychometric properties of the trier inventory for chronic stress (TICS) in a representative german sample

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Chronic stress results from an imbalance of personal traits, resources and the demands placed upon an individual by social and occupational situations. This chronic stress can be measured using the Trier Inventory for Chronic Stress (TICS). Aims of the present study are to test the factorial structure of the TICS, report its psychometric properties, and evaluate the influence of gender and age on chronic stress. Methods The TICS was answered by N = 2,339 healthy participants aged 14 to 99. The sample was selected by random-route sampling. Exploratory factor analyses with Oblimin-rotated Principal Axis extraction were calculated. Confirmatory factor analyses applying Robust Maximum Likelihood estimations (MLM) tested model fit and configural invariance as well as the measurement invariance for gender and age. Reliability estimations and effect sizes are reported. Results In the exploratory factor analyses, both a two-factor and a nine-factor model emerged. Confirmatory factor analyses resulted in acceptable model fit (RMSEA), with model comparison fit statistics corroborating the superiority of the nine-factor model. Most factors were moderately to highly intercorrelated. Reliabilities were good to very good. Measurement invariance tests gave evidence for differential effects of gender and age on the factor structure. Furthermore, women and younger individuals, especially those aged 35 to 44, tended to report more chronic stress than men and older individuals. Conclusions The proposed nine-factor structure could be factorially validated, results in good scale reliability, and heuristically can be grouped by two higher-order factors: "High Demands" and "Lack of Satisfaction". Age and gender represent differentiable and meaningful contributors to the perception of chronic stress. PMID:22463771

How Safe Is a School? An Exploratory Study Comparing Measures and Perceptions of Safety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernandez, Diley; Floden, Lysbeth; Bosworth, Kris

2010-01-01

This exploratory study investigates the relation between incident reports to local law enforcement, and students' and teachers' perceptions of school safety. Using a combination of grounded theory and statistics, we compared quantitative data collected from law enforcement agencies with qualitative data provided by students and teachers during…

The School Counseling Program Implementation Survey: Initial Instrument Development and Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clemens, Elysia V.; Carey, John C.; Harrington, Karen M.

2010-01-01

This article details the initial development of the School Counseling Program Implementation Survey and psychometric results including reliability and factor structure. An exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor model that accounted for 54% of the variance of the intercorrelation matrix and a two-factor model that accounted for 47% of…

The School Counselor Leadership Survey: Instrument Development and Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Anita; Bryan, Julia

2015-01-01

This study examined the factor structure of the School Counselor Leadership Survey (SCLS). Survey development was a threefold process that resulted in a 39-item survey of 801 school counselors and school counselor supervisors. The exploratory factor analysis indicated a five-factor structure that revealed five key dimensions of school counselor…

Confirmatory factor analysis of 2 versions of the Brief Pain Inventory in an ambulatory population indicates that sleep interference should be interpreted separately.

PubMed

Walton, David M; Putos, Joseph; Beattie, Tyler; MacDermid, Joy C

2016-07-01

The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI-SF) is a widely-used generic pain interference scale, however its factor structure remains unclear. An expanded 10-item version of the Interference subscale has been proposed, but the additional value of the 3 extra items has not been rigorously evaluated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and contrast the factorial and concurrent validity of the original 7-item and 10-item versions of the BPI-SF in a large heterogeneous sample of patients with chronic pain. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on independent subsets of the sample, and concurrent correlations with scales capturing similar constructs were evaluated. Two independent exploratory factor analyses (n=500 each) supported a single interference factor in both the 7- and 10-item versions, while confirmatory factor analysis (N=1000) suggested that a 2-factor structure (Physical and Affective) provided better fit. A 3-factor model, where sleep interference was the third factor, improved in model fit further. There was no significant difference in model fit between the 7- and 10-item versions. Concurrent associations with measures of general health, pain intensity and pain-related cognitions were all in the anticipated direction and magnitude and were not different by version of the BPI-SF. The addition of 3 extra items to the original 7-item Interference subscale of the BPI-SF did not improve psychometric properties. The combined results lead us to endorse a 3-factor structure (Physical, Affective, and Sleep Interference) as the more statistically and conceptually sound option. Copyright © 2016 Scandinavian Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Note on Procrustean Rotation in Exploratory Factor Analysis: A Computer Intensive Approach to Goodness-of-Fit Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raykov, Tenko; Little, Todd D.

1999-01-01

Describes a method for evaluating results of Procrustean rotation to a target factor pattern matrix in exploratory factor analysis. The approach, based on the bootstrap method, yields empirical approximations of the sampling distributions of: (1) differences between target elements and rotated factor pattern matrices; and (2) the overall…

Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the WISC-IV with Gifted Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowe, Ellen W.; Dandridge, Jessica; Pawlush, Alexandra; Thompson, Dawna F.; Ferrier, David E.

2014-01-01

These 2 studies investigated the factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-4th edition (WISC-IV; Wechsler, 2003a) with exploratory factor analysis (EFA; Study 1) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; Study 2) among 2 independent samples of gifted students. The EFA sample consisted of 225 children who were referred for a…

FACTOR 9.2: A Comprehensive Program for Fitting Exploratory and Semiconfirmatory Factor Analysis and IRT Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorenzo-Seva, Urbano; Ferrando, Pere J.

2013-01-01

FACTOR 9.2 was developed for three reasons. First, exploratory factor analysis (FA) is still an active field of research although most recent developments have not been incorporated into available programs. Second, there is now renewed interest in semiconfirmatory (SC) solutions as suitable approaches to the complex structures are commonly found…

Factor Retention in Exploratory Factor Analysis: A Comparison of Alternative Methods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mumford, Karen R.; Ferron, John M.; Hines, Constance V.; Hogarty, Kristine Y.; Kromrey, Jeffery D.

This study compared the effectiveness of 10 methods of determining the number of factors to retain in exploratory common factor analysis. The 10 methods included the Kaiser rule and a modified Kaiser criterion, 3 variations of parallel analysis, 4 regression-based variations of the scree procedure, and the minimum average partial procedure. The…

Connectivism in Postsecondary Online Courses: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogg, Nanette; Lomicky, Carol S.

2012-01-01

This study explores 465 postsecondary students' experiences in online classes through the lens of connectivism. Downes' 4 properties of connectivism (diversity, autonomy, interactivity, and openness) were used as the study design. An exploratory factor analysis was performed. This study found a 4-factor solution. Subjects indicated that autonomy…

Existential Measurement: A Factor Analytic Study of Some Current Psychometric Instruments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thauberger, Patrick C.; And Others

1982-01-01

Research in existentialism and ontology has given rise to several psychometric instruments. Used both exploratory and confirmatory principal-factor analyses to study relationships among 16 existential scales. Exploratory factor analysis provided some support of the theory that the avoidance of existential confrontation is a central function of…

Establishing Evidence for Internal Structure Using Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Joshua C.

2017-01-01

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is a data reduction technique used to condense data into smaller sets of summary variables by identifying underlying factors potentially accounting for patterns of collinearity among said variables. Using an illustrative example, the 5 general steps of EFA are described with best practices for decision making…

An Exploratory Study of Taiwanese Mathematics Teachers' Conceptions of School Mathematics, School Statistics, and Their Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Kai-Lin

2014-01-01

This study used phenomenography, a qualitative method, to investigate Taiwanese mathematics teachers' conceptions of school mathematics, school statistics, and their differences. To collect data, we interviewed five mathematics teachers by open questions. They also responded to statements drawn on mathematical/statistical conceptions and…

Development and validation of the multidimensional vaginal penetration disorder questionnaire (MVPDQ) for assessment of lifelong vaginismus in a sample of Iranian women.

PubMed

Molaeinezhad, Mitra; Roudsari, Robab Latifnejad; Yousefy, Alireza; Salehi, Mehrdad; Khoei, Effat Merghati

2014-04-01

Vaginismus is considered as one of the most common female psychosexual dysfunctions. Although the importance of using a multidisciplinary approach for assessment of vaginal penetration disorder is emphasized, the paucity of instruments for this purpose is clear. We designed a study to develop and investigate the psychometric properties of a multidimensional vaginal penetration disorder questionnaire (MVPDQ), thereby assisting specialists for clinical assessment of women with lifelong vaginismus (LLV). MVPDQ was developed using the findings from a thematic qualitative research conducted with 20 unconsummated couples from a former study, which was followed by an extensive literature review. Then, during a cross-sectional design, a consecutive sample of 214 women, who were diagnosed as LLV based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV-TR criteria completed MVPDQ and additional questions regarding their demographic and sexual history. Validation measures and reliability were tested by exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha coefficient via Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. After conducting exploratory factor analysis, MVPDQ emerged with 72 items and 9 dimensions: Catastrophic cognitions and tightening, helplessness, marital adjustment, hypervigilance, avoidance, penetration motivation, sexual information, genital incompatibility, and optimism. Subscales of MVPDQ showed a significant reliability that varied between 0.70 and 0.87 and results of test-retest were satisfactory. The present study shows that MVPDQ is a valid and reliable self-report questionnaire for clinical assessment of women complaining of LLV. This instrument may assist specialists to make a clinical judgment and plan appropriately for clinical management.

Exploring the validity and statistical utility of a racism scale among Black men who have sex with men: a pilot study.

PubMed

Smith, William Pastor

2013-09-01

The primary purpose of this two-phased study was to examine the structural validity and statistical utility of a racism scale specific to Black men who have sex with men (MSM) who resided in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and Baltimore, Maryland. Phase I involved pretesting a 10-item racism measure with 20 Black MSM. Based on pretest findings, the scale was adapted into a 21-item racism scale for use in collecting data on 166 respondents in Phase II. Exploratory factor analysis of the 21-item racism scale resulted in a 19-item, two-factor solution. The two factors or subscales were the following: General Racism and Relationships and Racism. Confirmatory factor analysis was used in testing construct validity of the factored racism scale. Specifically, the two racism factors were combined with three homophobia factors into a confirmatory factor analysis model. Based on a summary of the fit indices, both comparative and incremental were equal to .90, suggesting an adequate convergence of the racism and homophobia dimensions into a single social oppression construct. Statistical utility of the two racism subscales was demonstrated when regression analysis revealed that the gay-identified men versus bisexual-identified men in the sample were more likely to experience increased racism within the context of intimate relationships and less likely to be exposed to repeated experiences of general racism. Overall, the findings in this study highlight the importance of continuing to explore the psychometric properties of a racism scale that accounts for the unique psychosocial concerns experienced by Black MSM.

Large-scale replication study reveals a limit on probabilistic prediction in language comprehension.

PubMed

Nieuwland, Mante S; Politzer-Ahles, Stephen; Heyselaar, Evelien; Segaert, Katrien; Darley, Emily; Kazanina, Nina; Von Grebmer Zu Wolfsthurn, Sarah; Bartolozzi, Federica; Kogan, Vita; Ito, Aine; Mézière, Diane; Barr, Dale J; Rousselet, Guillaume A; Ferguson, Heather J; Busch-Moreno, Simon; Fu, Xiao; Tuomainen, Jyrki; Kulakova, Eugenia; Husband, E Matthew; Donaldson, David I; Kohút, Zdenko; Rueschemeyer, Shirley-Ann; Huettig, Falk

2018-04-03

Do people routinely pre-activate the meaning and even the phonological form of upcoming words? The most acclaimed evidence for phonological prediction comes from a 2005 Nature Neuroscience publication by DeLong, Urbach and Kutas, who observed a graded modulation of electrical brain potentials (N400) to nouns and preceding articles by the probability that people use a word to continue the sentence fragment ('cloze'). In our direct replication study spanning 9 laboratories ( N =334), pre-registered replication-analyses and exploratory Bayes factor analyses successfully replicated the noun-results but, crucially, not the article-results. Pre-registered single-trial analyses also yielded a statistically significant effect for the nouns but not the articles. Exploratory Bayesian single-trial analyses showed that the article-effect may be non-zero but is likely far smaller than originally reported and too small to observe without very large sample sizes. Our results do not support the view that readers routinely pre-activate the phonological form of predictable words. © 2018, Nieuwland et al.

Large-scale replication study reveals a limit on probabilistic prediction in language comprehension

PubMed Central

Politzer-Ahles, Stephen; Heyselaar, Evelien; Segaert, Katrien; Darley, Emily; Kazanina, Nina; Von Grebmer Zu Wolfsthurn, Sarah; Bartolozzi, Federica; Kogan, Vita; Ito, Aine; Mézière, Diane; Barr, Dale J; Rousselet, Guillaume A; Ferguson, Heather J; Busch-Moreno, Simon; Fu, Xiao; Tuomainen, Jyrki; Kulakova, Eugenia; Husband, E Matthew; Donaldson, David I; Kohút, Zdenko; Rueschemeyer, Shirley-Ann; Huettig, Falk

2018-01-01

Do people routinely pre-activate the meaning and even the phonological form of upcoming words? The most acclaimed evidence for phonological prediction comes from a 2005 Nature Neuroscience publication by DeLong, Urbach and Kutas, who observed a graded modulation of electrical brain potentials (N400) to nouns and preceding articles by the probability that people use a word to continue the sentence fragment (‘cloze’). In our direct replication study spanning 9 laboratories (N=334), pre-registered replication-analyses and exploratory Bayes factor analyses successfully replicated the noun-results but, crucially, not the article-results. Pre-registered single-trial analyses also yielded a statistically significant effect for the nouns but not the articles. Exploratory Bayesian single-trial analyses showed that the article-effect may be non-zero but is likely far smaller than originally reported and too small to observe without very large sample sizes. Our results do not support the view that readers routinely pre-activate the phonological form of predictable words. PMID:29631695

Measuring patients' satisfaction with pharmaceutical services at a public hospital in Qatar.

PubMed

Khudair, Imran Fahmi; Raza, Syed Asif

2013-01-01

The aim of this paper is to study pharmacy service impact on patient satisfaction and to determine what factors saliently link with pharmaceutical service performance at Hamad General Hospital. A patient satisfaction questionnaire was designed using the literature and consultation with Hamad General Hospital medical experts. The questionnaire contained 22 items that focused on five influencing factors: promptness; attitude; supply; location; medication education; and respondent demographic aspects. A total of 220 respondents completed the questionnaire. An exploratory factor analysis was used to group items and a structural equation model was developed to test causality between five factors along with their influence on patient satisfaction. The study establishes statistical evidence that patient satisfaction is positively influenced by service promptness, pharmacist attitude, medication counseling, pharmacy location and waiting area. Several socio-demographic characteristics have statistically different effect on satisfaction, notably: gender; marital status; health status; age; educational level; and ethnicity. However, medication supply did not influence patient satisfaction. Pharmaceutical services are recognized as an essential healthcare-system component. Their impact on customer satisfaction has been investigated in many countries; however, there is no such study in Qatar. The findings identify pharmaceutical service performance indicators and provide guidelines to improve Qatari pharmaceutical services.

Factors associated with nonunion, delayed union, and malunion in foot and ankle surgery in diabetic patients.

PubMed

Shibuya, Naohiro; Humphers, Jon M; Fluhman, Benjamin L; Jupiter, Daniel C

2013-01-01

The incidence of bone healing complications in diabetic patients is believed to be high after foot and ankle surgery. Although the association of hyperglycemia with bone healing complications has been well documented, little clinical information is available to show which diabetes-related comorbidities directly affect bone healing. Our goal was to better understand the risk factors associated with poor bone healing in the diabetic population through an exploratory, observational, retrospective, cohort study. To this end, 165 diabetic patients who had undergone arthrodesis, osteotomy, or fracture reduction were enrolled in the study to assess the risk factors associated with nonunion, delayed union, and malunion after elective and nonelective foot and/or ankle surgery. Bivariate analyses showed that a history of foot ulcer, peripheral neuropathy, and surgery duration were statistically significantly associated with bone healing complications. After adjusting for other covariates, only peripheral neuropathy, surgery duration, and hemoglobin A1c levels >7% were significantly associated statistically with bone healing complications. Of the risk factors we considered, peripheral neuropathy had the strongest association with bone healing complications. Copyright © 2013 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Using Exploratory Computerized Environments in Grades 1 to 8 Mathematics: A Meta-Analysis of Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sokolowski, Andrzej; Li, Yeping; Willson, Victor

2015-01-01

Background: The process of problem solving is difficult for students; thus, mathematics educators have made multiple attempts to seek ways of making this process more accessible to learners. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect size statistic of utilizing exploratory computerized environments (ECEs) to support the process of word…

Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Children: an adaptation and validation of the Spanish version.

PubMed

Broc, Miguel Ángel

2014-10-01

Harter´s Self-Perception Profile for Children was translated into Spanish and was administered to representative students from the Aragon Community, 1,058 elementary and junior high school children from 3rd to 8th grades, respectively. Following the same statistical procedures used by Harter, similar and interesting results were obtained for the factor structure of the specific self-perception subscales, the self-worth subscale, the correlations among specific subscales and the reliability of their items across different Spanish subsamples, using the Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses. This empirical research compare and complete other work carried out in Spain, and permitted the use of the Harter scale outside the United States, although some conceptual issues need further attention.

Validation of the Turkish version of the Breast Reduction Assessed Severity Scale.

PubMed

Kececi, Yavuz; Sir, Emin; Zengel, Baha

2013-01-01

Measuring patient-reported outcomes has become increasingly important in cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery. There is no validated questionnaire in Turkish to evaluate quality-of-life issues for patients with mammary hypertrophy. The authors describe the reliability and validity of a translated Breast Reduction Assessed Severity Scale (BRASS) in evaluating Turkish patients. The BRASS, developed by Sigurdson et al, was translated into Turkish adhering strictly to the guidelines of questionnaire translations. Statistical analysis was carried out with Cronbach's α to test the internal consistency and intraclass correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability. Exploratory factor analysis was carried out using principal component analysis with oblimin rotation to test its construct validity. Correlations between subscales identified in the factor analysis and corresponding domains in the Short Form-36 and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were analyzed. The total instrument was found to have an α coefficient of 0.92 and subscale α coefficients ranging from 0.76 to 0.87. Intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.93 for the total scale and ranged from 0.81 to 0.91 for the subscales. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a 5-factor structure: physical implications, body pain, physical appearance, poor self-concept, and negative social interactions. With this study, the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the BRASS were revealed. This translated version can be used to evaluate the effect of mammary hypertrophy on quality of life in Turkish patients.

Measuring adult picky eating: The development of a multidimensional self-report instrument.

PubMed

Ellis, Jordan M; Galloway, Amy T; Webb, Rose Mary; Martz, Denise M

2017-08-01

A brief multidimensional measure of adult picky eating (PE) behavior was developed using a large U.S. adult sample. In addition, the study explored associations between specific aspects of adult PE behavior and psychosocial impairment in effort to support the inclusion of adults in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-5) avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). The study included 3 phases of qualitative and quantitative data collection. Participants were 1,663 U.S. adults who completed online surveys. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to develop PE subscales. Associations among the PE subscales and measures of psychosocial impairment were examined. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis supported a 16-item 4-factor model of adult PE that included subscales of meal presentation, food variety, meal disengagement, and taste aversion. The measure also demonstrated convergence with previous measures of PE. The meal disengagement and meal presentation subscales demonstrated significant associations with social eating anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, eating related quality of life (QOL), and psychological flexibility. Meal disengagement alone was significantly associated with depressive symptoms. The Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire (APEQ) demonstrated sound psychometric properties and may be used to further investigate adult PE behavior. The relationships between adult PE and psychological impairment, particularly social anxiety, support the inclusion of ARFID in the DSM-5. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Multi-boson block factorization of fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giusti, Leonardo; Cè, Marco; Schaefer, Stefan

2018-03-01

The numerical computations of many quantities of theoretical and phenomenological interest are plagued by statistical errors which increase exponentially with the distance of the sources in the relevant correlators. Notable examples are baryon masses and matrix elements, the hadronic vacuum polarization and the light-by-light scattering contributions to the muon g - 2, and the form factors of semileptonic B decays. Reliable and precise determinations of these quantities are very difficult if not impractical with state-of-the-art standard Monte Carlo integration schemes. I will review a recent proposal for factorizing the fermion determinant in lattice QCD that leads to a local action in the gauge field and in the auxiliary boson fields. Once combined with the corresponding factorization of the quark propagator, it paves the way for multi-level Monte Carlo integration in the presence of fermions opening new perspectives in lattice QCD. Exploratory results on the impact on the above mentioned observables will be presented.

Resolving anthropogenic aerosol pollution types - deconvolution and exploratory classification of pollution events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Äijälä, Mikko; Heikkinen, Liine; Fröhlich, Roman; Canonaco, Francesco; Prévôt, André S. H.; Junninen, Heikki; Petäjä, Tuukka; Kulmala, Markku; Worsnop, Douglas; Ehn, Mikael

2017-03-01

Mass spectrometric measurements commonly yield data on hundreds of variables over thousands of points in time. Refining and synthesizing this raw data into chemical information necessitates the use of advanced, statistics-based data analytical techniques. In the field of analytical aerosol chemistry, statistical, dimensionality reductive methods have become widespread in the last decade, yet comparable advanced chemometric techniques for data classification and identification remain marginal. Here we present an example of combining data dimensionality reduction (factorization) with exploratory classification (clustering), and show that the results cannot only reproduce and corroborate earlier findings, but also complement and broaden our current perspectives on aerosol chemical classification. We find that applying positive matrix factorization to extract spectral characteristics of the organic component of air pollution plumes, together with an unsupervised clustering algorithm, k-means+ + , for classification, reproduces classical organic aerosol speciation schemes. Applying appropriately chosen metrics for spectral dissimilarity along with optimized data weighting, the source-specific pollution characteristics can be statistically resolved even for spectrally very similar aerosol types, such as different combustion-related anthropogenic aerosol species and atmospheric aerosols with similar degree of oxidation. In addition to the typical oxidation level and source-driven aerosol classification, we were also able to classify and characterize outlier groups that would likely be disregarded in a more conventional analysis. Evaluating solution quality for the classification also provides means to assess the performance of mass spectral similarity metrics and optimize weighting for mass spectral variables. This facilitates algorithm-based evaluation of aerosol spectra, which may prove invaluable for future development of automatic methods for spectra identification and classification. Robust, statistics-based results and data visualizations also provide important clues to a human analyst on the existence and chemical interpretation of data structures. Applying these methods to a test set of data, aerosol mass spectrometric data of organic aerosol from a boreal forest site, yielded five to seven different recurring pollution types from various sources, including traffic, cooking, biomass burning and nearby sawmills. Additionally, three distinct, minor pollution types were discovered and identified as amine-dominated aerosols.

Development and Validation of the Personal Strengths Inventory Using Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liau, Albert Kienfie; Chow, Daryl; Tan, Teck Kiang; Senf, Konrad

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to establish the reliability and validity of the scores on a brief strengths-based assessment, the 22-item Personal Strengths Inventory (PSI). In Study 1, findings from exploratory factor analysis of 410 adolescents provided evidence for a five-factor solution--social competence (four items), emotional awareness (five…

Validation of the Adolescent Concerns Measure (ACM): Evidence from Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ang, Rebecca P.; Chong, Wan Har; Huan, Vivien S.; Yeo, Lay See

2007-01-01

This article reports the development and initial validation of scores obtained from the Adolescent Concerns Measure (ACM), a scale which assesses concerns of Asian adolescent students. In Study 1, findings from exploratory factor analysis using 619 adolescents suggested a 24-item scale with four correlated factors--Family Concerns (9 items), Peer…

Improving Your Exploratory Factor Analysis for Ordinal Data: A Demonstration Using FACTOR

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baglin, James

2014-01-01

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) methods are used extensively in the field of assessment and evaluation. Due to EFA's widespread use, common methods and practices have come under close scrutiny. A substantial body of literature has been compiled highlighting problems with many of the methods and practices used in EFA, and, in response, many…

Orthogonal Higher Order Structure of the WISC-IV Spanish Using Hierarchical Exploratory Factor Analytic Procedures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGill, Ryan J.; Canivez, Gary L.

2016-01-01

As recommended by Carroll, the present study examined the factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition Spanish (WISC-IV Spanish) normative sample using higher order exploratory factor analytic techniques not included in the WISC-IV Spanish Technical Manual. Results indicated that the WISC-IV Spanish subtests were…

ADHD and College Students: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Structures With Student and Parent Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glutting, Joseph J.; Youngstrom, Eric A.; Watkins, Marley W.

2005-01-01

Exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were used to investigate the structure of the Student Report Inventory (SRI) and Parent Report Inventory (PRI) of the College Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Response Evaluation. The sample was composed of 1,080 college students and their parents and was…

Exploratory Two-Level Analysis of Individual- and School-Level Factors on Truant Youth Emotional/Psychological Functioning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dembo, Richard; Wareham, Jennifer; Schmeidler, James; Winters, Ken C.

2016-01-01

Research on samples of truant adolescents is limited, with little known about mental health problems among truant youths. This study provided an exploratory, multilevel examination of mental health problems for a sample of 300 truant adolescents. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a single factor of multiple mental health problems at the…

An Exploratory Study of Student Motivations for Taking Online Courses and Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nonis, Sarath A.; Fenner, Grant H.

2012-01-01

An investigation of students taking online classes exposed crucial student perceptions important to their selecting online/web-assisted courses. An exploratory factor analysis provided three factors of "convenience," "enjoyment & independence," and "no other option available" as motivations for students taking…

Validity and reliability of bilingual English-Arabic version of Schutte self report emotional intelligence scale in an undergraduate Arab medical student sample.

PubMed

Naeem, Naghma; Muijtjens, Arno

2015-04-01

The psychological construct of emotional intelligence (EI), its theoretical models, measurement instruments and applications have been the subject of several research studies in health professions education. The objective of the current study was to investigate the factorial validity and reliability of a bilingual version of the Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Scale (SSREIS) in an undergraduate Arab medical student population. The study was conducted during April-May 2012. A cross-sectional survey design was employed. A sample (n = 467) was obtained from undergraduate medical students belonging to the male and female medical college of King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was performed using SPSS 16.0 and AMOS 4.0 statistical software to determine the factor structure. Reliability was determined using Cronbach's alpha statistics. The results obtained using an undergraduate Arab medical student sample supported a multidimensional; three factor structure of the SSREIS. The three factors are Optimism, Awareness-of-Emotions and Use-of-Emotions. The reliability (Cronbach's alpha) for the three subscales was 0.76, 0.72 and 0.55, respectively. Emotional intelligence is a multifactorial construct (three factors). The bilingual version of the SSREIS is a valid and reliable measure of trait emotional intelligence in an undergraduate Arab medical student population.

Nursing students' attitudes towards information and communication technology: an exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic approach.

PubMed

Lee, Jung Jae; Clarke, Charlotte L

2015-05-01

The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically test a shortened version of the Information Technology Attitude Scales for Health, in the investigation of nursing students with clinical placement experiences. Nurses and nursing students need to develop high levels of competency in information and communication technology. However, they encounter statistically significant barriers in the use of the technology. Although some instruments have been developed to measure factors that influence nurses' attitudes towards technology, the validity is questionable and few studies have been developed to test the attitudes of nursing students, in particular. A cross-sectional survey design was performed. The Information Technology Attitude Scales for Health was used to collect data from October 2012-December 2012. A panel of experts reviewed the content of the instrument and a pilot study was conducted. Following this, a total of 508 nursing students, who were engaged in clinical placements, were recruited from six universities in South Korea. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed and reliability and construct validity were assessed. The resulting instrument consisted of 19 items across four factors. Reliability of the four factors was acceptable and the validity was supported. The instrument was shown to be both valid and reliable for measuring nursing students' attitudes towards technology, thus aiding in the current understandings of this aspect. Through these measurements and understandings, nursing educators and students are able to be more reflexive of their attitudes and can thus seek to develop them positively. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Factor structure validity of the social capital scale used at baseline in the ELSA-Brasil study].

PubMed

Souto, Ester Paiva; Vasconcelos, Ana Glória Godoi; Chor, Dora; Reichenheim, Michael E; Griep, Rosane Härter

2016-07-21

This study aims to analyze the factor structure of the Brazilian version of the Resource Generator (RG) scale, using baseline data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Health Study in Adults (ELSA-Brasil). Cross-validation was performed in three random subsamples. Exploratory factor analysis using exploratory structural equation models was conducted in the first two subsamples to diagnose the factor structure, and confirmatory factor analysis was used in the third to corroborate the model defined by the exploratory analyses. Based on the 31 initial items, the model with the best fit included 25 items distributed across three dimensions. They all presented satisfactory convergent validity (values greater than 0.50 for the extracted variance) and precision (values greater than 0.70 for compound reliability). All factor correlations were below 0.85, indicating full discriminative factor validity. The RG scale presents acceptable psychometric properties and can be used in populations with similar characteristics.

Development and assessment of the validity and reliability of a scale for measuring the mentoring competencies of Japanese clinical midwives: An exploratory quantitative research study.

PubMed

Hishinuma, Yuri; Horiuchi, Shigeko; Yanai, Haruo

2016-06-01

Midwives are always involved in educational activities whenever novice midwives are present. Although various scales for measuring the educational competencies of nurses have already been developed in previous studies, a scale for the educational competencies particular to midwives has yet to be developed, or even no previous studies have revealed their functions as clinical educators. The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure the mentoring competencies of clinical midwives (MCCM Scale) and to confirm its validity and reliability. An exploratory quantitative research study. Questionnaires were distributed to 1,645 midwives at 148 facilities who had previously instructed novice midwives. 1,004 midwives (61.0%) voluntarily returned valid responses and 296 (18.0%) voluntarily agreed to participate in the survey for test-retest reliability. Exploratory factor analyses were performed over 41 items and the following seven factors were extracted with a reliability coefficient (Cronbach's α) of 0.953: (i) supporting experimental study, (ii) personal characteristics particularly in clinical educators, (iii) thoughtfulness and empathy for new midwives, (iv) self-awareness and self-reflection for finding confidence, (v) making effective use of the new midwives' own experience, (vi) commitment to educational activities, and (vii) sharing their midwifery practice. Test-retest reliability was measured based on a convenience sample of 246 (83.1%). Pearson's test-retest correlation coefficient for the entire scale was r=0.863. The factor loadings of each item on its respective factor were 0.313-0.925. The total score of the MCCM Scale was positively correlated with that of the Quality of Nurses' Occupational Experience Scale (r=0.641, p=0.000) and was negatively correlated with the total score of the Japanese Burnout Scale (r=-0.480, p=0.000). The MCCM Scale is composed of 41 items and three subscales measured from a total of seven factors. The validity and reliability of the MCCM Scale was supported by the statistical analyses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Psychometric Properties of the Iowa Personality Disorder Screen in Methadone-Maintained Patients: An Initial Investigation

PubMed Central

Beitel, Mark; Peters, Skye; Savant, Jonathan D.; Cutter, Christopher J.; Cecero, John J.; Barry, Declan T.

2012-01-01

The psychometric properties of the Iowa Personality Disorder Screen (IPDS) were examined in 150 methadone-maintained patients who completed measures of demographic, psychopathology, substance use, pain, and methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) characteristics. An exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor solution that explained 45 percent of the scale variance. The first factor captured internalizing tendencies, such as inhibition and hypersensitivity to others. The second factor comprised externalizing tendencies, such as impulsivity and insensitivity to others. The IPDS item subsets, derived factors, and the total score were significantly related to race/ethnicity but not sex. The effects of race/ethnicity were controlled statistically when the IPDS was compared to other measures of psychopathology, self-reported substance use, pain variables, and MMT characteristics. In general, the IPDS appears to be reliable and valid for use with methadone-maintained patients. The two-factor structure found in this study may have clinical utility and merits further investigation in other MMT samples. PMID:23398100

Using Fun in the Statistics Classroom: An Exploratory Study of College Instructors' Hesitations and Motivations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesser, Lawrence M.; Wall, Amitra A.; Carver, Robert H.; Pearl, Dennis K.; Martin, Nadia; Kuiper, Shonda; Posner, Michael A.; Erickson, Patricia; Liao, Shu-Min; Albert, Jim; Weber, John J., III

2013-01-01

This study examines statistics instructors' use of fun as well as their motivations, hesitations, and awareness of resources. In 2011, a survey was administered to attendees at a national statistics education conference, and follow-up qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 of those ("N" = 249) surveyed to provide further…

Rotation Criteria and Hypothesis Testing for Exploratory Factor Analysis: Implications for Factor Pattern Loadings and Interfactor Correlations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmitt, Thomas A.; Sass, Daniel A.

2011-01-01

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) has long been used in the social sciences to depict the relationships between variables/items and latent traits. Researchers face many choices when using EFA, including the choice of rotation criterion, which can be difficult given that few research articles have discussed and/or demonstrated their differences.…

Using the Beck Anxiety Inventory among South Africans Living with HIV: Exploratory and Higher Order Factor Analyses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kagee, Ashraf; Coetzee, Bronwyne; Saal, Wylene; Nel, Adriaan

2015-01-01

We administered the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) to 101 adults receiving HIV treatment. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a single anxiety factor that accounted for 68.7% of the variance in the data. A single score may be used to indicate the overall level of anxiety of individuals receiving HIV treatment in South Africa.

Can pain and function be distinguished in the Oxford Hip Score in a meaningful way? : an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

PubMed

Harris, K K; Price, A J; Beard, D J; Fitzpatrick, R; Jenkinson, C; Dawson, J

2014-11-01

The objective of this study was to explore dimensionality of the Oxford Hip Score (OHS) and examine whether self-reported pain and functioning can be distinguished in the form of subscales. This was a secondary data analysis of the UK NHS hospital episode statistics/patient-reported outcome measures dataset containing pre-operative OHS scores on 97 487 patients who were undergoing hip replacement surgery. The proposed number of factors to extract depended on the method of extraction employed. Velicer's Minimum Average Partial test and the Parallel Analysis suggested one factor, the Cattell's scree test and Kaiser-over-1 rule suggested two factors. Exploratory factor analysis demonstrated that the two-factor OHS had most of the items saliently loading either of the two factors. These factors were named 'Pain' and 'Function' and their respective subscales were created. There was some cross-loading of items: 8 (pain on standing up from a chair) and 11 (pain during work). These items were assigned to the 'Pain' subscale. The final 'Pain' subscale consisted of items 1, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. The 'Function' subscale consisted of items 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, with the recommended scoring of the subscales being from 0 (worst) to 100 (best). Cronbach's alpha was 0.855 for the 'Pain' subscale and 0.861 for the 'Function' subscale. A confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the two-factor model of the OHS had a better fit. However, none of the one-factor or two-factor models was rejected. Factor analyses demonstrated that, in addition to current usage as a single summary scale, separate information on pain and self-reported function can be extracted from the OHS in a meaningful way in the form of subscales. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2014;3:305-9. ©2014 The British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery.

[Psychometric properties of scales of professional competence and treatment by health personnel in outpatient hospital surgeries].

PubMed

Bermejo Alegría, Rosa M; Hidalgo Montesinos, M Dolores; Parra Hidalgo, Pedro; Más Castillo, Adelia; Gomis Cebrián, Rafael

2011-04-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of two scales that assess the perceived quality and patient satisfaction with outpatient surgery in the Health Service of Murcia. These scales assess the degree of Professional Competence (PC) and Personnel Treatment (PT). The scales were administered to a sample of 2017 users of outpatient surgery in the Health Service of Murcia during the years 2008 and 2009. Exploratory factor analysis indicates a unidimensional structure for each scale. Internal consistency was adequate: .68 for PC and .75 for PT. The correlation between the PC scale and patients' global satisfaction was positive and statistically significant. The correlation between the PT scale and patients' global satisfaction was also statistically significant. The scales have shown their utility to detect areas of improvement and to plan intervention strategies.

Exploratory Bi-factor Analysis: The Oblique Case.

PubMed

Jennrich, Robert I; Bentler, Peter M

2012-07-01

Bi-factor analysis is a form of confirmatory factor analysis originally introduced by Holzinger and Swineford (Psychometrika 47:41-54, 1937). The bi-factor model has a general factor, a number of group factors, and an explicit bi-factor structure. Jennrich and Bentler (Psychometrika 76:537-549, 2011) introduced an exploratory form of bi-factor analysis that does not require one to provide an explicit bi-factor structure a priori. They use exploratory factor analysis and a bifactor rotation criterion designed to produce a rotated loading matrix that has an approximate bi-factor structure. Among other things this can be used as an aid in finding an explicit bi-factor structure for use in a confirmatory bi-factor analysis. They considered only orthogonal rotation. The purpose of this paper is to consider oblique rotation and to compare it to orthogonal rotation. Because there are many more oblique rotations of an initial loading matrix than orthogonal rotations, one expects the oblique results to approximate a bi-factor structure better than orthogonal rotations and this is indeed the case. A surprising result arises when oblique bi-factor rotation methods are applied to ideal data.

Measuring trust in nurses - Psychometric properties of the Trust in Nurses Scale in four countries.

PubMed

Stolt, Minna; Charalambous, Andreas; Radwin, Laurel; Adam, Christina; Katajisto, Jouko; Lemonidou, Chryssoula; Patiraki, Elisabeth; Sjövall, Katarina; Suhonen, Riitta

2016-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine psychometric properties of three translated versions of the Trust in Nurses Scale (TNS) and cancer patients' perceptions of trust in nurses in a sample of cancer patients from four European countries. A cross-sectional, cross-cultural, multi-site survey design was used. The data were collected with the Trust in Nurses Scale from patients with different types of malignancies in 17 units within five clinical sites (n = 599) between 09/2012 and 06/2014. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, multivariate methods and psychometrics using exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficients, item analysis and Rasch analysis. The psychometric properties of the data were consistent in all countries. Within the exploratory factor analysis the principal component analysis supported the one component structure (unidimensionality) of the TNS. The internal consistency reliability was acceptable. The Rasch analysis supported the unidimensionality of the TNS cross-culturally. All items of the TNS demonstrated acceptable goodness-of-fit to the Rasch model. Cancer patients trusted nurses to a great extent although between-country differences were found. The Trust in Nurses Scale proved to be a valid and reliable tool for measuring patients' trust in nurses in oncological settings in international contexts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and validation of the multidimensional vaginal penetration disorder questionnaire (MVPDQ) for assessment of lifelong vaginismus in a sample of Iranian women

PubMed Central

Molaeinezhad, Mitra; Roudsari, Robab Latifnejad; Yousefy, Alireza; Salehi, Mehrdad; Khoei, Effat Merghati

2014-01-01

Background: Vaginismus is considered as one of the most common female psychosexual dysfunctions. Although the importance of using a multidisciplinary approach for assessment of vaginal penetration disorder is emphasized, the paucity of instruments for this purpose is clear. We designed a study to develop and investigate the psychometric properties of a multidimensional vaginal penetration disorder questionnaire (MVPDQ), thereby assisting specialists for clinical assessment of women with lifelong vaginismus (LLV). Materials and Methods: MVPDQ was developed using the findings from a thematic qualitative research conducted with 20 unconsummated couples from a former study, which was followed by an extensive literature review. Then, during a cross-sectional design, a consecutive sample of 214 women, who were diagnosed as LLV based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV-TR criteria completed MVPDQ and additional questions regarding their demographic and sexual history. Validation measures and reliability were tested by exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha coefficient via Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. Results: After conducting exploratory factor analysis, MVPDQ emerged with 72 items and 9 dimensions: Catastrophic cognitions and tightening, helplessness, marital adjustment, hypervigilance, avoidance, penetration motivation, sexual information, genital incompatibility, and optimism. Subscales of MVPDQ showed a significant reliability that varied between 0.70 and 0.87 and results of test–retest were satisfactory. Conclusion: The present study shows that MVPDQ is a valid and reliable self-report questionnaire for clinical assessment of women complaining of LLV. This instrument may assist specialists to make a clinical judgment and plan appropriately for clinical management. PMID:25097607

Assessment of psychometric properties of a modified PHEEM questionnaire.

PubMed

Gooneratne, I K; Munasinghe, S R; Siriwardena, C; Olupeliyawa, A M; Karunathilake, I

2008-12-01

An effective tool in analysing the learning environment, customised to the Sri Lankan setting, is vital for the assessment and delivery of quality healthcare training of preregistration house officers. Such a tool should be reliable and valid. We assessed psychometric properties such as internal reliability and construct validity of a modified version of the Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM). A modified PHEEM questionnaire customised to the Sri Lankan context was developed in accordance to the Sri Lanka Medical Council guidelines. The questionnaire was distributed to all interns at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo North Teaching Hospital and Wathupitiwala Base Hospital during a calendar year (n = 100, response rate = 86%). Internal reliability and construct validity of the inventory were assessed by using Cronbach's alpha and exploratory factor analysis respectively as statistical methods. PHEEM consists of 3 subscales: perceptions of autonomy, social support and teaching, which are factors perceived to be influencing the educational environment. This administration demonstrated high internal reliability as reflected by a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.84. Exploratory factor analysis identified 12 factors with eigenvalue >1. However, the first factor had an eigenvalue of 6.7 (accounting for 19.7% of variance), while the rest had eigenvalues < 2.5. These results suggest a single predictive factor and thus a one-dimensional scale as opposed to the three-dimensional scale which is used in the current questionnaire. The psychometric properties of this tool reflect a high degree of internal reliability in assessing the educational environment of intern doctors in Sri Lanka. It is possible that the clinical educational environment is collectively represented as a single dimension. This may be due to the complex interplay between individual items in the questionnaire. Therefore the psychometric properties do not justify the interpretation of the educational environment through specified subscales.

Exploratory factor analysis of self-reported symptoms in a large, population-based military cohort

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background US military engagements have consistently raised concern over the array of health outcomes experienced by service members postdeployment. Exploratory factor analysis has been used in studies of 1991 Gulf War-related illnesses, and may increase understanding of symptoms and health outcomes associated with current military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The objective of this study was to use exploratory factor analysis to describe the correlations among numerous physical and psychological symptoms in terms of a smaller number of unobserved variables or factors. Methods The Millennium Cohort Study collects extensive self-reported health data from a large, population-based military cohort, providing a unique opportunity to investigate the interrelationships of numerous physical and psychological symptoms among US military personnel. This study used data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a large, population-based military cohort. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the covariance structure of symptoms reported by approximately 50,000 cohort members during 2004-2006. Analyses incorporated 89 symptoms, including responses to several validated instruments embedded in the questionnaire. Techniques accommodated the categorical and sometimes incomplete nature of the survey data. Results A 14-factor model accounted for 60 percent of the total variance in symptoms data and included factors related to several physical, psychological, and behavioral constructs. A notable finding was that many factors appeared to load in accordance with symptom co-location within the survey instrument, highlighting the difficulty in disassociating the effects of question content, location, and response format on factor structure. Conclusions This study demonstrates the potential strengths and weaknesses of exploratory factor analysis to heighten understanding of the complex associations among symptoms. Further research is needed to investigate the relationship between factor analytic results and survey structure, as well as to assess the relationship between factor scores and key exposure variables. PMID:20950474

Development and evaluation of the Internalized Racism in Asian Americans Scale (IRAAS).

PubMed

Choi, Andrew Young; Israel, Tania; Maeda, Hotaka

2017-01-01

This article presents the development and psychometric evaluation of the Internalized Racism in Asian Americans Scale (IRAAS), which was designed to measure the degree to which Asian Americans internalized hostile attitudes and negative messages targeted toward their racial identity. Items were developed on basis of prior literature, vetted through expert feedback and cognitive interviews, and administered to 655 Asian American participants through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Exploratory factor analysis with a random subsample (n = 324) yielded a psychometrically robust preliminary measurement model consisting of 3 factors: Self-Negativity, Weakness Stereotypes, and Appearance Bias. Confirmatory factor analysis with a separate subsample (n = 331) indicated that the proposed correlated factors model was strongly consistent with the observed data. Factor determinacies were high and demonstrated that the specified items adequately measured their intended factors. Bifactor modeling further indicated that this multidimensionality could be univocally represented for the purpose of measurement, including the use of a mean total score representing a single continuum of internalized racism on which individuals vary. The IRAAS statistically predicted depressive symptoms, and demonstrated statistically significant correlations in theoretically expected directions with four dimensions of collective self-esteem. These results provide initial validity evidence supporting the use of the IRAAS to measure aspects of internalized racism in this population. Limitations and research implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Modelling and analysis of FMS productivity variables by ISM, SEM and GTMA approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Vineet; Raj, Tilak

2014-09-01

Productivity has often been cited as a key factor in a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) performance, and actions to increase it are said to improve profitability and the wage earning capacity of employees. Improving productivity is seen as a key issue for survival and success in the long term of a manufacturing system. The purpose of this paper is to make a model and analysis of the productivity variables of FMS. This study was performed by different approaches viz. interpretive structural modelling (ISM), structural equation modelling (SEM), graph theory and matrix approach (GTMA) and a cross-sectional survey within manufacturing firms in India. ISM has been used to develop a model of productivity variables, and then it has been analyzed. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) are powerful statistical techniques. CFA is carried by SEM. EFA is applied to extract the factors in FMS by the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS 20) software and confirming these factors by CFA through analysis of moment structures (AMOS 20) software. The twenty productivity variables are identified through literature and four factors extracted, which involves the productivity of FMS. The four factors are people, quality, machine and flexibility. SEM using AMOS 20 was used to perform the first order four-factor structures. GTMA is a multiple attribute decision making (MADM) methodology used to find intensity/quantification of productivity variables in an organization. The FMS productivity index has purposed to intensify the factors which affect FMS.

Comparison of risk factor profiles in incidental Lewy body disease and Parkinson disease.

PubMed

Frigerio, Roberta; Fujishiro, Hiroshige; Maraganore, Demetrius M; Klos, Kevin J; DelleDonne, Anthony; Heckman, Michael G; Crook, Julia E; Josephs, Keith A; Parisi, Joseph E; Boeve, Bradley F; Dickson, Dennis W; Ahlskog, J Eric

2009-09-01

To explore whether associations of potential risk factors for incidental Lewy body disease (iLBD) are similar to those for Parkinson disease (PD). Brain autopsy study (1988-2004) of subjects without evidence of neurodegenerative disease or tremor who were evaluated by at least 1 physician within 1 year of death. Researchers analyzed incidental Lewy pathology blinded to clinical abstraction. Olmsted County, Minnesota. Subjects Residents of Olmsted County and the immediate vicinity aged older than 60 years. Whether risk factors previously associated with PD in Olmsted County are also associated with iLBD. Of 235 subjects, 34 had iLBD (14.5%). The overall risk factor profiles for iLBD and PD were fairly similar between the 2 sets of odds ratio (OR) estimates, with 11 of 16 ORs in the same direction. Prior Olmsted County studies documented 7 risk factors with statistically significant associations with PD; for physician occupation and caffeine intake, the ORs for iLBD were in the same direction and statistically significant, whereas for education, head injury, and number of children, they were in the same direction but not significant; they were in the opposite direction but not statistically significant for depression and anxiety. Incidental Lewy body disease was not associated with various end-of-life conditions or causes of death, though these patients were slightly older and more likely cachectic. Based on this exploratory study, iLBD and PD appear to have similar risk factor profiles. Thus, at least some cases of iLBD could represent preclinical PD, arrested PD, or a partial syndrome due to a lesser burden of causative factors. Incidental Lewy body disease is not explained by nonspecific end-of-life brain insults.

Exploratory Study of Factors Related to Educational Scores of First Preclinical Year Medical Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sitticharoon, Chantacha; Srisuma, Sorachai; Kanavitoon, Sawita; Summachiwakij, Sarawut

2014-01-01

The relationships among the scores of major subjects taught in the first preclinical year of a Thai medical school, previous academic achievements, and daily life activities are rarely explored. We therefore performed an exploratory study identifying various factors possibly related to the educational scores of these medical students.…

Exploratory Factor Analysis with Small Sample Sizes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Winter, J. C. F.; Dodou, D.; Wieringa, P. A.

2009-01-01

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is generally regarded as a technique for large sample sizes ("N"), with N = 50 as a reasonable absolute minimum. This study offers a comprehensive overview of the conditions in which EFA can yield good quality results for "N" below 50. Simulations were carried out to estimate the minimum required "N" for different…

High-Dimensional Exploratory Item Factor Analysis by a Metropolis-Hastings Robbins-Monro Algorithm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cai, Li

2010-01-01

A Metropolis-Hastings Robbins-Monro (MH-RM) algorithm for high-dimensional maximum marginal likelihood exploratory item factor analysis is proposed. The sequence of estimates from the MH-RM algorithm converges with probability one to the maximum likelihood solution. Details on the computer implementation of this algorithm are provided. The…

Testing Measurement Invariance in the Target Rotated Multigroup Exploratory Factor Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dolan, Conor V.; Oort, Frans J.; Stoel, Reinoud D.; Wicherts, Jelte M.

2009-01-01

We propose a method to investigate measurement invariance in the multigroup exploratory factor model, subject to target rotation. We consider both oblique and orthogonal target rotation. This method has clear advantages over other approaches, such as the use of congruence measures. We demonstrate that the model can be implemented readily in the…

What Is Rotating in Exploratory Factor Analysis?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osborne, Jason W.

2015-01-01

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is one of the most commonly-reported quantitative methodology in the social sciences, yet much of the detail regarding what happens during an EFA remains unclear. The goal of this brief technical note is to explore what "rotation" is, what exactly is rotating, and why we use rotation when performing…

Bayesian Exploratory Factor Analysis

PubMed Central

Conti, Gabriella; Frühwirth-Schnatter, Sylvia; Heckman, James J.; Piatek, Rémi

2014-01-01

This paper develops and applies a Bayesian approach to Exploratory Factor Analysis that improves on ad hoc classical approaches. Our framework relies on dedicated factor models and simultaneously determines the number of factors, the allocation of each measurement to a unique factor, and the corresponding factor loadings. Classical identification criteria are applied and integrated into our Bayesian procedure to generate models that are stable and clearly interpretable. A Monte Carlo study confirms the validity of the approach. The method is used to produce interpretable low dimensional aggregates from a high dimensional set of psychological measurements. PMID:25431517

Dietary Patterns Derived Using Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis are Stable and Generalizable Across Race, Region, and Gender Subgroups in the REGARDS Study.

PubMed

Judd, Suzanne E; Letter, Abraham J; Shikany, James M; Roth, David L; Newby, P K

2014-01-01

Examining diet as a whole using dietary patterns as exposures is a complementary method to using single food or nutrients in studies of diet and disease, but the generalizability of intake patterns across race, region, and gender in the United States has not been established. To employ rigorous statistical analysis to empirically derive dietary patterns in a large bi-racial, geographically diverse population and examine whether results are stable across population subgroups. The present analysis utilized data from 21,636 participants in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study who completed the Block 98 food frequency questionnaire. We employed exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses on 56 different food groups iteratively and examined differences by race, region, and sex to determine the optimal factor solution in our sample. Five dietary patterns emerged: the "Convenience" pattern was characterized by mixed dishes; the "Plant-based" pattern by fruits, vegetables, and fish; the "Sweets/Fats" pattern by sweet snacks, desserts, and fats and oils; the "Southern" pattern by fried foods, organ meat, and sweetened beverages; and the "Alcohol/Salads" pattern by beer, wine, liquor, and salads. Differences were most pronounced in the Southern pattern with black participants, those residing in the Southeast, and participants not completing high school having the highest scores. Five meaningful dietary patterns emerged in the REGARDS study and showed strong congruence across race, sex, and region. Future research will examine associations between these patterns and health outcomes to better understand racial disparities in disease and inform prevention efforts.

Bias due to Preanalytical Dilution of Rodent Serum for Biochemical Analysis on the Siemens Dimension Xpand Plus

PubMed Central

Johns, Jennifer L.; Moorhead, Kaitlin A.; Hu, Jing; Moorhead, Roberta C.

2018-01-01

Clinical pathology testing of rodents is often challenging due to insufficient sample volume. One solution in clinical veterinary and exploratory research environments is dilution of samples prior to analysis. However, published information on the impact of preanalytical sample dilution on rodent biochemical data is incomplete. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of preanalytical sample dilution on biochemical analysis of mouse and rat serum samples utilizing the Siemens Dimension Xpand Plus. Rats were obtained from end of study research projects. Mice were obtained from sentinel testing programs. For both, whole blood was collected via terminal cardiocentesis into empty tubes and serum was harvested. Biochemical parameters were measured on fresh and thawed frozen samples run straight and at dilution factors 2–10. Dilutions were performed manually, utilizing either ultrapure water or enzyme diluent per manufacturer recommendations. All diluted samples were generated directly from the undiluted sample. Preanalytical dilution caused clinically unacceptable bias in most analytes at dilution factors four and above. Dilution-induced bias in total calcium, creatinine, total bilirubin, and uric acid was considered unacceptable with any degree of dilution, based on the more conservative of two definitions of acceptability. Dilution often caused electrolyte values to fall below assay range precluding evaluation of bias. Dilution-induced bias occurred in most biochemical parameters to varying degrees and may render dilution unacceptable in the exploratory research and clinical veterinary environments. Additionally, differences between results obtained at different dilution factors may confound statistical comparisons in research settings. Comparison of data obtained at a single dilution factor is highly recommended. PMID:29497614

Evaluating the Factor Validity of the Children's Organizational Skills Scale in Youth with ADHD.

PubMed

Molitor, Stephen J; Langberg, Joshua M; Evans, Steven W; Dvorsky, Melissa R; Bourchtein, Elizaveta; Eddy, Laura D; Smith, Zoe R; Oddo, Lauren E

2017-06-01

Children and adolescents with ADHD often have difficulties with organization, time management, and planning (OTMP) skills, and these skills are a common target of intervention. A limited array of tools for measuring these abilities in youth is available, and one of the most prominent measures is the Children's Organizational Skills Scale (COSS). Although the COSS fills an important need, a replication of the COSS factor structure outside of initial measure development has not been conducted in any population. Given that the COSS is frequently used in ADHD research, the current study evaluated the factor structure of the parent-rated COSS in a sample ( N = 619) of adolescents with ADHD. Results indicated that the original factor structure could be replicated, although the use of item parcels appeared to affect model fit statistics. An alternative bi-factor model was also tested that did not require the use of parcels, with results suggesting similar model fit in comparison to the original factor structure. Exploratory validity tests indicated that the domain-general factor of the bi-factor model appears related to broad executive functioning abilities.

Variance of foot biomechanical parameters across age groups for the elderly people in Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deselnicu, D. C.; Vasilescu, A. M.; Militaru, G.

2017-10-01

The paper presents the results of a fieldwork study conducted in order to analyze major causal factors that influence the foot deformities and pathologies of elderly women in Romania. The study has an exploratory and descriptive nature and uses quantitative methodology. The sample consisted of 100 elderly women from Romania, ranging from 55 to over 75 years of age. The collected data was analyzed on multiple dimensions using a statistic analysis software program. The analysis of variance demonstrated significant differences across age groups in terms of several biomechanical parameters such as travel speed, toe off phase and support phase in the case of elderly women.

Effects of a Value-Reappraisal Intervention on Statistics Students' Motivation and Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acee, Taylor W.; Weinstein, Claire Ellen

2010-01-01

The authors investigated the effects of an exploratory value-reappraisal intervention on students' motivation and performance in an undergraduate introductory statistics course. They sampled 82 students from 2 instructors' sections during both the fall and spring semesters. Students were randomly assigned within each section to either the…

Statistical Methods of Latent Structure Discovery in Child-Directed Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Panteleyeva, Natalya B.

2010-01-01

This dissertation investigates how distributional information in the speech stream can assist infants in the initial stages of acquisition of their native language phonology. An exploratory statistical analysis derives this information from the adult speech data in the corpus of conversations between adults and young children in Russian. Because…

Visualizing Teacher Education as a Complex System: A Nested Simplex System Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ludlow, Larry; Ell, Fiona; Cochran-Smith, Marilyn; Newton, Avery; Trefcer, Kaitlin; Klein, Kelsey; Grudnoff, Lexie; Haigh, Mavis; Hill, Mary F.

2017-01-01

Our purpose is to provide an exploratory statistical representation of initial teacher education as a complex system comprised of dynamic influential elements. More precisely, we reveal what the system looks like for differently-positioned teacher education stakeholders based on our framework for gathering, statistically analyzing, and graphically…

Challenging Conventional Wisdom for Multivariate Statistical Models with Small Samples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNeish, Daniel

2017-01-01

In education research, small samples are common because of financial limitations, logistical challenges, or exploratory studies. With small samples, statistical principles on which researchers rely do not hold, leading to trust issues with model estimates and possible replication issues when scaling up. Researchers are generally aware of such…

Paradigms for adaptive statistical information designs: practical experiences and strategies.

PubMed

Wang, Sue-Jane; Hung, H M James; O'Neill, Robert

2012-11-10

In the last decade or so, interest in adaptive design clinical trials has gradually been directed towards their use in regulatory submissions by pharmaceutical drug sponsors to evaluate investigational new drugs. Methodological advances of adaptive designs are abundant in the statistical literature since the 1970s. The adaptive design paradigm has been enthusiastically perceived to increase the efficiency and to be more cost-effective than the fixed design paradigm for drug development. Much interest in adaptive designs is in those studies with two-stages, where stage 1 is exploratory and stage 2 depends upon stage 1 results, but where the data of both stages will be combined to yield statistical evidence for use as that of a pivotal registration trial. It was not until the recent release of the US Food and Drug Administration Draft Guidance for Industry on Adaptive Design Clinical Trials for Drugs and Biologics (2010) that the boundaries of flexibility for adaptive designs were specifically considered for regulatory purposes, including what are exploratory goals, and what are the goals of adequate and well-controlled (A&WC) trials (2002). The guidance carefully described these distinctions in an attempt to minimize the confusion between the goals of preliminary learning phases of drug development, which are inherently substantially uncertain, and the definitive inference-based phases of drug development. In this paper, in addition to discussing some aspects of adaptive designs in a confirmatory study setting, we underscore the value of adaptive designs when used in exploratory trials to improve planning of subsequent A&WC trials. One type of adaptation that is receiving attention is the re-estimation of the sample size during the course of the trial. We refer to this type of adaptation as an adaptive statistical information design. Specifically, a case example is used to illustrate how challenging it is to plan a confirmatory adaptive statistical information design. We highlight the substantial risk of planning the sample size for confirmatory trials when information is very uninformative and stipulate the advantages of adaptive statistical information designs for planning exploratory trials. Practical experiences and strategies as lessons learned from more recent adaptive design proposals will be discussed to pinpoint the improved utilities of adaptive design clinical trials and their potential to increase the chance of a successful drug development. Published 2012. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Factors impacting the efficacy of venlafaxine extended release 75–225 mg/day in patients with major depressive disorder: exploratory post hoc subgroup analyses of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in Japan

PubMed Central

Watanabe, Yoshinori; Asami, Yuko; Hirano, Yoko; Kuribayashi, Kazuhiko; Itamura, Rio; Imaeda, Takayuki

2018-01-01

Purpose To explore the potential factors impacting the efficacy of venlafaxine extended release (ER) and treatment differences between 75 mg/day and 75–225 mg/day dose in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods We performed exploratory post hoc subgroup analyses of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in Japan. A total of 538 outpatients aged 20 years or older with a primary diagnosis of MDD who experienced single or recurrent episodes were randomized into three groups: fixed-dose, flexible-dose, or placebo. Venlafaxine ER was initiated at 37.5 mg/day and titrated to 75 mg/day for both fixed-dose and flexible-dose group, and to 225 mg/day for flexible-dose group (if well tolerated). Efficacy endpoints were changes from baseline at Week 8 using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression–17 items (HAM-D17) total score, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression–6 items score, and Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale total score. The following factors were considered in the subgroup analyses: sex, age, HAM-D17 total score at baseline, duration of MDD, duration of current depressive episode, history of previous depressive episodes, history of previous medications for MDD, and CYP2D6 phenotype. For each subgroup, an analysis of covariance model was fitted and the adjusted mean of the treatment effect and corresponding 95% CI were computed. Due to the exploratory nature of the investigation, no statistical hypothesis testing was used. Results Venlafaxine ER improved symptoms of MDD compared with placebo in most subgroups. The subgroup with a long duration of MDD (>22 months) consistently showed greater treatment benefits in the flexible-dose group than in the fixed-dose group. Conclusion These results suggest that a greater treatment response to venlafaxine ER (up to 225 mg/day) can be seen in patients with a longer duration of MDD. Further investigations are needed to identify additional factors impacting the efficacy of venlafaxine ER. PMID:29844674

Factors impacting the efficacy of venlafaxine extended release 75-225 mg/day in patients with major depressive disorder: exploratory post hoc subgroup analyses of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in Japan.

PubMed

Watanabe, Yoshinori; Asami, Yuko; Hirano, Yoko; Kuribayashi, Kazuhiko; Itamura, Rio; Imaeda, Takayuki

2018-01-01

To explore the potential factors impacting the efficacy of venlafaxine extended release (ER) and treatment differences between 75 mg/day and 75-225 mg/day dose in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). We performed exploratory post hoc subgroup analyses of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in Japan. A total of 538 outpatients aged 20 years or older with a primary diagnosis of MDD who experienced single or recurrent episodes were randomized into three groups: fixed-dose, flexible-dose, or placebo. Venlafaxine ER was initiated at 37.5 mg/day and titrated to 75 mg/day for both fixed-dose and flexible-dose group, and to 225 mg/day for flexible-dose group (if well tolerated). Efficacy endpoints were changes from baseline at Week 8 using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-17 items (HAM-D 17 ) total score, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-6 items score, and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale total score. The following factors were considered in the subgroup analyses: sex, age, HAM-D 17 total score at baseline, duration of MDD, duration of current depressive episode, history of previous depressive episodes, history of previous medications for MDD, and CYP2D6 phenotype. For each subgroup, an analysis of covariance model was fitted and the adjusted mean of the treatment effect and corresponding 95% CI were computed. Due to the exploratory nature of the investigation, no statistical hypothesis testing was used. Venlafaxine ER improved symptoms of MDD compared with placebo in most subgroups. The subgroup with a long duration of MDD (>22 months) consistently showed greater treatment benefits in the flexible-dose group than in the fixed-dose group. These results suggest that a greater treatment response to venlafaxine ER (up to 225 mg/day) can be seen in patients with a longer duration of MDD. Further investigations are needed to identify additional factors impacting the efficacy of venlafaxine ER.

Prison Radicalization: The New Extremist Training Grounds?

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

distributing and collecting survey data , and the data analysis. The analytical methodology includes descriptive and inferential statistical methods, in... statistical analysis of the responses to identify significant correlations and relationships. B. SURVEY DATA COLLECTION To effectively access a...Q18, Q19, Q20, and Q21. Due to the exploratory nature of this small survey, data analyses were confined mostly to descriptive statistics and

Applying Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling to Examine the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale in a Representative Greek Sample.

PubMed

Tsigilis, Nikolaos; Gregoriadis, Athanasios; Grammatikopoulos, Vasilis; Zachopoulou, Evridiki

2018-01-01

Teacher-child relationships in early childhood are a fundamental prerequisite for children's social, emotional, and academic development. The Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) is one of the most widely accepted and used instruments that evaluate the quality of teacher-child relationships. STRS is a 28-item questionnaire that assess three relational dimensions, Closeness, Conflict, and Dependency. The relevant literature has shown a pattern regarding the difficulty to support the STRS factor structure with CFA, while it is well-documented with EFA. Recently, a new statistical technique was proposed to combine the best of the CFA and EFA namely, the Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM). The purpose of this study was (a) to examine the factor structure of the STRS in a Greek national sample. Toward this end, the ESEM framework was applied in order to overcome the limitations of EFA and CFA, (b) to confirm previous findings about the cultural influence in teacher-child relationship patterns, and (c) to examine the invariance of STRS across gender and age. Early educators from a representative Greek sample size of 535 child care and kindergarten centers completed the STRS for 4,158 children. CFA as well as ESEM procedures were implemented. Results showed that ESEM provided better fit to the data than CFA in both groups, supporting the argument that CFA is an overly restrictive approach in comparison to ESEM for the study of STRS. All primary loadings were statistically significant and were associated with their respective latent factors. Contrary to the existing literature conducted in USA and northern Europe, the association between Closeness and Dependency yielded a positive correlation. This finding is in line with previous studies conducted in Greece and confirm the existence of cultural differences in teacher-child relationships. In addition, findings supported the configural, metric, scalar, and variance/covariance equivalence of the STRS between males and females and between preschoolers (3-5 years) and early primary years (5-7 years). Latent factor means comparisons showed that females seem to have a warmer and more dependent relationship with their teachers and are less conflictual in comparison to males.

Applying Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling to Examine the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale in a Representative Greek Sample

PubMed Central

Tsigilis, Nikolaos; Gregoriadis, Athanasios; Grammatikopoulos, Vasilis; Zachopoulou, Evridiki

2018-01-01

Teacher-child relationships in early childhood are a fundamental prerequisite for children's social, emotional, and academic development. The Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) is one of the most widely accepted and used instruments that evaluate the quality of teacher-child relationships. STRS is a 28-item questionnaire that assess three relational dimensions, Closeness, Conflict, and Dependency. The relevant literature has shown a pattern regarding the difficulty to support the STRS factor structure with CFA, while it is well-documented with EFA. Recently, a new statistical technique was proposed to combine the best of the CFA and EFA namely, the Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM). The purpose of this study was (a) to examine the factor structure of the STRS in a Greek national sample. Toward this end, the ESEM framework was applied in order to overcome the limitations of EFA and CFA, (b) to confirm previous findings about the cultural influence in teacher-child relationship patterns, and (c) to examine the invariance of STRS across gender and age. Early educators from a representative Greek sample size of 535 child care and kindergarten centers completed the STRS for 4,158 children. CFA as well as ESEM procedures were implemented. Results showed that ESEM provided better fit to the data than CFA in both groups, supporting the argument that CFA is an overly restrictive approach in comparison to ESEM for the study of STRS. All primary loadings were statistically significant and were associated with their respective latent factors. Contrary to the existing literature conducted in USA and northern Europe, the association between Closeness and Dependency yielded a positive correlation. This finding is in line with previous studies conducted in Greece and confirm the existence of cultural differences in teacher-child relationships. In addition, findings supported the configural, metric, scalar, and variance/covariance equivalence of the STRS between males and females and between preschoolers (3–5 years) and early primary years (5–7 years). Latent factor means comparisons showed that females seem to have a warmer and more dependent relationship with their teachers and are less conflictual in comparison to males. PMID:29867688

Exploring the relationship between time management skills and the academic achievement of African engineering students - a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swart, Arthur James; Lombard, Kobus; de Jager, Henk

2010-03-01

Poor academic success by African engineering students is currently experienced in many higher educational institutions, contributing to lower financial subsidies by local governments. One of the contributing factors to this low academic success may be the poor time management skills of these students. This article endeavours to explore this relationship by means of a theoretical literature review and an empirical study. Numerous studies have been conducted in this regard, but with mixed results. The case study of this article involves a design module termed Design Projects III, where the empirical study incorporated an ex post facto study involving a pre-experimental/exploratory design using descriptive statistics. The results of this study were applied to various tests, which indicated no statistically significant relationship between time management skills and the academic achievement of African engineering students.

Exploratory factor analysis of signalment and conformational measurements in Thoroughbred horses with and without recurrent laryngeal neuropathy.

PubMed

McGivney, C L; Gough, K F; McGivney, B A; Farries, G; Hill, E W; Katz, L M

2018-06-23

Conflicting results have been reported for risk factors for recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) based on resting endoscopic evaluation and comparison of single conformation traits, with many traits correlated to one another. To simplify identification of signalment and conformation traits (i.e. variables) associated with RLN cases and controls diagnosed with exercising overground endoscopy (OGE) using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Prospective cohort. Pearson's rank correlation was used to establish significance and association between variables collected from n = 188 Thoroughbreds from one stable by observers blinded to OGE results. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on 9 variables for cases and controls; common elements between variables developed a factor, with variables grouped into 3 factors for cases and controls, respectively. Correlation (loading) between each variable and factor was calculated to rank relationships between variables and cases/controls, with factors retrospectively named based on their underlying correlations with variables. Numerous inter-correlations were present between variables. Most strongly correlated in cases were wither height with body weight (r = 0.70) and ventral neck length (r = 0.68) and in controls body weight with rostral neck circumference (r = 0.58). Wither height (r = 0.61) significantly loaded the top-ranked factor for cases ('height RLN '), explaining 25% of conformational variance. Ventral neck length (r = 0.69) and age (r = 0.57) significantly loaded the second-ranked factor for cases ('neck length RLN '), explaining 16% of conformational variance. Rostral neck circumference (r = 0.86) and body weight (r = 0.6) significantly loaded the top-ranked factor for controls ('body size CON '), explaining 19% of the variance. Wither height (r = 0.84) significantly loaded the second-ranked factor for controls ('height CON '), explaining 13% of the variance. Horses had not reached skeletal maturity. Exploratory factor analysis allowed weightings to be determined for each variable. Wither height was the predominant conformational feature associated with RLN. Exploratory factor analysis confirms aggregated conformational differences exist between RLN cases and controls, suitable for future evaluations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Classification of L2 Vocabulary Learning Strategies: Evidence from Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Bo; Li, Changyu

2011-01-01

This research presents a classification theory for the L2 vocabulary learning strategies. Based on the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of strategies that adult Chinese English learners used, this theory identifies six categories, four of which are related to the cognitive process in lexical acquisition and the other two are…

An Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Sexual Orientation Counselor Competency Scale: Examining the Variable of Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, Shainna; Lambie, Glenn; Bloom, Zachary D.

2017-01-01

The Sexual Orientation Counselor Competency Scale (SOCCS), developed by Bidell in 2005, measures counselors' levels of skills, awareness, and knowledge in assisting lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) clients. In an effort to gain an increased understanding of the construct validity of the SOCCS, researchers performed an exploratory factor analysis on…

An Exploratory Factor Analysis of the URICA among Couple Therapy Participants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tambling, Rachel B.; Johnson, Lee N.

2012-01-01

Assessing and measuring client motivation to change has been of great interest to therapists and researchers in a variety of fields. This article presents the results of an exploratory factor analysis of the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA), a measure of motivation to change, in a sample of individuals in couple therapy. Four…

Ordinary Least Squares Estimation of Parameters in Exploratory Factor Analysis with Ordinal Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Chun-Ting; Zhang, Guangjian; Edwards, Michael C.

2012-01-01

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is often conducted with ordinal data (e.g., items with 5-point responses) in the social and behavioral sciences. These ordinal variables are often treated as if they were continuous in practice. An alternative strategy is to assume that a normally distributed continuous variable underlies each ordinal variable.…

An Exploratory Factor Analysis and Reliability Analysis of the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Taeho; Richardson, Jennifer C.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop an effective instrument to measure student readiness in online learning with reliable predictors of online learning success factors such as learning outcomes and learner satisfaction. The validity and reliability of the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) instrument were tested using exploratory factor…

Development of an Instrument to Measure Student Use of Academic Success Skills: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carey, John; Brigman, Greg; Webb, Linda; Villares, Elizabeth; Harrington, Karen

2014-01-01

This article describes the development of the Student Engagement in School Success Skills instrument including item development and exploratory factor analysis. The instrument was developed to measure student use of the skills and strategies identified as most critical for long-term school success that are typically taught by school counselors.

Planning representation for automated exploratory data analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

St. Amant, Robert; Cohen, Paul R.

1994-03-01

Igor is a knowledge-based system for exploratory statistical analysis of complex systems and environments. Igor has two related goals: to help automate the search for interesting patterns in data sets, and to help develop models that capture significant relationships in the data. We outline a language for Igor, based on techniques of opportunistic planning, which balances control and opportunism. We describe the application of Igor to the analysis of the behavior of Phoenix, an artificial intelligence planning system.

Validation of the Neonatal Satisfaction Survey (NSS-8) in six Norwegian neonatal intensive care units: a quantitative cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Hagen, Inger Hilde; Svindseth, Marit Følsvik; Nesset, Erik; Orner, Roderick; Iversen, Valentina Cabral

2018-03-27

The experience of having their new-borns admitted to an intensive care unit (NICU) can be extremely distressing. Subsequent risk of post-incident-adjustment difficulties are increased for parents, siblings, and affected families. Patient and next of kin satisfaction surveys provide key indicators of quality in health care. Methodically constructed and validated survey tools are in short supply and parents' experiences of care in Neonatal Intensive Care Units is under-researched. This paper reports a validation of the Neonatal Satisfaction Survey (NSS-8) in six Norwegian NICUs. Parents' survey returns were collected using the Neonatal Satisfaction Survey (NSS-13). Data quality and psychometric properties were systematically assessed using exploratory factor analysis, tests of internal consistency, reliability, construct, convergent and discriminant validity. Each set of hospital returns were subjected to an apostasy analysis before an overall satisfaction rate was calculated. The survey sample of 568 parents represents 45% of total eligible population for the period of the study. Missing data accounted for 1,1% of all returns. Attrition analysis shows congruence between sample and total population. Exploratory factor analysis identified eight factors of concern to parents,"Care and Treatment", "Doctors", "Visits", "Information", "Facilities", "Parents' Anxiety", "Discharge" and "Sibling Visits". All factors showed satisfactory internal consistency, good reliability (Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.70-0.94). For the whole scale of 51 items α 0.95. Convergent validity using Spearman's rank between the eight factors and question measuring overall satisfaction was significant on all factors. Discriminant validity was established for all factors. Overall satisfaction rates ranged from 86 to 90% while for each of the eight factors measures of satisfaction varied between 64 and 86%. The NSS-8 questionnaire is a valid and reliable scale for measuring parents' assessment of quality of care in NICU. Statistical analysis confirms the instrument's capacity to gauge parents' experiences of NICU. Further research is indicated to validate the survey questionnaire in other Nordic countries and beyond.

Factor Structure of the Primary Scales of the Inventory of Personality Organization in a Nonclinical Sample Using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellison, William D.; Levy, Kenneth N.

2012-01-01

Using exploratory structural equation modeling and multiple regression, we examined the factor structure and criterion relations of the primary scales of the Inventory of Personality Organization (IPO; Kernberg & Clarkin, 1995) in a nonclinical sample. Participants (N = 1,260) completed the IPO and measures of self-concept clarity, defenses,…

The Relationship of Bureaucratic Structure to School Climate: An Exploratory Factor Analysis of Construct Validity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lennon, Patricia A.

2010-01-01

This researcher examined the relationship of bureaucratic structure to school climate by means of an exploratory factor analysis of a measure of bureaucracy developed by Hoy and Sweetland (2000) and the four dimensional measure of climate developed by Hoy, Smith, and Sweetland (2002). Since there had been no other empirical studies whose authors…

Replication Analysis in Exploratory Factor Analysis: What It Is and Why It Makes Your Analysis Better

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osborne, Jason W.; Fitzpatrick, David C.

2012-01-01

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) is a powerful and commonly-used tool for investigating the underlying variable structure of a psychometric instrument. However, there is much controversy in the social sciences with regard to the techniques used in EFA (Ford, MacCallum, & Tait, 1986; Henson & Roberts, 2006) and the reliability of the outcome.…

Careers in a Non-Western Context: An Exploratory Empirical Investigation of Factors Related to the Career Success of Chinese Managers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tu, Howard S.; Forret, Monica L.; Sullivan, Sherry E.

2006-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to conduct an exploratory empirical examination to determine if factors (e.g. demographic, human capital, motivational, and organizational) associated with career success in Western countries are also related to the career outcomes of Chinese managers. Design/methodology/approach: Survey data were obtained from…

Rotation to a Partially Specified Target Matrix in Exploratory Factor Analysis: How Many Targets?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Nicholas D.; Ahn, Soyeon; Jin, Ying

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of the number of targets specified on the quality of exploratory factor analysis solutions with a complex underlying structure and incomplete substantive measurement theory. Three Monte Carlo studies were performed based on the ratio of the number of observed variables to the number of…

The Impacts of Student-, Teacher- and School-Level Factors on Mathematics Achievement: An Exploratory Comparative Investigation of Singaporean Students and the USA Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ker, H. W.

2016-01-01

Reports from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) consistently show that there is a substantial gap in average mathematics achievement between Singapore and the USA. This study conducts an exploratory comparative investigation on the multilevel factors influencing the mathematics achievement of students from these two…

University Faculty Members' Perceptions of the Factors That Facilitate Technology Integration into Their Instruction: An Exploratory Case Study in Qatar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karkouti, Ibrahim Mohamad

2016-01-01

This qualitative, exploratory case study was designed to elicit faculty members' perceptions of the factors that facilitate technology integration into their instruction. The study was conducted at a midsized higher education institution in Qatar. Davis's (1986) technology acceptance model (TAM) is the conceptual framework that guided this study…

SOCR Motion Charts: An Efficient, Open-Source, Interactive and Dynamic Applet for Visualizing Longitudinal Multivariate Data

PubMed Central

Al-Aziz, Jameel; Christou, Nicolas; Dinov, Ivo D.

2011-01-01

The amount, complexity and provenance of data have dramatically increased in the past five years. Visualization of observed and simulated data is a critical component of any social, environmental, biomedical or scientific quest. Dynamic, exploratory and interactive visualization of multivariate data, without preprocessing by dimensionality reduction, remains a nearly insurmountable challenge. The Statistics Online Computational Resource (www.SOCR.ucla.edu) provides portable online aids for probability and statistics education, technology-based instruction and statistical computing. We have developed a new Java-based infrastructure, SOCR Motion Charts, for discovery-based exploratory analysis of multivariate data. This interactive data visualization tool enables the visualization of high-dimensional longitudinal data. SOCR Motion Charts allows mapping of ordinal, nominal and quantitative variables onto time, 2D axes, size, colors, glyphs and appearance characteristics, which facilitates the interactive display of multidimensional data. We validated this new visualization paradigm using several publicly available multivariate datasets including Ice-Thickness, Housing Prices, Consumer Price Index, and California Ozone Data. SOCR Motion Charts is designed using object-oriented programming, implemented as a Java Web-applet and is available to the entire community on the web at www.socr.ucla.edu/SOCR_MotionCharts. It can be used as an instructional tool for rendering and interrogating high-dimensional data in the classroom, as well as a research tool for exploratory data analysis. PMID:21479108

[Construction of competency model of 'excellent doctor' in Chinese medicine].

PubMed

Jin, Aning; Tian, Yongquan; Zhao, Taiyang

2014-05-01

To evaluate outstanding and ordinary persons from personal characteristics using competency as the important criteria, which is the future direction of medical education reform. We carried on a behavior event interview about famous doctors of old traditional Chinese medicine, compiled competency dictionary, proceed control prediction test. SPSS and AMOS were used to be data analysis tools on statistics. We adopted the model of peer assessment and contrast to carry out empirical research. This project has carried on exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, established a "5A" competency model which include moral ability, thinking ability, communication ability, learning and practical ability. Competency model of "excellent doctor" in Chinese medicine has been validated, with good reliability and validity, and embodies the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine personnel training, with theoretical and practical significance for excellence in medicine physician training.

Organizational commitment and job satisfaction among nurses in Serbia: a factor analysis.

PubMed

Veličković, Vladica M; Višnjić, Aleksandar; Jović, Slađana; Radulović, Olivera; Šargić, Čedomir; Mihajlović, Jovan; Mladenović, Jelena

2014-01-01

One of the basic prerequisites of efficient organizational management in health institutions is certainly monitoring and measuring satisfaction of employees and their commitment to the health institution in which they work. The aim of this article was to identify and test factors that may have a predictive effect on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. We conducted a cross-sectional study that included 1,337 nurses from Serbia. Data were analyzed by using exploratory factor analysis, multivariate regressions, and descriptive statistics. The study identified three major factors of organizational commitment: affective commitment, disloyalty, and continuance commitment. The most important predictors of these factors were positive professional identification, extrinsic job satisfaction, and intrinsic job satisfaction (p < .0001). Predictors significantly affecting both job satisfaction and organizational commitment were identified as well; the most important of which was positive professional identification (p < .0001). This study identified the main factors affecting job satisfaction and organizational commitment of nurses, which formed a good basis for the creation of organizational management policy and human resource management policy in health institutions in Serbia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Text mining factor analysis (TFA) in green tea patent data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmawati, Sela; Suprijadi, Jadi; Zulhanif

2017-03-01

Factor analysis has become one of the most widely used multivariate statistical procedures in applied research endeavors across a multitude of domains. There are two main types of analyses based on factor analysis: Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Both EFA and CFA aim to observed relationships among a group of indicators with a latent variable, but they differ fundamentally, a priori and restrictions made to the factor model. This method will be applied to patent data technology sector green tea to determine the development technology of green tea in the world. Patent analysis is useful in identifying the future technological trends in a specific field of technology. Database patent are obtained from agency European Patent Organization (EPO). In this paper, CFA model will be applied to the nominal data, which obtain from the presence absence matrix. While doing processing, analysis CFA for nominal data analysis was based on Tetrachoric matrix. Meanwhile, EFA model will be applied on a title from sector technology dominant. Title will be pre-processing first using text mining analysis.

Assessing the heterogeneity of aggressive behavior traits: exploratory and confirmatory analyses of the reactive and instrumental aggression Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) scales.

PubMed

Antonius, Daniel; Sinclair, Samuel Justin; Shiva, Andrew A; Messinger, Julie W; Maile, Jordan; Siefert, Caleb J; Belfi, Brian; Malaspina, Dolores; Blais, Mark A

2013-01-01

The heterogeneity of violent behavior is often overlooked in risk assessment despite its importance in the management and treatment of psychiatric and forensic patients. In this study, items from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) were first evaluated and rated by experts in terms of how well they assessed personality features associated with reactive and instrumental aggression. Exploratory principal component analyses (PCA) were then conducted on select items using a sample of psychiatric and forensic inpatients (n = 479) to examine the latent structure and construct validity of these reactive and instrumental aggression factors. Finally, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on a separate sample of psychiatric inpatients (n = 503) to evaluate whether these factors yielded acceptable model fit. Overall, the exploratory and confirmatory analyses supported the existence of two latent PAI factor structures, which delineate personality traits related to reactive and instrumental aggression.

Validation study of the Questionnaire on School Maladjustment Problems (QSMP).

PubMed

de la Fuente Arias, Jesús; Peralta Sánchez, Francisco Javier; Sánchez Roda, María Dolores; Trianes Torres, María Victoria

2012-05-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the exploratory and confirmatory structure, as well as other psychometric properties, of the Cuestionario de Problemas de Convivencia Escolar (CPCE; in Spanish, the Questionnaire on School Maladjustment Problems [QSMP]), using a sample of Spanish adolescents. The instrument was administered to 60 secondary education teachers (53.4% females and 46.6% males) between the ages of 28 and 54 years (M= 41.2, SD= 11.5), who evaluated a total of 857 adolescent students. The first-order exploratory factor analysis identified 7 factors, explaining a total variance of 62%. A second-order factor analysis yielded three dimensions that explain 84% of the variance. A confirmatory factor analysis was subsequently performed in order to reduce the number of factors obtained in the exploratory analysis as well as the number of items. Lastly, we present the results of reliability, internal consistency, and validity indices. These results and their implications for future research and for the practice of educational guidance and intervention are discussed in the conclusions.

Global Processing Speed in Children with Low Reading Ability and in Children and Adults with Typical Reading Ability: Exploratory Factor Analytic Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peter, Beate; Matsushita, Mark; Raskind, Wendy H.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To investigate processing speed as a latent dimension in children with dyslexia and children and adults with typical reading skills. Method: Exploratory factor analysis (FA) was based on a sample of multigenerational families, each ascertained through a child with dyslexia. Eleven measures--6 of them timed--represented verbal and…

The Neo Personality Inventory-Revised: Factor Structure and Gender Invariance from Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling Analyses in a High-Stakes Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furnham, Adrian; Guenole, Nigel; Levine, Stephen Z.; Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas

2013-01-01

This study presents new analyses of NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R) responses collected from a large British sample in a high-stakes setting. The authors show the appropriateness of the five-factor model underpinning these responses in a variety of new ways. Using the recently developed exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM)…

What Factors Affect Nursing Students' Decisions of Whether to Take Rural Jobs: An Exploratory Interview Study in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tao, Yuexian; Haycock-Stuart, Elaine; Rodgers, Sheila E.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore factors that effect nursing students' decisions of whether to take rural jobs in China. Methods: An exploratory interview study was conducted in China during May and June 2011. Eleven final year nursing students were purposively recruited from four nursing schools in one eastern area in China. The…

An Exploratory Analysis of Factors Affecting Participation in Air Force Knowledge Now Communities of Practice

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-03-01

reliability coefficients are presented in chapter four in the factor analysis section. Along with Crobach’s Alpha coefficients, the Kaiser - Meyer - Olkin ...the pattern of correlation coefficients > 0.300 in the correlation matrix • Kaiser - Meyer - Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy (MSA) > 0.700 • Bartlett’s...exploratory factor analysis. The Kaiser - Meyer - Olkin measure of sampling adequacy yielded a value of .790, and Bartlett’s test of sphericity yielded a

A descriptive study of noise in the neonatal intensive care unit: ambient levels and perceptions of contributing factors.

PubMed

Darcy, Ashley E; Hancock, Lauren E; Ware, Emily J

2008-10-01

To examine the baseline acoustic environment in several mid-Atlantic region neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and investigate the perceived factors contributing to noise levels in these NICUs. Quantitative data were collected from 3 urban, mid-Atlantic level IIIB and level IIIC NICUs. Qualitative data were collected via interview from 2 RNs employed in each of the study NICUs. This was an exploratory descriptive study utilizing a mixed-methods approach. A quantitative method was used for sound-level data collection, and a qualitative method was utilized during interviews with nurses to examine perceptions of factors contributing to noise. Ambient sound levels, measured in decibels, were taken at 5-minute intervals over a 2-hour period during both day and night shifts in a central location at each NICU. In addition, nurses were interviewed using a standardized interview questionnaire, and these interviews were then reviewed to determine themes regarding perceived factors contributing to sound levels. Hourly mean sound levels in each NICU ranged from 53.9 dB to 60.6 dB, with no statistically significant difference between noise levels recorded on day shift versus night shift, and no statistically significant difference among sites. Qualitative data showed that nurses' believed day shift to be louder than night shift and many perceived their own NICU as "pretty quiet." Key contributing factors to increased sound levels were stated as monitors or alarms, performing invasive procedures, presence of family, nurses or doctors giving report or rounds, and ringing phones. Noise levels were found to be above the American Academy of Pediatrics-recommended 45-dB level and often louder than the 50-dB level, which should not be exceeded more than 10% of the time. The recommended impulse maximum of 65 dB was also exceeded. Environmental Protection Agency recommendations for hospitals include sound levels no louder than 35 dB on night shift; this standard was also violated. Elevated sound levels need to be addressed in individual NICUs around the country. Further exploratory studies, as well as research regarding effective methods of decreasing sound levels in the NICU environment, are necessary. NICUs can implement behavioral and structural changes that can decrease the sound levels in the NICU environment and decrease the potential for exposure of patients to the harmful physiological effects of increased sound levels.

A descriptive study of noise in the neonatal intensive care unit. Ambient levels and perceptions of contributing factors.

PubMed

Darcy, Ashley E; Hancock, Lauren E; Ware, Emily J

2008-06-01

To examine the baseline acoustic environment in several mid-Atlantic region neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and investigate the perceived factors contributing to noise levels in these NICUs. Quantitative data were collected from 3 urban, mid-Atlantic level IIIB and level IIIC NICUs. Qualitative data were collected via interview from 2 RNs employed in each of the study NICUs. This was an exploratory descriptive study utilizing a mixed-methods approach. A quantitative method was used for sound-level data collection, and a qualitative method was utilized during interviews with nurses to examine perceptions of factors contributing to noise. Ambient sound levels, measured in decibels, were taken at 5-minute intervals over a 2-hour period during both day and night shifts in a central location at each NICU. In addition, nurses were interviewed using a standardized interview questionnaire, and these interviews were then reviewed to determine themes regarding perceived factors contributing to sound levels. Hourly mean sound levels in each NICU ranged from 53.9 dB to 60.6 dB, with no statistically significant difference between noise levels recorded on day shift versus night shift, and no statistically significant difference among sites. Qualitative data showed that nurses' believed day shift to be louder than night shift and many perceived their own NICU as "pretty quiet." Key contributing factors to increased sound levels were stated as monitors or alarms, performing invasive procedures, presence of family, nurses or doctors giving report or rounds, and ringing phones. Noise levels were found to be above the American Academy of Pediatrics--recommended 45-dB level and often louder than the 50-dB level, which should not be exceeded more than 10% of the time. The recommended impulse maximum of 65 dB was also exceeded. Environmental Protection Agency recommendations for hospitals include sound levels no louder than 35 dB on night shift; this standard was also violated. Elevated sound levels need to be addressed in individual NICUs around the country. Further exploratory studies, as well as research regarding effective methods of decreasing sound levels in the NICU environment, are necessary. NICUs can implement behavioral and structural changes that can decrease the sound levels in the NICU environment and decrease the potential for exposure of patients to the harmful physiological effects of increased sound levels.

Positive influences of home food environment on primary-school children's diet and weight status: a structural equation model approach.

PubMed

Ong, Jia Xin; Ullah, Shahid; Magarey, Anthea; Leslie, Eva

2016-10-01

The mechanism by which the home food environment (HFE) influences childhood obesity is unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between HFE and childhood obesity as mediated by diet in primary-school children. Cross-sectional data collected from parents and primary-school children participating in the Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle Evaluation Project. Only children aged 9-11 years participated in the study. Matched parent/child data (n 3323) were analysed. Exploratory factor analysis underlined components of twenty-one HFE items; these were linked to child diet (meeting guidelines for fruit, vegetable and non-core food intakes) and measured child BMI, in structural equation modelling, adjusting for confounders. Twenty geographically bounded metropolitan and regional South Australian communities. School children and their parents from primary schools in selected communities. In the initial exploratory factor analysis, nineteen items remaining extracted eight factors with eigenvalues >1·0 (72·4 % of total variance). A five-factor structure incorporating ten items described HFE. After adjusting for age, gender, socio-economic status and physical activity all associations in the model were significant (P<0·05), explaining 9·3 % and 4·5 % of the variance in child diet and BMI, respectively. A more positive HFE was directly and indirectly associated with a lower BMI in children through child diet. The robust statistical methodology used in the present study provides support for a model of direct and indirect dynamics between the HFE and childhood obesity. The model can be tested in future longitudinal and intervention studies to identify the most effective components of the HFE to target in childhood obesity prevention efforts.

Dietary Patterns Derived Using Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis are Stable and Generalizable Across Race, Region, and Gender Subgroups in the REGARDS Study

PubMed Central

Judd, Suzanne E.; Letter, Abraham J.; Shikany, James M.; Roth, David L.; Newby, P. K.

2015-01-01

Background: Examining diet as a whole using dietary patterns as exposures is a complementary method to using single food or nutrients in studies of diet and disease, but the generalizability of intake patterns across race, region, and gender in the United States has not been established. Objective: To employ rigorous statistical analysis to empirically derive dietary patterns in a large bi-racial, geographically diverse population and examine whether results are stable across population subgroups. Design: The present analysis utilized data from 21,636 participants in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study who completed the Block 98 food frequency questionnaire. We employed exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses on 56 different food groups iteratively and examined differences by race, region, and sex to determine the optimal factor solution in our sample. Results: Five dietary patterns emerged: the “Convenience” pattern was characterized by mixed dishes; the “Plant-based” pattern by fruits, vegetables, and fish; the “Sweets/Fats” pattern by sweet snacks, desserts, and fats and oils; the “Southern” pattern by fried foods, organ meat, and sweetened beverages; and the “Alcohol/Salads” pattern by beer, wine, liquor, and salads. Differences were most pronounced in the Southern pattern with black participants, those residing in the Southeast, and participants not completing high school having the highest scores. Conclusion: Five meaningful dietary patterns emerged in the REGARDS study and showed strong congruence across race, sex, and region. Future research will examine associations between these patterns and health outcomes to better understand racial disparities in disease and inform prevention efforts. PMID:25988129

An Exploratory Analysis of Network Characteristics and Quality of Interactions among Public Health Collaboratives

PubMed Central

Varda, Danielle M.; Retrum, Jessica H.

2012-01-01

While the benefits of collaboration have become widely accepted and the practice of collaboration is growing within the public health system, a paucity of research exists that examines factors and mechanisms related to effective collaboration between public health and their partner organizations. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap by exploring the structural and organizational characteristics of public health collaboratives. Design and Methods. Using both social network analysis and traditional statistical methods, we conduct an exploratory secondary data analysis of 11 public health collaboratives chosen from across the United States. All collaboratives are part of the PARTNER (www.partnertool.net) database. We analyze data to identify relational patterns by exploring the structure (the way that organizations connect and exchange relationships), in relation to perceptions of value and trust, explanations for varying reports of success, and factors related to outcomes. We describe the characteristics of the collaboratives, types of resource contributions, outcomes of the collaboratives, perceptions of success, and reasons for success. We found high variation and significant differences within and between these collaboratives including perceptions of success. There were significant relationships among various factors such as resource contributions, reasons cited for success, and trust and value perceived by organizations. We find that although the unique structure of each collaborative makes it challenging to identify a specific set of factors to determine when a collaborative will be successful, the organizational characteristics and interorganizational dynamics do appear to impact outcomes. We recommend a quality improvement process that suggests matching assessment to goals and developing action steps for performance improvement. Acknowledgements the authors would like to thank the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Public Health Program for funding for this research. PMID:25170462

An Exploratory Analysis of Network Characteristics and Quality of Interactions among Public Health Collaboratives.

PubMed

Varda, Danielle M; Retrum, Jessica H

2012-06-15

While the benefits of collaboration have become widely accepted and the practice of collaboration is growing within the public health system, a paucity of research exists that examines factors and mechanisms related to effective collaboration between public health and their partner organizations. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap by exploring the structural and organizational characteristics of public health collaboratives. Design and Methods. Using both social network analysis and traditional statistical methods, we conduct an exploratory secondary data analysis of 11 public health collaboratives chosen from across the United States. All collaboratives are part of the PARTNER (www.partnertool.net) database. We analyze data to identify relational patterns by exploring the structure (the way that organizations connect and exchange relationships), in relation to perceptions of value and trust, explanations for varying reports of success, and factors related to outcomes. We describe the characteristics of the collaboratives, types of resource contributions, outcomes of the collaboratives, perceptions of success, and reasons for success. We found high variation and significant differences within and between these collaboratives including perceptions of success. There were significant relationships among various factors such as resource contributions, reasons cited for success, and trust and value perceived by organizations. We find that although the unique structure of each collaborative makes it challenging to identify a specific set of factors to determine when a collaborative will be successful, the organizational characteristics and interorganizational dynamics do appear to impact outcomes. We recommend a quality improvement process that suggests matching assessment to goals and developing action steps for performance improvement. the authors would like to thank the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Public Health Program for funding for this research.

Development and Psychometric Assessment of the Healthcare Provider Cultural Competence Instrument

PubMed Central

Schwarz, Joshua L.; Witte, Raymond; Sellers, Sherrill L.; Luzadis, Rebecca A.; Weiner, Judith L.; Domingo-Snyder, Eloiza; Page, James E.

2015-01-01

This study presents the measurement properties of 5 scales used in the Healthcare Provider Cultural Competence Instrument (HPCCI). The HPCCI measures a health care provider’s cultural competence along 5 primary dimensions: (1) awareness/sensitivity, (2) behaviors, (3) patient-centered communication, (4) practice orientation, and (5) self-assessment. Exploratory factor analysis demonstrated that the 5 scales were distinct, and within each scale items loaded as expected. Reliability statistics indicated a high level of internal consistency within each scale. The results indicate that the HPCCI effectively measures the cultural competence of health care providers and can provide useful professional feedback for practitioners and organizations seeking to increase a practitioner’s cultural competence. PMID:25911617

Teaching Students to Use Summary Statistics and Graphics to Clean and Analyze Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holcomb, John; Spalsbury, Angela

2005-01-01

Textbooks and websites today abound with real data. One neglected issue is that statistical investigations often require a good deal of "cleaning" to ready data for analysis. The purpose of this dataset and exercise is to teach students to use exploratory tools to identify erroneous observations. This article discusses the merits of such…

Evaluation of psychometric properties of the malay version perceived stress scale in two occupational settings in malaysia.

PubMed

Al-Dubai, Sar; Ganasegeran, K; Barua, A; Rizal, Am; Rampal, Kg

2014-07-01

The 10-item version of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is a widely used tool to measure stress. The Malay version of the PSS-10 has been validated among Malaysian Medical Students. However, studies have not been conducted to assess its validity in occupational settings. The aim of this study is to assess the psychometric properties of the Malay version of the PSS-10 in two occupational setting in Malaysia. This study was conducted among 191 medical residents and 513 railway workers. An exploratory factor analysis was performed using the principal component method with varimax rotation. Correlation analyses, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin, Bartlett's test of Sphericity and Cronbach's alpha were obtained. Statistical analysis was carried out using statistical package for the social sciences version 16 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) software. Analysis yielded two factor structure of the Malay version of PSS-10 in both occupational groups. The two factors accounted for 59.2% and 64.8% of the variance in the medical residents and the railway workers respectively. Factor loadings were greater than 0.59 in both occupational groups. Cronbach's alpha co-efficient was 0.70 for medical residents and 0.71 for railway workers. The Malay version of PSS-10 had adequate psychometric properties and can be used to measure stress among occupational settings in Malaysia.

Evaluation of Psychometric Properties of the Malay Version Perceived Stress Scale in Two Occupational Settings In Malaysia

PubMed Central

Al-Dubai, SAR; Ganasegeran, K; Barua, A; Rizal, AM; Rampal, KG

2014-01-01

Background: The 10-item version of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is a widely used tool to measure stress. The Malay version of the PSS-10 has been validated among Malaysian Medical Students. However, studies have not been conducted to assess its validity in occupational settings. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the psychometric properties of the Malay version of the PSS-10 in two occupational setting in Malaysia. Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted among 191 medical residents and 513 railway workers. An exploratory factor analysis was performed using the principal component method with varimax rotation. Correlation analyses, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin, Bartlett's test of Sphericity and Cronbach's alpha were obtained. Statistical analysis was carried out using statistical package for the social sciences version 16 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) software. Results: Analysis yielded two factor structure of the Malay version of PSS-10 in both occupational groups. The two factors accounted for 59.2% and 64.8% of the variance in the medical residents and the railway workers respectively. Factor loadings were greater than 0.59 in both occupational groups. Cronbach's alpha co-efficient was 0.70 for medical residents and 0.71 for railway workers. Conclusion: The Malay version of PSS-10 had adequate psychometric properties and can be used to measure stress among occupational settings in Malaysia. PMID:25184074

Development and Validation of an Instrument to Evaluate Perceived Wellbeing Associated with the Ingestion of Water: The Water Ingestion-Related Wellbeing Instrument (WIRWI)

PubMed Central

Espinosa-Montero, Juan; Monterrubio-Flores, Eric A.; Sanchez-Estrada, Marcela; Buendia-Jimenez, Inmaculada; Lieberman, Harris R.; Allaert, François-Andre; Barquera, Simon

2016-01-01

Background Ingestion of water has been associated with general wellbeing. When water intake is insufficient, symptoms such as thirst, fatigue and impaired memory result. Currently there are no instruments to assess water consumption associated with wellbeing. The objective of our study was to develop and validate such an instrument in urban, low socioeconomic, adult Mexican population. Methods To construct the Water Ingestion-Related Wellbeing Instrument (WIRWI), a qualitative study in which wellbeing related to everyday practices and experiences in water consumption were investigated. To validate the WIRWI a formal, five-process procedure was used. Face and content validation were addressed, consistency was assessed by exploratory and confirmatory psychometric factor analyses, repeatability, reproducibility and concurrent validity were assessed by conducting correlation tests with other measures of wellbeing such as a quality of life instrument, the SF-36, and objective parameters such as urine osmolality, 24-hour urine total volume and others. Results The final WIRWI is composed of 17 items assessing physical and mental dimensions. Items were selected based on their content and face validity. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded Cronbach's alpha of 0.87 and 0.86, respectively. The final confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the model estimates were satisfactory for the constructs. Statistically significant correlations with the SF-36, total liquid consumption and simple water consumption were observed. Conclusion The resulting WIRWI is a reliable tool for assessing wellbeing associated with consumption of plain water in Mexican adults and could be useful for similar groups. PMID:27388902

Development and Validation of an Instrument to Evaluate Perceived Wellbeing Associated with the Ingestion of Water: The Water Ingestion-Related Wellbeing Instrument (WIRWI).

PubMed

Espinosa-Montero, Juan; Monterrubio-Flores, Eric A; Sanchez-Estrada, Marcela; Buendia-Jimenez, Inmaculada; Lieberman, Harris R; Allaert, François-Andre; Barquera, Simon

2016-01-01

Ingestion of water has been associated with general wellbeing. When water intake is insufficient, symptoms such as thirst, fatigue and impaired memory result. Currently there are no instruments to assess water consumption associated with wellbeing. The objective of our study was to develop and validate such an instrument in urban, low socioeconomic, adult Mexican population. To construct the Water Ingestion-Related Wellbeing Instrument (WIRWI), a qualitative study in which wellbeing related to everyday practices and experiences in water consumption were investigated. To validate the WIRWI a formal, five-process procedure was used. Face and content validation were addressed, consistency was assessed by exploratory and confirmatory psychometric factor analyses, repeatability, reproducibility and concurrent validity were assessed by conducting correlation tests with other measures of wellbeing such as a quality of life instrument, the SF-36, and objective parameters such as urine osmolality, 24-hour urine total volume and others. The final WIRWI is composed of 17 items assessing physical and mental dimensions. Items were selected based on their content and face validity. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded Cronbach's alpha of 0.87 and 0.86, respectively. The final confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the model estimates were satisfactory for the constructs. Statistically significant correlations with the SF-36, total liquid consumption and simple water consumption were observed. The resulting WIRWI is a reliable tool for assessing wellbeing associated with consumption of plain water in Mexican adults and could be useful for similar groups.

Evidence on the validity and reliability of the German, French and Italian nursing home version of the Basel Extent of Rationing of Nursing Care instrument.

PubMed

Zúñiga, Franziska; Schubert, Maria; Hamers, Jan P H; Simon, Michael; Schwendimann, René; Engberg, Sandra; Ausserhofer, Dietmar

2016-08-01

To develop and test psychometrically the Basel Extent of Rationing of Nursing Care for Nursing Homes instrument, providing initial evidence on the validity and reliability of the German, French and Italian-language versions. In the hospital setting, implicit rationing of nursing care is defined as the withholding of nursing activities due to lack of resources, such as staffing or time. No instrument existed to measure this concept in nursing homes. Cross-sectional study. We developed the instrument in three phases: (1) adaption and translation; (2) content validity testing; and (3) initial validity and reliability testing. For phase 3, we analysed survey data from 4748 care workers collected between May 2012-April 2013 from a randomly selected sample of 162 nursing homes in the German-, French- and Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland to provide evidence from response processes (e.g. missing), internal structure (exploratory factor analysis), inter-item inconsistencies (e.g. Cronbach's alpha) and interscorer differences (e.g. within-group agreement). Exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure with good fit statistics. Rationing of nursing care was structured in four domains: (1) activities of daily living; (2) caring, rehabilitation and monitoring; (3) documentation; and (4) social care. Items of the social care subscale showed lower content validity and more missing values than items of other subscales. First evidence indicates that the new instrument can be recommended for research and practice to measure implicit rationing of nursing care in nursing homes. Further refinements of single items are needed. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality Questionnaire (RST-PQ): Development and validation.

PubMed

Corr, Philip J; Cooper, Andrew J

2016-11-01

We report the development and validation of a questionnaire measure of the revised reinforcement sensitivity theory (rRST) of personality. Starting with qualitative responses to defensive and approach scenarios modeled on typical rodent ethoexperimental situations, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) revealed a robust 6-factor structure: 2 unitary defensive factors, fight-flight-freeze system (FFFS; related to fear) and the behavioral inhibition system (BIS; related to anxiety); and 4 behavioral approach system (BAS) factors (Reward Interest, Goal-Drive Persistence, Reward Reactivity, and Impulsivity). Theoretically motivated thematic facets were employed to sample the breadth of defensive space, comprising FFFS (Flight, Freeze, and Active Avoidance) and BIS (Motor Planning Interruption, Worry, Obsessive Thoughts, and Behavioral Disengagement). Based on theoretical considerations, and statistically confirmed, a separate scale for Defensive Fight was developed. Validation evidence for the 6-factor structure came from convergent and discriminant validity shown by correlations with existing personality scales. We offer the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality Questionnaire to facilitate future research specifically on rRST and, more broadly, on approach-avoidance theories of personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale: Further Examination of Dimensionality, Reliability, and Concurrent Validity Estimates.

PubMed

Osman, Augustine; Lamis, Dorian A; Bagge, Courtney L; Freedenthal, Stacey; Barnes, Sean M

2016-01-01

We examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) in a sample of 810 undergraduate students. Using common exploratory factor analysis (EFA), we obtained evidence for a 1-factor solution (41.84% common variance). To confirm unidimensionality of the 15-item MAAS, we conducted a 1-factor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results of the EFA and CFA, respectively, provided support for a unidimensional model. Using differential item functioning analysis methods within item response theory modeling (IRT-based DIF), we found that individuals with high and low levels of nonattachment responded similarly to the MAAS items. Following a detailed item analysis, we proposed a 5-item short version of the instrument and present descriptive statistics and composite score reliability for the short and full versions of the MAAS. Finally, correlation analyses showed that scores on the full and short versions of the MAAS were associated with measures assessing related constructs. The 5-item MAAS is as useful as the original MAAS in enhancing our understanding of the mindfulness construct.

Exploratory factor analysis of the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher Scale (CLES+T).

PubMed

Watson, Paul Barry; Seaton, Philippa; Sims, Deborah; Jamieson, Isabel; Mountier, Jane; Whittle, Rose; Saarikoski, Mikko

2014-01-01

The Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher (CLES+T) scale measures student nurses' perceptions of clinical learning environments. This study evaluates the construct validity and internal reliability of the CLES+T in hospital settings in New Zealand. Comparisons are made between New Zealand and Finnish data. The CLES+T scale was completed by 416 Bachelor of Nursing students following hospital clinical placements between October 2008 and December 2009. Construct validity and internal reliability were assessed using exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha. Exploratory factor analysis supports 4 factors. Cronbach's alpha ranged from .82 to .93. All items except 1 loaded on the same factors found in unpublished Finnish data. The first factor combined 2 previous components from the published Finnish component analysis and was renamed: connecting with, and learning in, communities of clinical practice. The remaining 3 factors (Nurse teacher, Supervisory relationship, and Leadership style of the manager) corresponded to previous components and their conceptualizations. The CLES+T has good internal reliability and a consistent factor structure across samples. The consistency across international samples supports faculties and hospitals using the CLES+T to benchmark the quality of clinical learning environments provided to students.

Four factors underlying mouse behavior in an open field

PubMed Central

Tanaka, Shoji; Young, Jared W.; Halberstadt, Adam L.; Masten, Virginia L.; Geyer, Mark A.

2012-01-01

The observation of the locomotor and exploratory behaviors of rodents in an open field is one of the most fundamental methods used in the field of behavioral pharmacology. A variety of behaviors can be recorded automatically and can readily generate a multivariate pattern of pharmacological effects. Nevertheless, the optimal ways to characterize observed behaviors and concomitant drug effects are still under development. The aim of this study was to extract meaningful behavioral factors that could explain variations in the observed variables from mouse exploration. Behavioral data were recorded from male C57BL/6J mice (n = 268) using the Behavioral Pattern Monitor (BPM). The BPM data were subjected to the exploratory factor analysis. The factor analysis extracted four factors: activity, sequential organization, diversive exploration, and inspective exploration. The activity factor and the two types of exploration factors correlated positively with one another, while the sequential organization factor negatively correlated with the remaining factors. The extracted factor structure constitutes a behavioral model of mouse exploration. This model will provide a platform on which one can assess the effects of psychoactive drugs and genetic manipulations on mouse exploratory behavior. Further studies are currently underway to examine the factor structure of similar multivariate data sets from humans tested in a human BPM. PMID:22569582

Teacher Reporting Attitudes Scale (TRAS): confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses with a Malaysian sample.

PubMed

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 in 14 randomly selected schools in Selangor state, Malaysia. Analyses were conducted in a 3-stage process using both confirmatory (stages 1 and 3) and exploratory factor analyses (stage 2) to test, modify, and confirm the underlying factor structure of the TRAS in a non-Western teacher sample. Confirmatory factor analysis did not support a 3-factor model previously reported in the original TRAS study. Exploratory factor analysis revealed an 8-item, 4-factor structure. Further confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated appropriateness of the 4-factor structure. Reliability estimates for the four factors-commitment, value, concern, and confidence-were moderate. The modified short form TRAS (Malay version) has potential to be used as a simple tool for relatively quick assessment of teachers' attitudes toward reporting child abuse and neglect. Cross-cultural differences in attitudes toward reporting may exist and the transferability of newly developed instruments to other populations should be evaluated.

Four factors underlying mouse behavior in an open field.

PubMed

Tanaka, Shoji; Young, Jared W; Halberstadt, Adam L; Masten, Virginia L; Geyer, Mark A

2012-07-15

The observation of the locomotor and exploratory behaviors of rodents in an open field is one of the most fundamental methods used in the field of behavioral pharmacology. A variety of behaviors can be recorded automatically and can readily generate a multivariate pattern of pharmacological effects. Nevertheless, the optimal ways to characterize observed behaviors and concomitant drug effects are still under development. The aim of this study was to extract meaningful behavioral factors that could explain variations in the observed variables from mouse exploration. Behavioral data were recorded from male C57BL/6J mice (n=268) using the Behavioral Pattern Monitor (BPM). The BPM data were subjected to the exploratory factor analysis. The factor analysis extracted four factors: activity, sequential organization, diversive exploration, and inspective exploration. The activity factor and the two types of exploration factors correlated positively with one another, while the sequential organization factor negatively correlated with the remaining factors. The extracted factor structure constitutes a behavioral model of mouse exploration. This model will provide a platform on which one can assess the effects of psychoactive drugs and genetic manipulations on mouse exploratory behavior. Further studies are currently underway to examine the factor structure of similar multivariate data sets from humans tested in a human BPM. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exploratory study on a statistical method to analyse time resolved data obtained during nanomaterial exposure measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clerc, F.; Njiki-Menga, G.-H.; Witschger, O.

2013-04-01

Most of the measurement strategies that are suggested at the international level to assess workplace exposure to nanomaterials rely on devices measuring, in real time, airborne particles concentrations (according different metrics). Since none of the instruments to measure aerosols can distinguish a particle of interest to the background aerosol, the statistical analysis of time resolved data requires special attention. So far, very few approaches have been used for statistical analysis in the literature. This ranges from simple qualitative analysis of graphs to the implementation of more complex statistical models. To date, there is still no consensus on a particular approach and the current period is always looking for an appropriate and robust method. In this context, this exploratory study investigates a statistical method to analyse time resolved data based on a Bayesian probabilistic approach. To investigate and illustrate the use of the this statistical method, particle number concentration data from a workplace study that investigated the potential for exposure via inhalation from cleanout operations by sandpapering of a reactor producing nanocomposite thin films have been used. In this workplace study, the background issue has been addressed through the near-field and far-field approaches and several size integrated and time resolved devices have been used. The analysis of the results presented here focuses only on data obtained with two handheld condensation particle counters. While one was measuring at the source of the released particles, the other one was measuring in parallel far-field. The Bayesian probabilistic approach allows a probabilistic modelling of data series, and the observed task is modelled in the form of probability distributions. The probability distributions issuing from time resolved data obtained at the source can be compared with the probability distributions issuing from the time resolved data obtained far-field, leading in a quantitative estimation of the airborne particles released at the source when the task is performed. Beyond obtained results, this exploratory study indicates that the analysis of the results requires specific experience in statistics.

An exploratory factor analysis of nutritional biomarkers associated with major depression in pregnancy.

PubMed

Bodnar, Lisa M; Wisner, Katherine L; Luther, James F; Powers, Robert W; Evans, Rhobert W; Gallaher, Marcia J; Newby, P K

2012-06-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) during pregnancy increases the risk of adverse maternal and infant outcomes. Maternal nutritional status may be a modifiable risk factor for antenatal depression. We evaluated the association between patterns in mid-pregnancy nutritional biomarkers and MDD. Prospective cohort study. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Women who enrolled at ≤20 weeks' gestation and had a diagnosis of MDD made with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition) at 20-, 30- and 36-week study visits. A total of 135 women contributed 345 person-visits. Non-fasting blood drawn at enrolment was assayed for red cell essential fatty acids, plasma folate, homocysteine and ascorbic acid; serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, retinol, vitamin E, carotenoids, ferritin and soluble transferrin receptors. Nutritional biomarkers were entered into principal components analysis. Three factors emerged: Factor 1, Essential Fatty Acids; Factor 2, Micronutrients; and Factor 3, Carotenoids. MDD was prevalent in 21·5 % of women. In longitudinal multivariable logistic models, there was no association between the Essential Fatty Acids or Micronutrients pattern and MDD either before or after adjustment for employment, education or pre-pregnancy BMI. In unadjusted analysis, women with factor scores for Carotenoids in the middle and upper tertiles were 60 % less likely than women in the bottom tertile to have MDD during pregnancy, but after adjustment for confounders the associations were no longer statistically significant. While meaningful patterns were derived using nutritional biomarkers, significant associations with MDD were not observed in multivariable adjusted analyses. Larger, more diverse samples are needed to understand nutrition-depression relationships during pregnancy.

The Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire: Mokken Scaling Analysis

PubMed Central

Shenkin, Susan D.; Watson, Roger; Laidlaw, Ken; Starr, John M.; Deary, Ian J.

2014-01-01

Background Hierarchical scales are useful in understanding the structure of underlying latent traits in many questionnaires. The Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ) explored the attitudes to ageing of older people themselves, and originally described three distinct subscales: (1) Psychosocial Loss (2) Physical Change and (3) Psychological Growth. This study aimed to use Mokken analysis, a method of Item Response Theory, to test for hierarchies within the AAQ and to explore how these relate to underlying latent traits. Methods Participants in a longitudinal cohort study, the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936, completed a cross-sectional postal survey. Data from 802 participants were analysed using Mokken Scaling analysis. These results were compared with factor analysis using exploratory structural equation modelling. Results Participants were 51.6% male, mean age 74.0 years (SD 0.28). Three scales were identified from 18 of the 24 items: two weak Mokken scales and one moderate Mokken scale. (1) ‘Vitality’ contained a combination of items from all three previously determined factors of the AAQ, with a hierarchy from physical to psychosocial; (2) ‘Legacy’ contained items exclusively from the Psychological Growth scale, with a hierarchy from individual contributions to passing things on; (3) ‘Exclusion’ contained items from the Psychosocial Loss scale, with a hierarchy from general to specific instances. All of the scales were reliable and statistically significant with ‘Legacy’ showing invariant item ordering. The scales correlate as expected with personality, anxiety and depression. Exploratory SEM mostly confirmed the original factor structure. Conclusions The concurrent use of factor analysis and Mokken scaling provides additional information about the AAQ. The previously-described factor structure is mostly confirmed. Mokken scaling identifies a new factor relating to vitality, and a hierarchy of responses within three separate scales, referring to vitality, legacy and exclusion. This shows what older people themselves consider important regarding their own ageing. PMID:24892302

Exploratory Temporal and Spatial Analysis of Myocardial Infarction Hospitalizations in Calgary, Canada

PubMed Central

Liu, Xiaoxiao; Bertazzon, Stefania

2017-01-01

Spatial and temporal analyses are critical to understand the pattern of myocardial infarction (MI) hospitalizations over space and time, and to identify their underlying determinants. In this paper, we analyze MI hospitalizations in Calgary from 2004 to 2013, stratified by age and gender. First, a seasonal trend decomposition analyzes the seasonality; then a linear regression models the trend component. Moran’s I and hot spot analyses explore the spatial pattern. Though exploratory, results show that most age and gender groups feature a statistically significant decline over the 10 years, consistent with previous studies in Canada. Decline rates vary across ages and genders, with the slowest decline observed for younger males. Each gender exhibits a seasonal pattern with peaks in both winter and summer. Spatially, MI hot spots are identified in older communities, and in socioeconomically and environmentally disadvantaged communities. In the older communities, higher MI rates appear to be more highly associated with demographics. Conversely, worse air quality appears to be locally associated with higher MI incidence in younger age groups. The study helps identify areas of concern, where MI hot spots are identified for younger age groups, suggesting the need for localized public health policies to target local risk factors. PMID:29232910

Toward Establishing the Validity of the Resource Interpreter's Self-Efficacy Instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Grant D.

Interpretive rangers serve as one of the major educational resources that visitors may encounter during their visit to a park or other natural area, yet our understanding of their professional growth remains limited. This study helps address this issue by developing an instrument that evaluates the beliefs of resource interpreters regarding their capabilities of communicating with the public. The resulting 11-item instrument was built around the construct of Albert Bandura's self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1997), used guidelines and principles developed over the course of 30 years of teacher efficacy studies (Bandura, 2006; Gibson & Dembo, 1984; Riggs & Enochs, 1990; Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001; Tschannen-Moran, Hoy, & Hoy, 1998), and probed areas of challenge that are unique to the demands of resource interpretation (Brochu & Merriman, 2002; Ham, 1992; Knudson, Cable, & Beck, 2003; Larsen, 2003; Tilden, 1977). A voluntary convenience sample of 364 National Park Service rangers was collected in order to conduct the statistical analyses needed to winnow the draft instrument down from 47 items in its original form to 11 items in its final state. Statistical analyses used in this process included item-total correlation, index of discrimination, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis.

Problem behaviours and symptom dimensions of psychiatric disorders in adults with intellectual disabilities: An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

PubMed

Melville, Craig A; Johnson, Paul C D; Smiley, Elita; Simpson, Neill; Purves, David; McConnachie, Alex; Cooper, Sally-Ann

2016-08-01

The limited evidence on the relationship between problem behaviours and symptoms of psychiatric disorders experienced by adults with intellectual disabilities leads to conflict about diagnostic criteria and confused treatment. This study examined the relationship between problem behaviours and other psychopathology, and compared the predictive validity of dimensional and categorical models experienced by adults with intellectual disabilities. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses appropriate for non-continuous data were used to derive, and validate, symptom dimensions using two clinical datasets (n=457; n=274). Categorical diagnoses were derived using DC-LD. Severity and 5-year longitudinal outcome was measured using a battery of instruments. Five factors/dimensions were identified and confirmed. Problem behaviours were included in an emotion dysregulation-problem behaviour dimension that was distinct from the depressive, anxiety, organic and psychosis dimensions. The dimensional model had better predictive validity than categorical diagnosis. International classification systems should not include problem behaviours as behavioural equivalents in diagnostic criteria for depression or other psychiatric disorders. Investigating the relevance of emotional regulation to psychopathology may provide an important pathway for development of improved interventions. There is uncertainty whether new onset problem behaviours or a change in longstanding problem behaviours should be considered as symptoms of depression or other types of psychiatric disorders in adults with intellectual disabilities. The validity of previous studies was limited by the use of pre-defined, categorical diagnoses or unreliable statistical methods. This study used robust statistical modelling to examine problem behaviours within a dimensional model of symptoms. We found that problem behaviours were included in an emotional dysregulation dimension and not in the dimension that included symptoms that are typical of depression. The dimensional model of symptoms had greater predictive validity than categorical diagnoses of psychiatric disorders. Our findings suggest that problem behaviours are a final common pathway for emotional distress in adults with intellectual disabilities so clinicians should not use a change in problem behaviours as a diagnostic criterion for depression, or other psychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of, and initial validity evidence for, the referee self-efficacy scale: a multistudy report.

PubMed

Myers, Nicholas D; Feltz, Deborah L; Guillén, Félix; Dithurbide, Lori

2012-12-01

The purpose of this multistudy report was to develop, and then to provide initial validity evidence for measures derived from, the Referee Self-Efficacy Scale. Data were collected from referees (N = 1609) in the United States (n = 978) and Spain (n = 631). In Study 1 (n = 512), a single-group exploratory structural equation model provided evidence for four factors: game knowledge, decision making, pressure, and communication. In Study 2 (n = 1153), multiple-group confirmatory factor analytic models provided evidence for partial factorial invariance by country, level of competition, team gender, and sport refereed. In Study 3 (n = 456), potential sources of referee self-efficacy information combined to account for a moderate or large amount of variance in each dimension of referee self-efficacy with years of referee experience, highest level refereed, physical/mental preparation, and environmental comfort, each exerting at least two statistically significant direct effects.

Physiological and psychological markers associated with HIV-related fatigue.

PubMed

Barroso, Julie; Carlson, John R; Meynell, Janet

2003-02-01

Fatigue is among the most common and debilitating complaints of HIV-positive individuals. These data are part of a larger exploratory study investigating the relationships of selected psychological and physiological factors among 40 participants with HIV-related fatigue. Fatigue severity was measured using the HIV-Related Fatigue Scale. Fatigue was correlated with depression (r = .40, p < .01), state anxiety (r = .40, p <.01), and trait anxiety (r = .46, p <.01). Of the physiological factors, there were three statistically significant correlations: thyroid-stimulating hormone was negatively correlated with fatigue severity (r = -.36, p = .02), and platelets (r = .35, p = .03) and alkaline phosphatase (r = .27, p = .09) were positively correlated with fatigue severity. There were no correlations between fatigue severity and CD4 count (r = -.16, p = .31) or fatigue severity and HIV viral load levels (r = .031, p = .84). Even among the group with excellent viral suppression, fatigue scores were still very high for many participants.

The Dissociative Subtype of PTSD Scale (DSPS): Initial Evaluation in a National Sample of Trauma-Exposed Veterans

PubMed Central

Wolf, Erika J.; Mitchell, Karen S.; Sadeh, Naomi; Hein, Christina; Fuhrman, Isaac; Pietrzak, Robert H.; Miller, Mark W.

2015-01-01

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) includes a dissociative subtype of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but no existing measures specifically assess it. This paper describes the initial evaluation of a 15-item self-report measure of the subtype called the Dissociative Subtype of PTSD Scale (DSPS) in an on-line survey of 697 trauma-exposed military veterans representative of the US veteran population. Exploratory factor analyses of the lifetime DSPS items supported the intended structure of the measure consisting of three factors reflecting derealization/depersonalization, loss of awareness, and psychogenic amnesia. Consistent with prior research, latent profile analyses assigned 8.3% of the sample to a highly dissociative class distinguished by pronounced symptoms of derealization and depersonalization. Overall, results provide initial psychometric support for the lifetime DSPS scales; additional research in clinical and community samples is needed to further validate the measure. PMID:26603115

The Dissociative Subtype of PTSD Scale: Initial Evaluation in a National Sample of Trauma-Exposed Veterans.

PubMed

Wolf, Erika J; Mitchell, Karen S; Sadeh, Naomi; Hein, Christina; Fuhrman, Isaac; Pietrzak, Robert H; Miller, Mark W

2017-06-01

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual includes a dissociative subtype of posttraumatic stress disorder, but no existing measures specifically assess it. This article describes the initial evaluation of a 15-item self-report measure of the subtype called the Dissociative Subtype of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale (DSPS) in an online survey of 697 trauma-exposed military veterans representative of the U.S. veteran population. Exploratory factor analyses of the lifetime DSPS items supported the intended structure of the measure consisting of three factors reflecting derealization/depersonalization, loss of awareness, and psychogenic amnesia. Consistent with prior research, latent profile analyses assigned 8.3% of the sample to a highly dissociative class distinguished by pronounced symptoms of derealization and depersonalization. Overall, results provide initial psychometric support for the lifetime DSPS scales; additional research in clinical and community samples is needed to further validate the measure.

Influences on corporate executive decision behavior in government acquisitions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wetherington, J. R.

1986-01-01

This paper presents extensive exploratory research which had as its primary objective, the discovery and determination of major areas of concern exhibited by U.S. corporate executives in the preparation and submittal of proposals and bids to the Federal government. The existence of numerous unique concerns inherent in corporate strategies within the government market environment was established. A determination of the relationship of these concerns to each other was accomplished utilizing statistical factor analysis techniques resulting in the identification of major groupings of management concerns. Finally, using analysis of variance, an analysis and discovery of the interrelationship of the factors to corporate demographics was accomplished. The existence of separate and distinct concerns exhibited by corporate executives when contemplating sales and operations in the government marketplace was established. It was also demonstrated that quantifiable relationships exist between such variables and that the decision behavior exhibited by the responsible executives has an interrelationship to their company's demographics.

Relationships Among Substance Use, Multiple Sexual Partners, and Condomless Sex.

PubMed

Zhao, Yunchuan Lucy; Kim, Heejung; Peltzer, Jill

2017-04-01

Male and female students manifest different behaviors in condomless sex. This cross-sectional, exploratory, correlational study examined the differences in risk factors for condomless sex between male and female high school students, using secondary data from 4,968 sexually active males and females participating in the 2011 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Results in descriptive statistics and multivariate binary logistic regressions revealed that condomless sex was reported as 39.70% in general. A greater proportion of females engaged in condomless sex (23.26%) than did males (16.44%). Physical abuse by sex partners was a common reason for failure to use condoms regardless of gender. Lower condom use was found in (1) those experiencing forced sex by a partner in males, (2) female smokers, and (3) female with multiple sex partners. Thus, sexual health education should address the different risk factors and consider gender characteristics to reduce condomless sex.

Short version of the "instrument for assessment of stress in nursing students" in the Brazilian reality.

PubMed

Costa, Ana Lúcia Siqueira; Silva, Rodrigo Marques da; Mussi, Fernanda Carneiro; Serrano, Patrícia Maria; Graziano, Eliane da Silva; Batista, Karla de Melo

2018-01-08

validate a short version of the Instrument for assessment of stress in nursing students in the Brazilian reality. Methodological study conducted with 1047 nursing students from five Brazilian institutions, who answered the 30 items initially distributed in eight domains. Data were analyzed in the R Statistical Package and in the latent variable analysis, using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlation. The short version of the instrument had 19 items distributed into four domains: Environment, Professional Training, Theoretical Activities and Performance of Practical Activities. The confirmatory analysis showed absolute and parsimony fit to the proposed model with satisfactory residual levels. Alpha values ​​per factor ranged from 0.736 (Environment) to 0.842 (Performance of Practical Activities). The short version of the instrument has construct validity and reliability for application to Brazilian nursing undergraduates at any stage of the course.

A novel exploratory chemometric approach to environmental monitorring by combining block clustering with Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Given the serious threats posed to terrestrial ecosystems by industrial contamination, environmental monitoring is a standard procedure used for assessing the current status of an environment or trends in environmental parameters. Measurement of metal concentrations at different trophic levels followed by their statistical analysis using exploratory multivariate methods can provide meaningful information on the status of environmental quality. In this context, the present paper proposes a novel chemometric approach to standard statistical methods by combining the Block clustering with Partial least square (PLS) analysis to investigate the accumulation patterns of metals in anthropized terrestrial ecosystems. The present study focused on copper, zinc, manganese, iron, cobalt, cadmium, nickel, and lead transfer along a soil-plant-snai food chain, and the hepatopancreas of the Roman snail (Helix pomatia) was used as a biological end-point of metal accumulation. Results Block clustering deliniates between the areas exposed to industrial and vehicular contamination. The toxic metals have similar distributions in the nettle leaves and snail hepatopancreas. PLS analysis showed that (1) zinc and copper concentrations at the lower trophic levels are the most important latent factors that contribute to metal accumulation in land snails; (2) cadmium and lead are the main determinants of pollution pattern in areas exposed to industrial contamination; (3) at the sites located near roads lead is the most threatfull metal for terrestrial ecosystems. Conclusion There were three major benefits by applying block clustering with PLS for processing the obtained data: firstly, it helped in grouping sites depending on the type of contamination. Secondly, it was valuable for identifying the latent factors that contribute the most to metal accumulation in land snails. Finally, it optimized the number and type of data that are best for monitoring the status of metallic contamination in terrestrial ecosystems exposed to different kinds of anthropic polution. PMID:23987502

An Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale in Male Prison Inmates

PubMed Central

Smith, Phillip N.; Wolford, Caitlin; Mandracchia, Jon T.; Jahn, Danielle R.

2014-01-01

Prison inmates are exposed to a number of adverse conditions prior to and during incarceration that place them at risk for suicide. The interpersonal theory of suicide may prove useful in better understanding suicide in prisons, allowing for more effective prevention and treatment programs. However, no studies of the interpersonal theory have been conducted in prison populations. Further, there have been no studies examining the factor structure of the assessment of one of the theory’s main constructs: the acquired capability for suicide. The current study examined the factor structure of the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale in a sample of male prison inmates. We found that a four-factor model provided the best statistical and conceptual fit; though, only three of these factors were meaningful with an additional method-factor. The three resulting factors were each associated with previous exposure to painful and provocative events, but none differentiated suicide attempter status. Results suggest that the interpersonal theory has promise in application to suicide in prison populations, but more work is needed to develop a self-report measure of acquired capability, particularly as it relates to prisoners. PMID:23230965

An exploratory factor analysis of the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale in male prison inmates.

PubMed

Smith, Phillip N; Wolford-Clevenger, Caitlin; Mandracchia, Jon T; Jahn, Danielle R

2013-02-01

Prison inmates are exposed to a number of adverse conditions prior to and during incarceration that place them at risk for suicide. The interpersonal theory of suicide may prove useful in better understanding suicide in prisons, allowing for more effective prevention and treatment programs. However, no studies of the interpersonal theory have been conducted in prison populations. Further, there have been no studies examining the factor structure of the assessment of one of the theory's main constructs: the acquired capability for suicide. The current study examined the factor structure of the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale in a sample of male prison inmates. We found that a 4-factor model provided the best statistical and conceptual fit, though only 3 of these factors were meaningful with an additional method-factor. The 3 resulting factors were each associated with previous exposure to painful and provocative events, but none differentiated suicide attempter status. Results suggest that the interpersonal theory has promise in application to suicide in prison populations, but more work is needed to develop a self-report measure of acquired capability, particularly as it relates to prisoners.

Coping with Multiple Innovations in Schools: An Exploratory Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Mike

1991-01-01

Reviews small-scale, exploratory research into British schools' management of concurrent educational reform innovations generated by government, local education authorities, and the schools themselves. Describes changing innovations patterns, key factors influencing their adoption and implementation, the central management strategies employed, and…

Attitudes Expressed in Online Comments about Environmental Factors in the Tourism Sector: An Exploratory Study.

PubMed

Saura, Jose Ramon; Palos-Sanchez, Pedro; Rios Martin, Miguel Angel

2018-03-19

The object of this exploratory study is to identify the positive, neutral and negative environment factors that affect users who visit Spanish hotels in order to help the hotel managers decide how to improve the quality of the services provided. To carry out the research a Sentiment Analysis was initially performed, grouping the sample of tweets ( n = 14459) according to the feelings shown and then a textual analysis was used to identify the key environment factors in these feelings using the qualitative analysis software Nvivo (QSR International, Melbourne, Australia). The results of the exploratory study present the key environment factors that affect the users experience when visiting hotels in Spain, such as actions that support local traditions and products, the maintenance of rural areas respecting the local environment and nature, or respecting air quality in the areas where hotels have facilities and offer services. The conclusions of the research can help hotels improve their services and the impact on the environment, as well as improving the visitors experience based on the positive, neutral and negative environment factors which the visitors themselves identified.

Attitudes Expressed in Online Comments about Environmental Factors in the Tourism Sector: An Exploratory Study

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

The object of this exploratory study is to identify the positive, neutral and negative environment factors that affect users who visit Spanish hotels in order to help the hotel managers decide how to improve the quality of the services provided. To carry out the research a Sentiment Analysis was initially performed, grouping the sample of tweets (n = 14459) according to the feelings shown and then a textual analysis was used to identify the key environment factors in these feelings using the qualitative analysis software Nvivo (QSR International, Melbourne, Australia). The results of the exploratory study present the key environment factors that affect the users experience when visiting hotels in Spain, such as actions that support local traditions and products, the maintenance of rural areas respecting the local environment and nature, or respecting air quality in the areas where hotels have facilities and offer services. The conclusions of the research can help hotels improve their services and the impact on the environment, as well as improving the visitors experience based on the positive, neutral and negative environment factors which the visitors themselves identified. PMID:29562724

Toward an Empirical Multidimensional Structure of Anhedonia, Reward Sensitivity, and Positive Emotionality: An Exploratory Factor Analytic Study.

PubMed

Olino, Thomas M; McMakin, Dana L; Forbes, Erika E

2016-11-20

Positive emotionality, anhedonia, and reward sensitivity share motivational and experiential elements of approach motivation and pleasure. Earlier work has examined the interrelationships among these constructs from measures of extraversion. More recently, the Research Domain Criteria introduced the Positive Valence Systems as a primary dimension to better understand psychopathology. However, the suggested measures tapping this construct have not yet been integrated within the structural framework of personality, even at the level of self-report. Thus, this study conducted exploratory factor and exploratory bifactor analyses on 17 different dimensions relevant to approach motivation, spanning anhedonia, behavioral activation system functioning, and positive emotionality. Convergent validity of these dimensions is tested by examining associations with depressive symptoms. Relying on multiple indices of fit, our preferred model included a general factor along with specific factors of affiliation, positive emotion, assertiveness, and pleasure seeking. These factors demonstrated different patterns of association with depressive symptoms. We discuss the plausibility of this model and highlight important future directions for work on the structure of a broad Positive Valence Systems construct. © The Author(s) 2016.

The Microbiome in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Exposed Controls: An Exploratory Study.

PubMed

Hemmings, Sian M J; Malan-Müller, Stefanie; van den Heuvel, Leigh L; Demmitt, Brittany A; Stanislawski, Maggie A; Smith, David G; Bohr, Adam D; Stamper, Christopher E; Hyde, Embriette R; Morton, James T; Marotz, Clarisse A; Siebler, Philip H; Braspenning, Maarten; Van Criekinge, Wim; Hoisington, Andrew J; Brenner, Lisa A; Postolache, Teodor T; McQueen, Matthew B; Krauter, Kenneth S; Knight, Rob; Seedat, Soraya; Lowry, Christopher A

2017-10-01

Inadequate immunoregulation and elevated inflammation may be risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and microbial inputs are important determinants of immunoregulation; however, the association between the gut microbiota and PTSD is unknown. This study investigated the gut microbiome in a South African sample of PTSD-affected individuals and trauma-exposed (TE) controls to identify potential differences in microbial diversity or microbial community structure. The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 was used to diagnose PTSD according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition criteria. Microbial DNA was extracted from stool samples obtained from 18 individuals with PTSD and 12 TE control participants. Bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene V3/V4 amplicons were generated and sequenced. Microbial community structure, α-diversity, and β-diversity were analyzed; random forest analysis was used to identify associations between bacterial taxa and PTSD. There were no differences between PTSD and TE control groups in α- or β-diversity measures (e.g., α-diversity: Shannon index, t = 0.386, p = .70; β-diversity, on the basis of analysis of similarities: Bray-Curtis test statistic = -0.033, p = .70); however, random forest analysis highlighted three phyla as important to distinguish PTSD status: Actinobacteria, Lentisphaerae, and Verrucomicrobia. Decreased total abundance of these taxa was associated with higher Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale scores (r = -0.387, p = .035). In this exploratory study, measures of overall microbial diversity were similar among individuals with PTSD and TE controls; however, decreased total abundance of Actinobacteria, Lentisphaerae, and Verrucomicrobia was associated with PTSD status.

Development of a Self-Report Physical Function Instrument for Disability Assessment: Item Pool Construction and Factor Analysis

PubMed Central

McDonough, Christine M.; Jette, Alan M.; Ni, Pengsheng; Bogusz, Kara; Marfeo, Elizabeth E; Brandt, Diane E; Chan, Leighton; Meterko, Mark; Haley, Stephen M.; Rasch, Elizabeth K.

2014-01-01

Objectives To build a comprehensive item pool representing work-relevant physical functioning and to test the factor structure of the item pool. These developmental steps represent initial outcomes of a broader project to develop instruments for the assessment of function within the context of Social Security Administration (SSA) disability programs. Design Comprehensive literature review; gap analysis; item generation with expert panel input; stakeholder interviews; cognitive interviews; cross-sectional survey administration; and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to assess item pool structure. Setting In-person and semi-structured interviews; internet and telephone surveys. Participants A sample of 1,017 SSA claimants, and a normative sample of 999 adults from the US general population. Interventions Not Applicable. Main Outcome Measure Model fit statistics Results The final item pool consisted of 139 items. Within the claimant sample 58.7% were white; 31.8% were black; 46.6% were female; and the mean age was 49.7 years. Initial factor analyses revealed a 4-factor solution which included more items and allowed separate characterization of: 1) Changing and Maintaining Body Position, 2) Whole Body Mobility, 3) Upper Body Function and 4) Upper Extremity Fine Motor. The final 4-factor model included 91 items. Confirmatory factor analyses for the 4-factor models for the claimant and the normative samples demonstrated very good fit. Fit statistics for claimant and normative samples respectively were: Comparative Fit Index = 0.93 and 0.98; Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.92 and 0.98; Root Mean Square Error Approximation = 0.05 and 0.04. Conclusions The factor structure of the Physical Function item pool closely resembled the hypothesized content model. The four scales relevant to work activities offer promise for providing reliable information about claimant physical functioning relevant to work disability. PMID:23542402

Development of a self-report physical function instrument for disability assessment: item pool construction and factor analysis.

PubMed

McDonough, Christine M; Jette, Alan M; Ni, Pengsheng; Bogusz, Kara; Marfeo, Elizabeth E; Brandt, Diane E; Chan, Leighton; Meterko, Mark; Haley, Stephen M; Rasch, Elizabeth K

2013-09-01

To build a comprehensive item pool representing work-relevant physical functioning and to test the factor structure of the item pool. These developmental steps represent initial outcomes of a broader project to develop instruments for the assessment of function within the context of Social Security Administration (SSA) disability programs. Comprehensive literature review; gap analysis; item generation with expert panel input; stakeholder interviews; cognitive interviews; cross-sectional survey administration; and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to assess item pool structure. In-person and semistructured interviews and Internet and telephone surveys. Sample of SSA claimants (n=1017) and a normative sample of adults from the U.S. general population (n=999). Not applicable. Model fit statistics. The final item pool consisted of 139 items. Within the claimant sample, 58.7% were white; 31.8% were black; 46.6% were women; and the mean age was 49.7 years. Initial factor analyses revealed a 4-factor solution, which included more items and allowed separate characterization of: (1) changing and maintaining body position, (2) whole body mobility, (3) upper body function, and (4) upper extremity fine motor. The final 4-factor model included 91 items. Confirmatory factor analyses for the 4-factor models for the claimant and the normative samples demonstrated very good fit. Fit statistics for claimant and normative samples, respectively, were: Comparative Fit Index=.93 and .98; Tucker-Lewis Index=.92 and .98; and root mean square error approximation=.05 and .04. The factor structure of the physical function item pool closely resembled the hypothesized content model. The 4 scales relevant to work activities offer promise for providing reliable information about claimant physical functioning relevant to work disability. Copyright © 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development and preliminary validation of a post-fistula repair reintegration instrument among Ugandan women.

PubMed

El Ayadi, Alison; Nalubwama, Hadija; Barageine, Justus; Neilands, Torsten B; Obore, Susan; Byamugisha, Josaphat; Kakaire, Othman; Mwanje, Haruna; Korn, Abner; Lester, Felicia; Miller, Suellen

2017-09-02

Obstetric fistula is a debilitating and traumatic birth injury affecting 2-3 million women globally, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Affected women suffer physically, psychologically and socioeconomically. International efforts have increased access to surgical treatment, yet attention to a holistic outcome of post-surgical rehabilitation is nascent. We sought to develop and pilot test a measurement instrument to assess post-surgical family and community reintegration. We conducted an exploratory sequential mixed-methods study, beginning with 16 in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions with 17 women who underwent fistula surgery within two previous years to inform measure development. The draft instrument was validated in a longitudinal cohort of 60 women recovering from fistula surgery. Qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Socio-demographic characteristics were described using one-way frequency tables. We used exploratory factor analysis to determine the latent structure of the scale, then tested the fit of a single higher-order latent factor. We evaluated internal consistency and temporal stability reliability through Raykov's ρ and Pearson's correlation coefficient, respectively. We estimated a series of linear regression models to explore associations between the standardized reintegration measure and validated scales representing theoretically related constructs. Themes central to women's experiences following surgery included resuming mobility, increasing social interaction, improved self-esteem, reduction of internalized stigma, resuming work, meeting their own needs and the needs of dependents, meeting other expected and desired roles, and negotiating larger life issues. We expanded the Return to Normal Living Index to reflect these themes. Exploratory factor analysis suggested a four-factor structure, titled 'Mobility and social engagement', 'Meeting family needs', 'Comfort with relationships', and 'General life satisfaction', and goodness of fit statistics supported a higher-order latent variable of 'Reintegration.' Reintegration score correlated significantly with quality of life, depression, self-esteem, stigma, and social support in theoretically expected directions. As more women undergo surgical treatment for obstetric fistula, attention to the post-repair period is imperative. This preliminary validation of a reintegration instrument represents a first step toward improving measurement of post-surgical reintegration and has important implications for the evidence base of post-surgical reintegration epidemiology and the development and evaluation of fistula programming.

Exploratory statistical and geographical freight traffic data analysis

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-08-01

Data from freight traffic roadside surveys in Mexican highways are analyzed in order to find consistent patterns or systematic relationships between variables characterizing this traffic. Patterns traced are validated by contrasting against new data ...

Evaluation of a modified 16-item Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS): Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.

PubMed

Yu, Tzu-Chieh; Jowsey, Tanisha; Henning, Marcus

2018-04-18

The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) was developed to assess undergraduate readiness for engaging in interprofessional education (IPE). It has become an accepted and commonly used instrument. To determine utility of a modified 16-item RIPLS instrument, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Data used were collected from a pre- and post-intervention study involving 360 New Zealand undergraduate students from one university. Just over half of the participants were enrolled in medicine (51%) while the remainder were in pharmacy (27%) and nursing (22%). The intervention was a two-day simulation-based IPE course focused on managing unplanned acute medical problems in hospital wards ("ward calls"). Immediately prior to the course, 288 RIPLS were collected and immediately afterwards, 322 (response rates 80% and 89%, respectively). Exploratory factor analysis involving principal axis factoring with an oblique rotation method was conducted using pre-course data. The scree plot suggested a three-factor solution over two- and four-factor solutions. Subsequent confirmatory factor analysis performed using post-course data demonstrated partial goodness-of-fit for this suggested three-factor model. Based on these findings, further robust psychometric testing of the RIPLS or modified versions of it is recommended before embarking on its use in evaluative research in various healthcare education settings.

Conceptualizing age-friendly community characteristics in a sample of urban elders: an exploratory factor analysis.

PubMed

Smith, Richard J; Lehning, Amanda J; Dunkle, Ruth E

2013-01-01

Accurate conceptualization and measurement of age-friendly community characteristics would help to reduce barriers to documenting the effects on elders of interventions to create such communities. This article contributes to the measurement of age-friendly communities through an exploratory factor analysis of items reflecting an existing US Environmental Protection Agency policy framework. From a sample of urban elders (n = 1,376), we identified 6 factors associated with demographic and health characteristics: access to business and leisure, social interaction, access to health care, neighborhood problems, social support, and community engagement. Future research should explore the effects of these factors across contexts and populations.

Preliminary comparative assessment of PM10 hourly measurement results from new monitoring stations type using stochastic and exploratory methodology and models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czechowski, Piotr Oskar; Owczarek, Tomasz; Badyda, Artur; Majewski, Grzegorz; Rogulski, Mariusz; Ogrodnik, Paweł

2018-01-01

The paper presents selected preliminary stage key issues proposed extended equivalence measurement results assessment for new portable devices - the comparability PM10 concentration results hourly series with reference station measurement results with statistical methods. In article presented new portable meters technical aspects. The emphasis was placed on the comparability the results using the stochastic and exploratory methods methodology concept. The concept is based on notice that results series simple comparability in the time domain is insufficient. The comparison of regularity should be done in three complementary fields of statistical modeling: time, frequency and space. The proposal is based on model's results of five annual series measurement results new mobile devices and WIOS (Provincial Environmental Protection Inspectorate) reference station located in Nowy Sacz city. The obtained results indicate both the comparison methodology completeness and the high correspondence obtained new measurements results devices with reference.

Development and psychometric testing of the clinical networks engagement tool

PubMed Central

Hecker, Kent G.; Rabatach, Leora; Noseworthy, Tom W.; White, Deborah E.

2017-01-01

Background Clinical networks are being used widely to facilitate large system transformation in healthcare, by engagement of stakeholders throughout the health system. However, there are no available instruments that measure engagement in these networks. Methods The study purpose was to develop and assess the measurement properties of a multiprofessional tool to measure engagement in clinical network initiatives. Based on components of the International Association of Public Participation Spectrum and expert panel review, we developed 40 items for testing. The draft instrument was distributed to 1,668 network stakeholders across different governance levels (leaders, members, support, frontline stakeholders) in 9 strategic clinical networks in Alberta (January to July 2014). With data from 424 completed surveys (25.4% response rate), descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlations, linear regression, multivariate analysis, and Cronbach alpha were conducted to assess reliability and validity of the scores. Results Sixteen items were retained in the instrument. Exploratory factor analysis indicated a four-factor solution and accounted for 85.7% of the total variance in engagement with clinical network initiatives: global engagement, inform (provided with information), involve (worked together to address concerns), and empower (given final decision-making authority). All subscales demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach alpha 0.87 to 0.99). Both the confirmatory factor analysis and regression analysis confirmed that inform, involve, and empower were all significant predictors of global engagement, with involve as the strongest predictor. Leaders had higher mean scores than frontline stakeholders, while members and support staff did not differ in mean scores. Conclusions This study provided foundational evidence for the use of this tool for assessing engagement in clinical networks. Further work is necessary to evaluate engagement in broader network functions and activities; to assess barriers and facilitators of engagement; and, to elucidate how the maturity of networks and other factors influence engagement. PMID:28350834

An assessment of meaning in life-threatening illness: development of the Healing Experience in All Life Stressors (HEALS)

PubMed Central

Sloan, Danetta Hendricks; BrintzenhofeSzoc, Karlynn; Kichline, Tiffany; Baker, Karen; Pinzon, Jean-Paul; Tafe, Christina; Li, Lingsheng; Cheng, M Jennifer; Berger, Ann

2017-01-01

Context Patients with life-threatening or chronic illness report an experience of increased positive psychological, social, and/or spiritual change during diagnosis and/or treatment of their illness, even in the face of unfavorable prognosis. This transformation begins through the ability to make their life meaningful by forming meaningful connections that emerge through self-introspection and relationships with a divine entity, nature, and other people. The Healing Experience in All Life Stressors (HEALS) assessment provides a way to identify distress-causing changes that may interfere with the development of meaning and psycho–social–spiritual homeostasis. Objective Preliminary examination of responses to items on the HEALS and examination of the factor structure. Method The 48-item HEALS questionnaire was developed using a multistep process: literature review for concept development, item generation from qualitative data, and face and content validity by expert panel. In the current study, HEALS was completed by 100 patients diagnosed with life-limiting disease and seen by the palliative care team at a large research institution in the US. Exploratory factor analysis techniques were used to determine scale structure of the instrument. Results Outcome testing of sample adequacy using Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin statistic was 0.75, which exceeds the recommended value of 0.60. The HEALS show very good internal consistency with a Cronbach’s a of 0.94. Overall results of the exploratory factor analysis established a four-factor questionnaire: 1) religion; 2) spirituality, demonstrated by a) interaction with a religious community and b) belief in higher power; 3) intrapersonal; and 4) interpersonal relationships expressed through psychological changes resulting in enhanced outlook and improvement in relationships with family and friends. Conclusion This study involved the initial step to commence the process of scale validation, with promising outcomes identifying subscales as an effective way to assess the construct of healing. These findings support further examination using cognitive appraisal and confirmatory factor analysis. PMID:28243158

An assessment of meaning in life-threatening illness: development of the Healing Experience in All Life Stressors (HEALS).

PubMed

Sloan, Danetta Hendricks; BrintzenhofeSzoc, Karlynn; Kichline, Tiffany; Baker, Karen; Pinzon, Jean-Paul; Tafe, Christina; Li, Lingsheng; Cheng, M Jennifer; Berger, Ann

2017-01-01

Patients with life-threatening or chronic illness report an experience of increased positive psychological, social, and/or spiritual change during diagnosis and/or treatment of their illness, even in the face of unfavorable prognosis. This transformation begins through the ability to make their life meaningful by forming meaningful connections that emerge through self-introspection and relationships with a divine entity, nature, and other people. The Healing Experience in All Life Stressors (HEALS) assessment provides a way to identify distress-causing changes that may interfere with the development of meaning and psycho-social-spiritual homeostasis. Preliminary examination of responses to items on the HEALS and examination of the factor structure. The 48-item HEALS questionnaire was developed using a multistep process: literature review for concept development, item generation from qualitative data, and face and content validity by expert panel. In the current study, HEALS was completed by 100 patients diagnosed with life-limiting disease and seen by the palliative care team at a large research institution in the US. Exploratory factor analysis techniques were used to determine scale structure of the instrument. Outcome testing of sample adequacy using Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin statistic was 0.75, which exceeds the recommended value of 0.60. The HEALS show very good internal consistency with a Cronbach's a of 0.94. Overall results of the exploratory factor analysis established a four-factor questionnaire: 1) religion; 2) spirituality, demonstrated by a) interaction with a religious community and b) belief in higher power; 3) intrapersonal; and 4) interpersonal relationships expressed through psychological changes resulting in enhanced outlook and improvement in relationships with family and friends. This study involved the initial step to commence the process of scale validation, with promising outcomes identifying subscales as an effective way to assess the construct of healing. These findings support further examination using cognitive appraisal and confirmatory factor analysis.

Validity of the posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) checklist in pregnant women.

PubMed

Gelaye, Bizu; Zheng, Yinnan; Medina-Mora, Maria Elena; Rondon, Marta B; Sánchez, Sixto E; Williams, Michelle A

2017-05-12

The PTSD Checklist-civilian (PCL-C) is one of the most commonly used self-report measures of PTSD symptoms, however, little is known about its validity when used in pregnancy. This study aims to evaluate the reliability and validity of the PCL-C as a screen for detecting PTSD symptoms among pregnant women. A total of 3372 pregnant women who attended their first prenatal care visit in Lima, Peru participated in the study. We assessed the reliability of the PCL-C items using Cronbach's alpha. Criterion validity and performance characteristics of PCL-C were assessed against an independent, blinded Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) interview using measures of sensitivity, specificity and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves. We tested construct validity using exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic approaches. The reliability of the PCL-C was excellent (Cronbach's alpha =0.90). ROC analysis showed that a cut-off score of 26 offered optimal discriminatory power, with a sensitivity of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.78-0.92) and a specificity of 0.63 (95% CI: 0.62-0.65). The area under the ROC curve was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.71-0.78). A three-factor solution was extracted using exploratory factor analysis and was further complemented with three other models using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In a CFA, a three-factor model based on DSM-IV symptom structure had reasonable fit statistics with comparative fit index of 0.86 and root mean square error of approximation of 0.09. The Spanish-language version of the PCL-C may be used as a screening tool for pregnant women. The PCL-C has good reliability, criterion validity and factorial validity. The optimal cut-off score obtained by maximizing the sensitivity and specificity should be considered cautiously; women who screened positive may require further investigation to confirm PTSD diagnosis.

An Exploratory Study of Student Satisfaction with University Web Page Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gundersen, David E.; Ballenger, Joe K.; Crocker, Robert M.; Scifres, Elton L.; Strader, Robert

2013-01-01

This exploratory study evaluates the satisfaction of students with a web-based information system at a medium-sized regional university. The analysis provides a process for simplifying data interpretation in captured student user feedback. Findings indicate that student classifications, as measured by demographic and other factors, determine…

Exploratory Trial of a School-Based Alcohol Prevention Intervention with a Family Component

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Segrott, Jeremy; Rothwell, Heather; Pignatelli, Ilaria; Playle, Rebecca; Hewitt, Gillian; Huang, Chao; Murphy, Simon; Hickman, Matthew; Reed, Hayley; Moore, Laurence

2016-01-01

Purpose: Involvement of parents/carers may increase effectiveness of primary school-based alcohol-misuse prevention projects through strengthening family-based protective factors, but rates of parental engagement are typically low. This paper reports findings from an exploratory trial of a school-based prevention intervention--Kids, Adults…

Feasibility of integrating mental health and noncommunicable disease risk factor screening in periodical medical examination of employees in industries: An exploratory initiative

PubMed Central

Sukumar, Gautham Melur; Kupatira, Kowshik; Gururaj, G.

2015-01-01

Background: Noncommunicable disease (NCDs), psychological, substance use disorders, and stress-related issues have been less understood in Indian industrial settings. Systems for screening and early identification of the above have not been integrated in workplaces, nor there is a strong regulatory backing for the same. Aim: To explore the feasibility of integrating mental health and select NCD risk factor screening with the periodical medical examination of employees. To identify proportion of employees with select NCD risk factors and symptoms suggestive of mental health problems. Settings and Design: Around 10% of employees from a leading motor industry in Bangalore, (706) participated in this cross-sectional voluntary screening program. Materials and Methods: This screening was conducted as a part of their annual medical examination. A mixed method of self-report and interview administered technique was adopted for the same. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistical methods (proportions, median, mean, and standard deviation (SD)) and Chi-square test of significance. Results and Conclusions: Screening revealed the following; tobacco use (18%), alcohol use (57%), perceived work stress (10%), and obesity (3%). Nearly 23% screened positive for psychological distress. Time consumed for this assessment was 1–5 min. Initial attempts point out that it is feasible to integrate screening for mental health, substance use, and NCD risk factors in periodic medical examination using a combination of self-report and interview-administered method, though further detailed assessments for confirmation is necessary. PMID:26023267

The Effects of industrial workers' food choice attribute on sugar intake pattern and job satisfaction with Structural Equcation Model

PubMed Central

Park, Young Il

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES This research analyzes the effects of the food choices of industrial workers according to their sugar intake pattern on their job satisfaction through the construction of a model on the relationship between sugar intake pattern and job satisfaction. SUBJECTS/METHODS Surveys were collected from May to July 2015. A statistical analysis of the 775 surveys from Kyungsangnam-do was conducted using SPSS13.0 for Windows and SEM was performed using the AMOS 5.0 statistics package. RESULTS The reliability of the data was confirmed by an exploratory factor analysis through a Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and the measurement model was proven to be appropriate by a confirmatory factor analysis in conjunction with AMOS. The results of factor analysis on food choice, sugar intake pattern and job satisfaction were categorized into five categories. The reliability of these findings was supported by a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.6 and higher for all factors except confection (0.516) and dairy products (0.570). The multicollinearity results did not indicate a problem between the variables since the highest correlation coefficient was 0.494 (P < 0.01). In an attempt to study the sugar intake pattern in accordance with the food choices and job satisfaction of industrial workers, a structural equation model was constructed and analyzed. CONCLUSIONS All tests confirmed that the model satisfied the recommended levels for the goodness of fit index, and thus, the overall research model was proven to be appropriate. PMID:27478555

Validation of the Readiness for Return-To-Work Scale in Outpatient Occupational Rehabilitation in Canada.

PubMed

Park, Joanne; Roberts, Mary Roduta; Esmail, Shaniff; Rayani, Fahreen; Norris, Colleen M; Gross, Douglas P

2018-06-01

Purpose To examine construct and concurrent validity of the Readiness for Return-To-Work (RRTW) Scale with injured workers participating in an outpatient occupational rehabilitation program. Methods Lost-time claimants (n = 389) with sub-acute or chronic musculoskeletal disorders completed the RRTW Scale on their first day of their occupational rehabilitation program. Statistical analysis included exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the readiness items, reliability analyses, and correlation with related scales and questionnaires. Results For claimants in the non-job attached/not working group (n = 165), three factors were found (1) Contemplation (2) Prepared for Action-Self-evaluative and (3) Prepared for Action-Behavioural. The precontemplation stage was not identified within this sample of injured workers. For claimants who were job attached/working group in some capacity (n = 224), two factors were identified (1) Uncertain Maintenance and (2) Proactive Maintenance. Expected relationships and statistically significant differences were found among the identified Return-To-Work (RTW) readiness factors and related constructs of pain, physical and mental health and RTW expectations. Conclusion Construct and concurrent validity of the RRTW Scale were supported in this study. The results of this study indicate the construct of readiness for RTW can vary by disability duration and occupational category. Physical health appears to be a significant barrier to RRTW for the job attached/working group while mental health significantly compromises RRTW with the non-job attached/not working group.

Psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS): secondary analysis of the Mexican Health and Aging Study.

PubMed

López-Ortega, Mariana; Torres-Castro, Sara; Rosas-Carrasco, Oscar

2016-12-09

The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) has been widely used and has proven to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing satisfaction with life in diverse population groups, however, research on satisfaction with life and validation of different measuring instruments in Mexican adults is still lacking. The objective was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in a representative sample of Mexican adults. This is a methodological study to evaluate a satisfaction with life scale in a sample of 13,220 Mexican adults 50 years of age or older from the 2012 Mexican Health and Aging Study. The scale's reliability (internal consistency) was analysed using Cronbach's alpha and inter-item correlations. An exploratory factor analysis was also performed. Known-groups validity was evaluated comparing good-health and bad-health participants. Comorbidity, perceived financial situation, self-reported general health, depression symptoms, and social support were included to evaluate the validity between these measures and the total score of the scale using Spearman's correlations. The analysis of the scale's reliability showed good internal consistency (α = 0.74). The exploratory factor analysis confirmed the existence of a unique factor structure that explained 54% of the variance. SWLS was related to depression, perceived health, financial situation, and social support, and these relations were all statistically significant (P < .01). There was significant difference in life satisfaction between the good- and bad-health groups. Results show good internal consistency and construct validity of the SWLS. These results are comparable with results from previous studies. Meeting the study's objective to validate the scale, the results show that the Spanish version of the SWLS is a reliable and valid measure of satisfaction with life in the Mexican context.

Selective Mutism Questionnaire: measurement structure and validity.

PubMed

Letamendi, Andrea M; Chavira, Denise A; Hitchcock, Carla A; Roesch, Scott C; Shipon-Blum, Elisa; Stein, Murray B

2008-10-01

To evaluate the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the 17-item Selective Mutism Questionnaire (SMQ). Diagnostic interviews were administered via telephone to 102 parents of children identified with selective mutism (SM) and 43 parents of children without SM from varying U.S. geographic regions. Children were between the ages of 3 and 11 inclusive and comprised 58% girls and 42% boys. SM diagnoses were determined using the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children-Parent Version; SM severity was assessed using the 17-item SMQ; and behavioral and affective symptoms were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to investigate the dimensionality of the SMQ and a modified parallel analysis procedure was used to confirm exploratory factor analysis results. Internal consistency, construct validity, and incremental validity were also examined. The exploratory factor analysis yielded a 13-item solution consisting of three factors: social situations outside of school, school situations, and home and family situations. Internal consistency of SMQ factors and total scale ranged from moderate to high. Convergent and incremental validity was also well supported. Measure structure findings are consistent with the three-factor solution found in a previous psychometric evaluation of the SMQ. Results also suggest that the SMQ provides useful and unique information in the prediction of SM phenomena beyond other child anxiety measures.

Factor analysis of an instrument to measure the impact of disease on daily life.

PubMed

Pedrosa, Rafaela Batista Dos Santos; Rodrigues, Roberta Cunha Matheus; Padilha, Kátia Melissa; Gallani, Maria Cecília Bueno Jayme; Alexandre, Neusa Maria Costa

2016-01-01

to verify the structure of factors of an instrument to measure the Heart Valve Disease Impact on Daily Life (IDCV) when applied to coronary artery disease patients. the study included 153 coronary artery disease patients undergoing outpatient follow-up care. The IDCV structure of factors was initially assessed by means of confirmatory factor analysis and, subsequently, by exploratory factor analysis. The Varimax rotation method was used to estimate the main components of analysis, eigenvalues greater than one for extraction of factors, and factor loading greater than 0.40 for selection of items. Internal consistency was estimated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. confirmatory factor analysis did not confirm the original structure of factors of the IDCV. Exploratory factor analysis showed three dimensions, which together explained 78% of the measurement variance. future studies with expansion of case selection are necessary to confirm the IDCV new structure of factors.

The Effects of Treatment upon the Relationship between Vocational Interest and Vocational Ability of the Educable Mentally Retarded Adolescent.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stodden, Robert A.; Lazar, Alfred L.

1979-01-01

Findings suggested that the prevocational exploratory experience was statistically effective in contributing to a positive change in the relationship between Ss' vocational interests and ability. (Author/DLS)

Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory-II in a Psychiatric Outpatient Population

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Background To further understand the relationship between anxiety and depression, this study examined the factor structure of the combined items from two validated measures for anxiety and depression. Methods The participants were 406 patients with mixed psychiatric diagnoses including anxiety and depressive disorders from a psychiatric outpatient unit at a university-affiliated medical center. Responses of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-II, and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) were analyzed. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis of 42 items from the BAI and BDI-II. Correlational analyses were performed between subscale scores of the SCL-90-R and factors derived from the factor analysis. Scores of individual items of the BAI and BDI-II were also compared between groups of anxiety disorder (n = 185) and depressive disorder (n = 123). Results Exploratory factor analysis revealed the following five factors explaining 56.2% of the total variance: somatic anxiety (factor 1), cognitive depression (factor 2), somatic depression (factor 3), subjective anxiety (factor 4), and autonomic anxiety (factor 5). The depression group had significantly higher scores for 12 items on the BDI while the anxiety group demonstrated higher scores for six items on the BAI. Conclusion Our results suggest that anxiety and depressive symptoms as measured by the BAI and BDI-II can be empirically differentiated and that particularly items of the cognitive domain in depression and those of physical domain in anxiety are noteworthy. PMID:29651821

Issues Related to the Frequency of Exploratory Analyses by Evidence Review Groups in the NICE Single Technology Appraisal Process.

PubMed

Kaltenthaler, Eva; Carroll, Christopher; Hill-McManus, Daniel; Scope, Alison; Holmes, Michael; Rice, Stephen; Rose, Micah; Tappenden, Paul; Woolacott, Nerys

2017-06-01

Evidence Review Groups (ERGs) critically appraise company submissions as part of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Single Technology Appraisal (STA) process. As part of their critique of the evidence submitted by companies, the ERGs undertake exploratory analyses to explore uncertainties in the company's model. The aim of this study was to explore pre-defined factors that might influence or predict the extent of ERG exploratory analyses. The aim of this study was to explore predefined factors that might influence or predict the extent of ERG exploratory analyses. We undertook content analysis of over 400 documents, including ERG reports and related documentation for the 100 most recent STAs (2009-2014) for which guidance has been published. Relevant data were extracted from the documents and narrative synthesis was used to summarise the extracted data. All data were extracted and checked by two researchers. Forty different companies submitted documents as part of the NICE STA process. The most common disease area covered by the STAs was cancer (44%), and most ERG reports (n = 93) contained at least one exploratory analysis. The incidence and frequency of ERG exploratory analyses does not appear to be related to any developments in the appraisal process, the disease area covered by the STA, or the company's base-case incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). However, there does appear to be a pattern in the mean number of analyses conducted by particular ERGs, but the reasons for this are unclear and potentially complex. No clear patterns were identified regarding the presence or frequency of exploratory analyses, apart from the mean number conducted by individual ERGs. More research is needed to understand this relationship.

Brief Report: An Exploratory Study Comparing Diagnostic Outcomes for Autism Spectrum Disorders under DSM-IV-TR with the Proposed DSM-5 Revision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibbs, Vicki; Aldridge, Fiona; Chandler, Felicity; Witzlsperger, Ellen; Smith, Karen

2012-01-01

The proposed revision for Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-5) represents a shift from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). As the proposed DSM-5 criteria require a higher minimum number of symptoms to be…

Conceptualizing Age-Friendly Community Characteristics in a Sample of Urban Elders: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

PubMed Central

Smith, Richard J.; Lehning, Amanda J.; Dunkle, Ruth E.

2012-01-01

Accurate conceptualization and measurement of age-friendly community characteristics would help to reduce barriers to documenting the effects on elders of interventions to create such communities. This article contributes to the measurement of age-friendly communities through an exploratory factor analysis of items reflecting an existing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy framework. From a sample of urban elders (n =1,376), we identified six factors associated with demographic and health characteristics: Access to Business and Leisure, Social Interaction, Access to Health Care, Neighborhood Problems, Social Support, and Community Engagement. Future research should explore the effects of these factors across contexts and populations. PMID:23350565

Adolescent personality factors in self-ratings and peer nominations and their prediction of peer acceptance and peer rejection.

PubMed

Scholte, R H; van Aken, M A; van Lieshout, C F

1997-12-01

In this study, the robustness of the Big Five personality factors in adolescents' self-ratings and peer nominations was investigated. Data were obtained on 2,001 adolescents attending secondary school (885 girls; 1,116 boys; M age = 14.5 years). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on the self-ratings confirmed the Big Five personality factors. In contrast, exploratory analysis on the peer nominations revealed five different factors: Aggression-Inattentiveness, Achievement-Withdrawal, Self-Confidence, Sociability, and Emotionality-Nervousness. It is suggested that peers evaluate group members not in terms of their personality but in terms of their group reputation. Peer evaluations contributed substantially to the prediction of peer acceptance and rejection; the Big Five personality factors based on self-ratings did not.

Factor structure of DSM-IV criteria for obsessive compulsive personality disorder in patients with binge eating disorder.

PubMed

Grilo, C M

2004-01-01

To examine the factor structure of DSM-IV criteria for obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) in patients with binge eating disorder (BED). Two hundred and eleven consecutive out-patients with axis I diagnoses of BED were reliably assessed with semi-structured diagnostic interviews. The eight criteria for the OCPD diagnosis were examined with reliability and correlational analyses. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to identify potential components. Cronbach's coefficient alpha for the OCPD criteria was 0.77. Principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation revealed a three-factor solution (rigidity, perfectionism, and miserliness), which accounted for 65% of variance. The DSM-IV criteria for OCPD showed good internal consistency. Exploratory factor analysis, however, revealed three components that may reflect distinct interpersonal, intrapersonal (cognitive), and behavioral features.

Sunlight exposure and cardiovascular risk factors in the REGARDS study: a cross-sectional split-sample analysis

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Previous research has suggested that vitamin D and sunlight are related to cardiovascular outcomes, but associations between sunlight and risk factors have not been investigated. We examined whether increased sunlight exposure was related to improved cardiovascular risk factor status. Methods Residential histories merged with satellite, ground monitor, and model reanalysis data were used to determine previous-year sunlight radiation exposure for 17,773 black and white participants aged 45+ from the US. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses were performed by randomly dividing the sample into halves. Logistic regression models were used to examine relationships with cardiovascular risk factors. Results The lowest, compared to the highest quartile of insolation exposure was associated with lower high-density lipoprotein levels in adjusted exploratory (−2.7 mg/dL [95% confidence interval: −4.2, −1.2]) and confirmatory (−1.5 mg/dL [95% confidence interval: −3.0, −0.1]) models. The lowest, compared to the highest quartile of insolation exposure was associated with higher systolic blood pressure levels in unadjusted exploratory and confirmatory, as well as the adjusted exploratory model (2.3 mmHg [95% confidence interval: 0.8, 3.8]), but not the adjusted confirmatory model (1.6 mg/dL [95% confidence interval: −0.5, 3.7]). Conclusions The results of this study suggest that lower long-term sunlight exposure has an association with lower high-density lipoprotein levels. However, all associations were weak, thus it is not known if insolation may affect cardiovascular outcomes through these risk factors. PMID:24946776

Exploratory factor analysis of the 12-item Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale in people newly diagnosed with advanced cancer.

PubMed

Bai, Mei; Dixon, Jane K

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to reexamine the factor pattern of the 12-item Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale (FACIT-Sp-12) using exploratory factor analysis in people newly diagnosed with advanced cancer. Principal components analysis (PCA) and 3 common factor analysis methods were used to explore the factor pattern of the FACIT-Sp-12. Factorial validity was assessed in association with quality of life (QOL). Principal factor analysis (PFA), iterative PFA, and maximum likelihood suggested retrieving 3 factors: Peace, Meaning, and Faith. Both Peace and Meaning positively related to QOL, whereas only Peace uniquely contributed to QOL. This study supported the 3-factor model of the FACIT-Sp-12. Suggestions for revision of items and further validation of the identified factor pattern were provided.

A Psychometric Investigation of the Multicultural and Special Education Survey: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Utley, Cheryl A.

2011-01-01

An exploratory factorial analysis of the Multicultural and Special Education Survey (MSES) evaluated the professional development training needs of general and special educators in a midwestern state. Survey items were selected from the culturally and linguistically diverse multicultural, bilingual and special education literature bases (CLD). The…

Application of Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling to Evaluate the Academic Motivation Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guay, Frédéric; Morin, Alexandre J. S.; Litalien, David; Valois, Pierre; Vallerand, Robert J.

2015-01-01

In this research, the authors examined the construct validity of scores of the Academic Motivation Scale using exploratory structural equation modeling. Study 1 and Study 2 involved 1,416 college students and 4,498 high school students, respectively. First, results of both studies indicated that the factor structure tested with exploratory…

An Exploratory Analysis of TPACK Perceptions of Pre-Service Science Teachers: A Regional Australian Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyes, Vicente Chua, Jr.; Rizk, Nadya; Gregory, Sue; Doyle, Helen

2016-01-01

Four distinct constructs were identified from a survey of a sample of pre-service science teachers at a regional Australian University. The constructs emerged after employing Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) on respondents' perceptions of pedagogical practices incorporating the use of Information Communication and Technology (ICT). The key…

An Exploratory Study of Undergraduate College Students' Perceptions and Attitudes toward Foreign Accented Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kavas, Aysel; Kavas, Alican

2008-01-01

The findings of an exploratory survey related to students' perceptions of factors, including accent and pronunciation, influencing their learning were presented. Data were collected from students through a self-administered questionnaire at one Southeastern University. A big majority (82.4%) of the respondents indicated that instructors'…

An Exploratory Study of Problem Gambling on Casino versus Non-Casino Electronic Gaming Machines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Dave; Pulford, Justin; Bellringer, Maria; Abbott, Max; Hodgins, David C.

2012-01-01

Electronic gaming machines (EGMs) have been frequently associated with problem gambling. Little research has compared the relative contribution of casino EGMs versus non-casino EGMs on current problem gambling, after controlling for demographic factors and gambling behaviour. Our exploratory study obtained data from questionnaires administered to…

Exploratory and Confirmatory Analysis of the Trauma Practices Questionnaire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craig, Carlton D.; Sprang, Ginny

2009-01-01

Objective: The present study provides psychometric data for the Trauma Practices Questionnaire (TPQ). Method: A nationally randomized sample of 2,400 surveys was sent to self-identified trauma treatment specialists, and 711 (29.6%) were returned. Results: An exploratory factor analysis (N = 319) conducted on a randomly split sample (RSS) revealed…

What Do We Know about the Atypical Development of Exploratory Actions during Infancy?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Campos, Ana Carolina; Savelsbergh, Geert J. P.; Rocha, Nelci Adriana Cicuto Ferreira

2012-01-01

Recent theoretical approaches to infant development have highlighted the importance of exploratory actions to motor, perceptual and cognitive development in infancy. However, the performance of infants exposed to risk factors when exploring objects has been frequently overlooked as a variable of interest. The aim of this study was to review…

Exploratory Visual Analysis of Statistical Results from Microarray Experiments Comparing High and Low Grade Glioma

PubMed Central

Reif, David M.; Israel, Mark A.; Moore, Jason H.

2007-01-01

The biological interpretation of gene expression microarray results is a daunting challenge. For complex diseases such as cancer, wherein the body of published research is extensive, the incorporation of expert knowledge provides a useful analytical framework. We have previously developed the Exploratory Visual Analysis (EVA) software for exploring data analysis results in the context of annotation information about each gene, as well as biologically relevant groups of genes. We present EVA as a flexible combination of statistics and biological annotation that provides a straightforward visual interface for the interpretation of microarray analyses of gene expression in the most commonly occuring class of brain tumors, glioma. We demonstrate the utility of EVA for the biological interpretation of statistical results by analyzing publicly available gene expression profiles of two important glial tumors. The results of a statistical comparison between 21 malignant, high-grade glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumors and 19 indolent, low-grade pilocytic astrocytomas were analyzed using EVA. By using EVA to examine the results of a relatively simple statistical analysis, we were able to identify tumor class-specific gene expression patterns having both statistical and biological significance. Our interactive analysis highlighted the potential importance of genes involved in cell cycle progression, proliferation, signaling, adhesion, migration, motility, and structure, as well as candidate gene loci on a region of Chromosome 7 that has been implicated in glioma. Because EVA does not require statistical or computational expertise and has the flexibility to accommodate any type of statistical analysis, we anticipate EVA will prove a useful addition to the repertoire of computational methods used for microarray data analysis. EVA is available at no charge to academic users and can be found at http://www.epistasis.org. PMID:19390666

A cross-national study on the multidimensional characteristics of the five-item psychological demands scale of the Job Content Questionnaire.

PubMed

Choi, BongKyoo; Kawakami, Norito; Chang, SeiJin; Koh, SangBaek; Bjorner, Jakob; Punnett, Laura; Karasek, Robert

2008-01-01

The five-item psychological demands scale of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) has been assumed to be one-dimensional in practice. To examine whether the scale has sufficient internal consistency and external validity to be treated as a single scale, using the cross-national JCQ datasets from the United States, Korea, and Japan. Exploratory factor analyses with 22 JCQ items, confirmatory factor analyses with the five psychological demands items, and correlations analyses with mental health indexes. Generally, exploratory factor analyses displayed the predicted demand/control/support structure with three and four factors extracted. However, at more detailed levels of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the demands scale showed clear evidence of multi-factor structure. The correlations of items and subscales of the demands scale with mental health indexes were similar to those of the full scale in the Korean and Japanese datasets, but not in the U.S. data. In 4 out of 16 sub-samples of the U.S. data, several significant correlations of the components of the demands scale with job dissatisfaction and life dissatisfaction were obscured by the full scale. The multidimensionality of the psychological demands scale should be considered in psychometric analysis and interpretation, occupational epidemiologic studies, and future scale extension.

Long-Term Effects of Pre-Placement Risk Factors on Children's Psychological Symptoms and Parenting Stress Among Families Adopting Children From Foster Care.

PubMed

Nadeem, Erum; Waterman, Jill; Foster, Jared; Paczkowski, Emilie; Belin, Thomas R; Miranda, Jeanne

2017-06-01

This exploratory longitudinal study examined behavioral outcomes and parenting stress among families with children adopted from foster care, taking into account environmental and biological risk factors. Child internalizing and externalizing problems and parenting stress were assessed in 82 adopted children and their families at 2 months post-placement, 12 months post-placement, and then yearly until 5 years post-placement. A history of abuse/neglect predicted significantly higher externalizing and internalizing problems at a borderline level of statistical significance. In the initial stages after placement, externalizing problems were significantly higher among children who were 4 years or older at placement versus those who were younger than 4, although differences were no longer significant 5 years post-placement. Statistical trends in parenting stress reflected reduced stress in the first 12 months followed by a plateau for parents who adopted older children and greater stress for parents who adopted younger children. Familiar limitations for observational cohort data apply. Nonetheless, the availability of longitudinal follow-up on a sizable sample of children adopted from foster care adds insight to the psychological dynamics for adoptive families and suggests that families of children adopted from the foster care system may have unique needs for ongoing support around behavioral issues.

[Assessment of psychometric properties of the academic involvement questionnaire, expectations version].

PubMed

Pérez V, Cristhian; Ortiz M, Liliana; Fasce H, Eduardo; Parra P, Paula; Matus B, Olga; McColl C, Peter; Torres A, Graciela; Meyer K, Andrea; Márquez U, Carolina; Ortega B, Javiera

2015-11-01

Academic Involvement Questionnaire, Expectations version (CIA-A), assesses the expectations of involvement in studies. It is a relevant predictor of student success. However, the evidence of its validity and reliability in Chile is low, and in the case of Medical students, there is no evidence at all. To evaluate the factorial structure and internal consistency of the CIA-A in Chilean Medical school freshmen. The survey was applied to 340 Medicine freshmen, chosen by non-probability quota sampling. They answered a back-translated version of CIA-A from Portuguese to Spanish, plus a sociodemographic questionnaire. For psychometric analysis of the CIA-A, an exploratory factor analysis was carried on, the reliability of the factors was calculated, a descriptive analysis was conducted and their correlation was assessed. Five factors were identified: vocational, institutional and social involvement, use of resources and student participation. Their reliabilities ranged between Cronbach's alpha values of 0.71 to 0.87. Factors also showed statistically significant correlations between each other. Identified factor structure is theoretically consistent with the structure of original version. It just disagrees in one factor. In addition, the factors' internal consistency were adequate for using them in research. This supports the construct validity and reliability of the CIA-A to assess involvement expectations in medical school freshmen.

The Trauma Center Organizational Culture Survey: development and conduction.

PubMed

Davis, Matthew L; Wehbe-Janek, Hania; Subacius, Haris; Pinto, Ruxandra; Nathens, Avery B

2015-01-01

The Trauma Center Organizational Culture Survey (TRACCS) instrument was developed to assess organizational culture of trauma centers enrolled in the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Program (ACS TQIP). The objective is to provide evidence on the psychometric properties of the factors of TRACCS and describe the current organizational culture of TQIP-enrolled trauma centers. A cross-sectional study was conducted by surveying a sampling of employees at 174 TQIP-enrolled trauma centers. Data collection was preceded by multistep survey development. Psychometric properties were assessed by an exploratory factor analysis (construct validity) and the item-total correlations and Cronbach alpha were calculated (internal reliability). Statistical outcomes of the survey responses were measured by descriptive statistics and mixed effect models. The response rate for trauma center participation in the study was 78.7% (n = 137). The factor analysis resulted in 16 items clustered into three factors as described: opportunity, pride, and diversity, trauma center leadership, and employee respect and recognition. TRACCS was found to be highly reliable with a Cronbach alpha of 0.90 in addition to the three factors (0.91, 0.90, and 0.85). Considerable variability of TRACCS overall and factor score among hospitals was measured, with the largest interhospital deviations among trauma center leadership. More than 80% of the variability in the responses occurred within rather than between hospitals. TRACCS was developed as a reliable tool for measuring trauma center organizational culture. Relationships between TQIP outcomes and measured organizational culture are under investigation. Trauma centers could apply TRACCS to better understand current organizational culture and how change tools can impact culture and subsequent patient and process outcomes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Construct Validity of the Dutch Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Personality Disorders (PID-5) in a Clinical Sample.

PubMed

Bastiaens, Tim; Claes, Laurence; Smits, Dirk; De Clercq, Barbara; De Fruyt, Filip; Rossi, Gina; Vanwalleghem, Dominique; Vermote, Rudi; Lowyck, Benedicte; Claes, Stephan; De Hert, Marc

2016-02-01

The factor structure and the convergent validity of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5), a self-report questionnaire designed to measure personality pathology as advocated in the fifth edition, Section III of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), are already demonstrated in general population samples, but need replication in clinical samples. In 240 Flemish inpatients, we examined the factor structure of the PID-5 by means of exploratory structural equation modeling. Additionally, we investigated differences in PID-5 higher order domain scores according to gender, age and educational level, and explored convergent and discriminant validity by relating the PID-5 with the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology-Basic Questionnaire and by comparing PID-5 scores of inpatients with and without a DSM-IV categorical personality disorder diagnosis. Our results confirmed the original five-factor structure of the PID-5. The reliability and the convergent and discriminant validity of the PID-5 proved to be adequate. Implications for future research are discussed. © The Author(s) 2015.

Using the People of Color Racial Identity Attitude Scale among Asian American college students: an exploratory factor analysis.

PubMed

Perry, Justin C; Vance, Kristen S; Helms, Janet E

2009-04-01

In this study, an exploratory factor analysis of the People of Color Racial Identity Attitude Scale (PRIAS; Helms, 1995b) among a sample of Asian American college students (N = 225) was conducted. The factorial structure that emerged revealed mixed results in terms of consistency with the People of Color (POC) theory (Helms, 1995a). The measure's construct validity for Asian Americans may be improved through further scale development and revision. Directions for future research on the PRIAS are discussed. (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

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…

Violence Exposure and Early Adolescent Alcohol Use: An Exploratory Study of Family Risk and Protective Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Kelli W.; Kliewer, Wendy

2006-01-01

In this short-term longitudinal exploratory interview study, the relations between exposure to community violence and subsequent alcohol use were examined, with a focus on caregiver and family variables as moderators. Maternal caregivers and their children (N = 101 families; 98% African American; M child age = 11.2 yrs) were interviewed separately…

Characteristics of Effective Pedagogy of Third Grade English Learners in Language Arts: An Exploratory Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merwin, Gregory J.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify pedagogical and non-pedagogical factors that affect the academic achievement of English Learner (EL) students in the area of language arts at Dr. Albert Schweitzer Elementary School in Anaheim, California. The researcher conducted an exploratory multiple case study to develop a comprehensive, contextual…

Action Research as an Approach to Integrating Sustainability into MBA Programs: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benn, Suzanne; Dunphy, Dexter

2009-01-01

This article reports on an exploratory project that employed an action research approach to integrating sustainability into core subjects in the MBA program at an Australian university. It documents the change methodology used, the theoretical basis for this choice, and the project outcomes. It then identifies some key enabling factors and…

Infants with Down Syndrome and Their Interactions with Objects: Development of Exploratory Actions after Reaching Onset

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Campos, Ana Carolina; da Costa, Carolina Souza Neves; Savelsbergh, Geert J. P.; Rocha, Nelci Adriana Cicuto Ferreira

2013-01-01

During infant development, objects and their functions are learned by means of active exploration. Factors that may influence exploration include reaching and grasping ability, object properties and the presence of developmental disorders. We assessed the development of exploratory actions in 16 typically-developing (TD) infants and 9 infants with…

Symptom Clusters in Advanced Cancer Patients: An Empirical Comparison of Statistical Methods and the Impact on Quality of Life.

PubMed

Dong, Skye T; Costa, Daniel S J; Butow, Phyllis N; Lovell, Melanie R; Agar, Meera; Velikova, Galina; Teckle, Paulos; Tong, Allison; Tebbutt, Niall C; Clarke, Stephen J; van der Hoek, Kim; King, Madeleine T; Fayers, Peter M

2016-01-01

Symptom clusters in advanced cancer can influence patient outcomes. There is large heterogeneity in the methods used to identify symptom clusters. To investigate the consistency of symptom cluster composition in advanced cancer patients using different statistical methodologies for all patients across five primary cancer sites, and to examine which clusters predict functional status, a global assessment of health and global quality of life. Principal component analysis and exploratory factor analysis (with different rotation and factor selection methods) and hierarchical cluster analysis (with different linkage and similarity measures) were used on a data set of 1562 advanced cancer patients who completed the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30. Four clusters consistently formed for many of the methods and cancer sites: tense-worry-irritable-depressed (emotional cluster), fatigue-pain, nausea-vomiting, and concentration-memory (cognitive cluster). The emotional cluster was a stronger predictor of overall quality of life than the other clusters. Fatigue-pain was a stronger predictor of overall health than the other clusters. The cognitive cluster and fatigue-pain predicted physical functioning, role functioning, and social functioning. The four identified symptom clusters were consistent across statistical methods and cancer types, although there were some noteworthy differences. Statistical derivation of symptom clusters is in need of greater methodological guidance. A psychosocial pathway in the management of symptom clusters may improve quality of life. Biological mechanisms underpinning symptom clusters need to be delineated by future research. A framework for evidence-based screening, assessment, treatment, and follow-up of symptom clusters in advanced cancer is essential. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploring the Factor Structure of Neurocognitive Measures in Older Individuals

PubMed Central

Santos, Nadine Correia; Costa, Patrício Soares; Amorim, Liliana; Moreira, Pedro Silva; Cunha, Pedro; Cotter, Jorge; Sousa, Nuno

2015-01-01

Here we focus on factor analysis from a best practices point of view, by investigating the factor structure of neuropsychological tests and using the results obtained to illustrate on choosing a reasonable solution. The sample (n=1051 individuals) was randomly divided into two groups: one for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and principal component analysis (PCA), to investigate the number of factors underlying the neurocognitive variables; the second to test the “best fit” model via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). For the exploratory step, three extraction (maximum likelihood, principal axis factoring and principal components) and two rotation (orthogonal and oblique) methods were used. The analysis methodology allowed exploring how different cognitive/psychological tests correlated/discriminated between dimensions, indicating that to capture latent structures in similar sample sizes and measures, with approximately normal data distribution, reflective models with oblimin rotation might prove the most adequate. PMID:25880732

[Concurrent validity of the HAWIK-IV and the Intelligence and Development Scales (IDS)].

PubMed

Hagmann-von Arx, Priska; Grob, Alexander; Petermann, Franz; Daseking, Monika

2012-01-01

The present study examined the concurrent validity of the Hamburg Wechsler Intelligenztest für Kinder - IV (HAWIK-IV; Petermann & Petermann, 2010) and the Intelligence and Development Scales (IDS; Grob, Meyer & Hagmann-von Arx, 2009). HAWIK-IV and IDS were administered in counterbalanced order to N = 172 children aged 6 to 11 years. The study presents the descriptive statistics, correlations, and an exploratory factor analysis of the data. There is a high correlation between HAWIK-IV Full Scale IQ and IDS intelligence score (r = .83). HAWIK-IV indices showed moderate to high correlations with the cognitive scales of the IDS (Cognition, Language, Mathematics). Low to absent correlations were found between HAWIK-IV indices and the noncognitive scales of the IDS (Social-Emotional Competence, Psychomotor, Achievement Motivation). The factor structure can be interpreted meaningfully and allows integration of the IDS cognitive, language, and mathematical subtests into the four HAWIK-IV indices. The results show that HAWIK-IV and IDS test results can be related to each other.

Validity and reliability of the Greek version of the xerostomia questionnaire in head and neck cancer patients.

PubMed

Memtsa, Pinelopi Theopisti; Tolia, Maria; Tzitzikas, Ioannis; Bizakis, Ioannis; Pistevou-Gombaki, Kyriaki; Charalambidou, Martha; Iliopoulou, Chrysoula; Kyrgias, George

2017-03-01

Xerostomia after radiation therapy for head and neck (H&N) cancer has serious effects on patients' quality of life. The purpose of this study was to validate the Greek version of the self-reported eight-item xerostomia questionnaire (XQ) in patients treated with radiotherapy for H&N cancer. The XQ was translated into Greek and administered to 100 XQ patients. An exploratory factor analysis was performed. Reliability measures were calculated. Several types of validity were evaluated. The observer-rated scoring system was also used. The mean XQ value was 41.92 (SD 22.71). Factor analysis revealed the unidimensional nature of the questionnaire. High reliability measures (ICC, Cronbach's α, Pearson coefficients) were obtained. Patients differed statistically significantly in terms of XQ score, depending on the RTOG/EORTC classification. The Greek version of XQ is valid and reliable. Its score is well related to observer's findings and it can be used to evaluate the impact of radiation therapy on the subjective feeling of xerostomia.

Validation of the Polish version of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire among women.

PubMed

Brytek-Matera, Anna; Rogoza, Radosław

2015-03-01

In Poland, appropriate means to assess body image are relatively limited. The aim of the study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ). To do so, a sample of 341 females ranging in age from 18 to 35 years (M = 23.09; SD = 3.14) participated in the present study. Owing to the fact that the confirmatory factor analysis of the original nine-factor model was not well fitted to the data (RMSEA = 0.06; CFI = 0.75) the exploratory approach was employed. Based on parallel analysis and minimum average partial an eight-factor structure of the Polish version of the MBSRQ was distinguished. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a factorial structure similar to the original version. The proposed model was tested using an exploratory structural equation modelling approach which resulted in good fit (RMSEA = 0.04; CFI = 0.91). In the present study, the internal reliability assessed by McDonald's ω coefficient amounts from 0.66 to 0.91. In conclusion, the Polish version of the MBSRQ is a useful measure for the attitudinal component of body image assessment.

Safety leadership in the teaching laboratories of electrical and electronic engineering departments at Taiwanese Universities.

PubMed

Wu, Tsung-Chih

2008-01-01

Safety has always been one of the principal goals in teaching laboratories. Laboratories cannot serve their educational purpose when accidents occur. The leadership of department heads has a major impact on laboratory safety, so this study discusses the factors affecting safety leadership in teaching laboratories. This study uses a mail survey to explore the perceived safety leadership in electrical and electronic engineering departments at Taiwanese universities. An exploratory factor analysis shows that there are three main components of safety leadership, as measured on a safety leadership scale: safety controlling, safety coaching, and safety caring. The descriptive statistics also reveals that among faculty, the perception of department heads' safety leadership is in general positive. A two-way MANOVA shows that there are interaction effects on safety leadership between university size and instructor age; there are also interaction effects between presence of a safety committee and faculty gender and faculty age. It is therefore necessary to assess organizational factors when determining whether individual factors are the cause of differing perceptions among faculty members. The author also presents advice on improving safety leadership for department heads at small universities and at universities without safety committees.

Medical History, Lifestyle, Family History, and Occupational Risk Factors for Adult Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia: The InterLymph Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Subtypes Project

PubMed Central

Slager, Susan L.; Berndt, Sonja I.; Lightfoot, Tracy; Sampson, Joshua N.; Morton, Lindsay M.; Weisenburger, Dennis D.

2014-01-01

Background Acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (ALL) in adults is a rare malignancy with a poor clinical outcome, and few reported etiologic risk factors. Methods We performed an exploratory pooled study of 152 ALL cases and 23096 controls from 16 case–control studies to investigate the role of medical history, lifestyle, family history, and occupational risk factors and risk of ALL. Age- race/ethnicity-, sex-, and study-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression. Results An increased risk of ALL was found in those with a family history of a hematological malignancy (OR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.22 to 5.54) and in leather (OR = 3.91, 95% CI = 1.35 to 11.35) and sewing/embroidery workers (OR = 2.92, 95% CI = 1.00 to 8.49). Consumers of alcohol had an increased risk of B-cell ALL (OR = 2.87, 95% CI = 1.18 to 6.95). Conclusions The small number of statistically significant risk factors identified out of the 112 variables examined could be chance findings and will require further replication to assess their role in the etiology of adult ALL. PMID:25174033

An Examination of the Partner Cyber Abuse Questionnaire in a College Student Sample.

PubMed

Wolford-Clevenger, Caitlin; Zapor, Heather; Brasfield, Hope; Febres, Jeniimarie; Elmquist, JoAnna; Brem, Meagan; Shorey, Ryan C; Stuart, Gregory L

2016-01-01

To examine the factor structure and convergent validity of a newly developed measure of an understudied form of partner abuse, cyber abuse, and to examine the prevalence of, and gender differences in, victimization by cyber abuse. College students in a dating relationship ( N = 502) completed the Partner Cyber Abuse Questionnaire (Hamby, 2013), as well as measures of partner abuse victimization and depression. Using exploratory factor analysis, we determined a one-factor solution was the most statistically and conceptually best fitting model. The cyber abuse victimization factor was correlated with depressive symptoms and physical, psychological, and sexual partner abuse victimization, supporting the convergent validity of the measure. The overall prevalence of victimization by cyber abuse was 40%, with victimization by specific acts ranging from 2-31%. Men and women did not differ in their victimization by cyber abuse. Cyber abuse is prevalent among college students and occurs concurrently with other partner abuse forms and depressive symptoms. Given the interrelated nature of partner abuse forms, prevention and intervention programs should address partner abuse occurring in-person and through technology. Cyber abuse should also be considered in the conceptualization and measurement of partner abuse to more fully understand this social problem.

Emotional intelligence (EI) and nursing leadership styles among nurse managers.

PubMed

Tyczkowski, Brenda; Vandenhouten, Christine; Reilly, Janet; Bansal, Gaurav; Kubsch, Sylvia M; Jakkola, Raelynn

2015-01-01

Less than 12.5% of nurses aspire to leadership roles, noting lack of support and stress as major factors in their decision not to pursue this area of practice. Psychological resiliency, described as the ability to properly adapt to stress and adversity, is key to successful nurse managers. Emotional intelligence (EI) is a related concept to resiliency and is another noteworthy predictor of leadership and management success. This study was undertaken to determine the level of and relationship between EI and leadership style of nurse managers employed in Wisconsin and Illinois facilities. A descriptive, exploratory study design was utilized, with a convenience sample of nurse managers working in 6 large Midwestern health systems. Nurse managers were invited to participate in the study by their employer, completing the online consent form and the demographic, Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) Form 5X and the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0) surveys. Statistically significant positive relationships were noted between EI and transformational leadership and the outcomes of leadership (extra effort, effectiveness, and satisfaction). No statistically significant relationships were noted between EI and transactional or laissez-faire leadership styles.

Artificial neural network models for prediction of cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction in general Chinese population

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The present study aimed to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) based prediction model for cardiovascular autonomic (CA) dysfunction in the general population. Methods We analyzed a previous dataset based on a population sample consisted of 2,092 individuals aged 30–80 years. The prediction models were derived from an exploratory set using ANN analysis. Performances of these prediction models were evaluated in the validation set. Results Univariate analysis indicated that 14 risk factors showed statistically significant association with CA dysfunction (P < 0.05). The mean area under the receiver-operating curve was 0.762 (95% CI 0.732–0.793) for prediction model developed using ANN analysis. The mean sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were similar in the prediction models was 0.751, 0.665, 0.330 and 0.924, respectively. All HL statistics were less than 15.0. Conclusion ANN is an effective tool for developing prediction models with high value for predicting CA dysfunction among the general population. PMID:23902963

Nucleon matrix elements from lattice QCD with all-mode-averaging and a domain-decomposed solver: An exploratory study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Hippel, Georg; Rae, Thomas D.; Shintani, Eigo; Wittig, Hartmut

2017-01-01

We study the performance of all-mode-averaging (AMA) when used in conjunction with a locally deflated SAP-preconditioned solver, determining how to optimize the local block sizes and number of deflation fields in order to minimize the computational cost for a given level of overall statistical accuracy. We find that AMA enables a reduction of the statistical error on nucleon charges by a factor of around two at the same cost when compared to the standard method. As a demonstration, we compute the axial, scalar and tensor charges of the nucleon in Nf = 2 lattice QCD with non-perturbatively O(a)-improved Wilson quarks, using O(10,000) measurements to pursue the signal out to source-sink separations of ts ∼ 1.5 fm. Our results suggest that the axial charge is suffering from a significant amount (5-10%) of excited-state contamination at source-sink separations of up to ts ∼ 1.2 fm, whereas the excited-state contamination in the scalar and tensor charges seems to be small.

Causal Models and Exploratory Analysis in Heterogeneous Information Fusion for Detecting Potential Terrorists

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-01

issues and made some of the same distinctions (Walker, Lempert, and Kwakkel ; Bankes, Lempert, and Popper, 2005), but it did appear that we had more than...Statistics,” British Journal of Mathematical Statistics and Pscyhology, 66, pp. 8-38. Jaynes, Edwin T., and G . Larry Bretthorst (ed.) (2003) , Probability...Giroux. Lempert, Robert J., David G . Groves, Steven W. Popper, and Steven C. Bankes (2006), “A General Analytic Method for Generating Robust

Exploratory factor analysis of the functional movement screen in elite athletes.

PubMed

Li, Yongming; Wang, Xiong; Chen, Xiaoping; Dai, Boyi

2015-01-01

The functional movement screen is developed to examine individuals' movement patterns through 7 functional tasks. The purpose of this study was to identify the internal consistency and factor structure of the 7 tasks of the functional movement screen in elite athletes; 290 elite athletes from a variety of Chinese national teams were assessed using the functional movement screen. Cronbach's alpha was calculated for the scores of the 7 tasks. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to explore the factor structure of the functional movement screen. The mean and standard deviation of the sum score were 15.2 ± 3.0. A low Cronbach's alpha (0.58) was found for the scores of the 7 tasks. Exploratory factor analysis extracted 2 factors with eigenvalues greater than 1, and these 2 factors explained 47.3% of the total variance. The first factor had a high loading on the rotatory stability (loading = 0.99) and low loadings on the other 6 tasks (loading range: 0.04-0.34). The second factor had high loadings on the deep squat, hurdle step and inline lunge (loading range: 0.46-0.61) and low loadings on the other 3 tasks (loading range: 0.12-0.32). The 7 tasks of the functional movement screen had low internal consistency and were not indicators of a single factor. Evidence for unidimensionality was not found for the functional movement screen in elite athletes. More attention should be paid to the score of each task rather than the sum score when we interpret the functional movement screen scores.

Gender subordination in the vulnerability of women to domestic violence.

PubMed

Macedo Piosiadlo, Laura Christina; Godoy Serpa da Fonseca, Rosa Maria

2016-06-01

To create and validate an instrument that identifies women's vulnerability to domestic violence through gender subordination indicators in the family. An instrument consisting on 61 phrases was created, that indicates gender subordination in the family. After the assessment from ten judges, 34 phrases were validated. The approved version was administered to 321 health service users of São José dos Pinhais (Estado de Paraná, Brasil), along with the validated Portuguese version of the Abuse Assessment Screen (AAS) (for purposes of separating the sample group - the ''YES'' group was composed of women who have suffered violence and the ''NO'' group consisted of women who had not suffered violence). Data were transferred into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 22, and quantitatively analyzed using exploratory and factor analysis, and tests for internal consistency. After analysis (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) statistics, Monte Carlo Principal Components Analysis (PCA, and diagram segmentation), two factors were identified: F1 - consisting of phrases related to home maintenance and family structure; F2 - phrases intrinsic to the couple's relationship. For the statements that reinforce gender subordination, the mean of the factors were higher for the group that answered YES to one of the violence identifying issues. The created instrument was able to identify women who were vulnerable to domestic violence using gender subordination indicators. This could be an important tool for nurses and other professionals in multidisciplinary teams, in order to organize and plan actions to prevent violence against women.

Exploratory Bifactor Analysis of the WJ-III Cognitive in Adulthood via the Schmid-Leiman Procedure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dombrowski, Stefan C.

2014-01-01

The Woodcock-Johnson-III cognitive in the adult time period (age 20 to 90 plus) was analyzed using exploratory bifactor analysis via the Schmid-Leiman orthogonalization procedure. The results of this study suggested possible overfactoring, a different factor structure from that posited in the Technical Manual and a lack of invariance across both…

Using Relevance Prompts: An Exploratory Study to Promote Eighth Graders' Comprehension and Retelling of Narrative Text

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fogarty, Melissa S.; Davis, John L.; Anderson, Leah L.; Myint, Ahmarlay

2017-01-01

This exploratory study investigated the effects of modifying eighth grade students' purposes for reading through a prompt designed to increase engagement with the text. The current study was conducted using a randomized between-subjects design, with a relevance prompt as the between-subjects factor and reader proficiency as a covariate. A sample…

An Exploratory Phenomenological Study of African American Male Pre-Service Teachers at a Historical Black University in the Mid-South

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yates, Lucian, III; Pelphrey, Barry A.; Smith, Patricia A.

2008-01-01

This exploratory phenomenological study was conducted to ascertain which factors caused African American male pre-service teachers to persist at a HBCU [Historically Black Colleges and Universities] in the Mid-South. The work is grounded in the conceptual framework called resiliency. Resiliency asks the question, "How do children,…

An Exploratory Study of Puerto Rican MSM Drug Users: The Childhood and Early Teen Years of Gay Males and Transsexual Females

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finlinson, H. Ann; Colon, Hector M.; Robles, Rafaela R.; Soto, Mayra

2008-01-01

Research suggests that sexual silence, family loyalty, and homophobia foster health-compromising behaviors among adult Latino gay males, but little is known about the effect of these sociocultural factors on the lives of Latino children and young teens characterized by gender nonconformity and homosexual orientation. This exploratory study of…

Confirmatory and Competitive Evaluation of Alternative Gene-Environment Interaction Hypotheses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belsky, Jay; Pluess, Michael; Widaman, Keith F.

2013-01-01

Background: Most gene-environment interaction (GXE) research, though based on clear, vulnerability-oriented hypotheses, is carried out using exploratory rather than hypothesis-informed statistical tests, limiting power and making formal evaluation of competing GXE propositions difficult. Method: We present and illustrate a new regression technique…

Measuring Workplace Climate in Community Clinics and Health Centers.

PubMed

Friedberg, Mark W; Rodriguez, Hector P; Martsolf, Grant R; Edelen, Maria O; Vargas Bustamante, Arturo

2016-10-01

The effectiveness of community clinics and health centers' efforts to improve the quality of care might be modified by clinics' workplace climates. Several surveys to measure workplace climate exist, but their relationships to each other and to distinguishable dimensions of workplace climate are unknown. To assess the psychometric properties of a survey instrument combining items from several existing surveys of workplace climate and to generate a shorter instrument for future use. We fielded a 106-item survey, which included items from 9 existing instruments, to all clinicians and staff members (n=781) working in 30 California community clinics and health centers, receiving 628 responses (80% response rate). We performed exploratory factor analysis of survey responses, followed by confirmatory factor analysis of 200 reserved survey responses. We generated a new, shorter survey instrument of items with strong factor loadings. Six factors, including 44 survey items, emerged from the exploratory analysis. Two factors (Clinic Workload and Teamwork) were independent from the others. The remaining 4 factors (staff relationships, quality improvement orientation, managerial readiness for change, and staff readiness for change) were highly correlated, indicating that these represented dimensions of a higher-order factor we called "Clinic Functionality." This 2-level, 6-factor model fit the data well in the exploratory and confirmatory samples. For all but 1 factor, fewer than 20 survey responses were needed to achieve clinic-level reliability >0.7. Survey instruments designed to measure workplace climate have substantial overlap. The relatively parsimonious item set we identified might help target and tailor clinics' quality improvement efforts.

Measuring Workplace Climate in Community Clinics and Health Centers

PubMed Central

Friedberg, Mark W.; Rodriguez, Hector P.; Martsolf, Grant; Edelen, Maria Orlando; Vargas-Bustamante, Arturo

2018-01-01

Background The effectiveness of community clinics and health centers’ efforts to improve the quality of care might be modified by clinics’ workplace climates. Several surveys to measure workplace climate exist, but their relationships to each other and to distinguishable dimensions of workplace climate are unknown. Objective To assess the psychometric properties of a survey instrument combining items from several existing surveys of workplace climate and to generate a shorter instrument for future use. Methods We fielded a 106-item survey, which included items from 9 existing instruments, to all clinicians and staff members (n=781) working in 30 California community clinics and health centers, receiving 628 responses (80% response rate). We performed exploratory factor analysis of survey responses, followed by confirmatory factor analysis of 200 reserved survey responses. We generated a new, shorter survey instrument of items with strong factor loadings. Results Six factors, including 44 survey items, emerged from the exploratory analysis. Two factors (Clinic Workload and Teamwork) were independent from the others. The remaining 4 factors (Staff Relationships, Quality Improvement Orientation, Managerial Readiness for Change, and Staff Readiness for Change) were highly correlated, indicating that these represented dimensions of a higher-order factor we called “Clinic Functionality.” This two-level, six-factor model fit the data well in the exploratory and confirmatory samples. For all but one factor, fewer than 20 survey responses were needed to achieve clinic-level reliability >0.7. Conclusion Survey instruments designed to measure workplace climate have substantial overlap. The relatively parsimonious item set we identified might help target and tailor clinics’ quality improvement efforts. PMID:27326549

Risk and Protective Factors of Micronesian Youth in Hawai’i: An Exploratory Study

PubMed Central

Okamoto, Scott K.; Mayeda, David T.; Ushiroda, Mari; Rehuher, Davis; Lauilefue, Tui; Ongalibang, Ophelia

2009-01-01

This exploratory, qualitative study examined the risk and protective factors of Micronesian middle and high school students in Hawai’i. Forty one Micronesian youth participated in 9 focus groups that explored their experiences within their schools, families, and communities. The findings describe youths’ experiences of ecological stress beginning with their migration to Hawai’i, and the potential outcomes of this stress (e.g., fighting, gangs, and drug use). Cultural buffers, such as traditional practices and culturally specific prevention programs, were described as aspects that prevented adverse outcomes. Implications for prevention practice are discussed. PMID:20559460

Factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition: Exploratory factor analyses with the 16 primary and secondary subtests.

PubMed

Canivez, Gary L; Watkins, Marley W; Dombrowski, Stefan C

2016-08-01

The factor structure of the 16 Primary and Secondary subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V; Wechsler, 2014a) standardization sample was examined with exploratory factor analytic methods (EFA) not included in the WISC-V Technical and Interpretive Manual (Wechsler, 2014b). Factor extraction criteria suggested 1 to 4 factors and results favored 4 first-order factors. When this structure was transformed with the Schmid and Leiman (1957) orthogonalization procedure, the hierarchical g-factor accounted for large portions of total and common variance while the 4 first-order factors accounted for small portions of total and common variance; rendering interpretation at the factor index level less appropriate. Although the publisher favored a 5-factor model where the Perceptual Reasoning factor was split into separate Visual Spatial and Fluid Reasoning dimensions, no evidence for 5 factors was found. It was concluded that the WISC-V provides strong measurement of general intelligence and clinical interpretation should be primarily, if not exclusively, at that level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Factor Rotation and Standard Errors in Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Guangjian; Preacher, Kristopher J.

2015-01-01

In this article, we report a surprising phenomenon: Oblique CF-varimax and oblique CF-quartimax rotation produced similar point estimates for rotated factor loadings and factor correlations but different standard error estimates in an empirical example. Influences of factor rotation on asymptotic standard errors are investigated using a numerical…

Validation of the Community Integration Questionnaire in the adult burn injury population.

PubMed

Gerrard, Paul; Kazis, Lewis E; Ryan, Colleen M; Shie, Vivian L; Holavanahalli, Radha; Lee, Austin; Jette, Alan; Fauerbach, James A; Esselman, Peter; Herndon, David; Schneider, Jeffrey C

2015-11-01

With improved survival, long-term effects of burn injuries on quality of life, particularly community integration, are important outcomes. This study aims to assess the Community Integration Questionnaire's psychometric properties in the adult burn population. Data were obtained from a multicenter longitudinal data set of burn survivors. The psychometric properties of the Community Integration Questionnaire (n = 492) were examined. The questionnaire items were evaluated for clinical and substantive relevance; validation procedures were conducted on different samples of the population; construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis; internal consistency reliability was examined using Cronbach's α statistics; and item response theory was applied to the final models. The CIQ-15 was reduced by two questions to form the CIQ-13, with a two-factor structure, interpreted as self/family care and social integration. Item response theory testing suggests that Factor 2 captures a wider range of community integration levels. Cronbach's α was 0.80 for Factor 1, 0.77 for Factor 2, and 0.79 for the test as a whole. The CIQ-13 demonstrates validity and reliability in the adult burn survivor population addressing issues of self/family care and social integration. This instrument is useful in future research of community reintegration outcomes in the burn population.

Associations between Distal Upper Extremity Job Physical Factors and Psychosocial Measures in a Pooled Study

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Introduction. There is an increasing body of literature relating musculoskeletal diseases to both job physical exposures and psychosocial outcomes. Relationships between job physical exposure measures and psychosocial factors have not been well examined or quantified. These exploratory analyses evaluate relationships between quantified exposures and psychosocial outcomes. Methods. Individualized quantification of duration, repetition, and force and composite scores of the Strain Index (SI) and the Threshold Limit Value for Hand Activity Level (TLV for HAL) were compared to 10 psychosocial measures. Relationships and predicted probabilities were assessed using ordered logistic regression. Analyses were adjusted for age, BMI, and gender. Results and Discussion. Among 1834 study participants there were multiple statistically significant relationships. In general, as duration, repetition, and force increased, psychosocial factors worsened. However, general health and mental exhaustion improved with increasing job exposures. Depression was most strongly associated with increased repetition, while physical exhaustion was most strongly associated with increased force. SI and TLV for HAL were significantly related to multiple psychosocial factors. These relationships persisted after adjustment for strong confounders. Conclusion. This study quantified multiple associations between job physical exposures and occupational and nonoccupational psychosocial factors. Further research is needed to quantify the impacts on occupational health outcomes. PMID:26557686

The Association between Foster Care and Substance Abuse Risk Factors and Treatment Outcomes: An Exploratory Secondary Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blome, Wendy Whiting; Shields, Joseph; Verdieck, Mary Jeanne

2009-01-01

The child welfare and substance abuse systems are integrally linked through the children and families they both serve. There is a dearth of knowledge, however, on how children who have experienced foster care fare when they are treated for substance abuse issues as adults. This article presents an exploratory study using the Alcohol and Drug…

The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-Short Version: Scale Reduction via Exploratory Bifactor Modeling of the Broad Anxiety Factor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebesutani, Chad; Reise, Steven P.; Chorpita, Bruce F.; Ale, Chelsea; Regan, Jennifer; Young, John; Higa-McMillan, Charmaine; Weisz, John R.

2012-01-01

Using a school-based (N = 1,060) and clinic-referred (N = 303) youth sample, the authors developed a 25-item shortened version of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) using Schmid-Leiman exploratory bifactor analysis to reduce client burden and administration time and thus improve the transportability characteristics of this…

What can be learned from the effects of benzodiazepines on exploratory behavior?

PubMed

File, S E

1985-01-01

The purpose of this review is to assess the value of using tests of exploratory behavior to study the actions of benzodiazepines. The methods of measuring exploration and the factors influencing it are briefly described. The effects of benzodiazepines on exploratory behavior of rats and mice are reviewed; and the dangers of interpreting the results of such tests in terms of any of the clinical effects of the benzodiazepines is stressed. Finally, the interactions between benzodiazepines and other drugs acting at the GABA-benzodiazepine receptor complex are described. The results of these experiments caution against global classification of compounds as benzodiazepine "antagonists."

From Exploratory Talk to Abstract Reasoning: A Case for Far Transfer?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, Paul; Whitlow, J. W., Jr.; Venter, Danie

2017-01-01

Research has shown improvements in science, mathematics, and language scores when classroom discussion is employed in school-level science and mathematics classes. Studies have also shown statistically and practically significant gains in children's reasoning abilities as measured by the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices test when employing…

Understanding Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: Perceptions of School Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Chris; Armstrong, Stephen A.; Couch, Lisa; Bore, Samuel K.

2010-01-01

This national exploratory study examined the perceptions of secondary school counselors' (n = 81) understanding of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Two one-way ANOVAs revealed no statistically significant differences between middle and high school counselors on their perceptions of the prevalence of NSSI. Descriptive analyses revealed that a…

Twitter Use in Libraries: An Exploratory Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aharony, Noa

2010-01-01

Microblogging is a relatively new phenomenon in online social networking that has become increasingly prevalent in the last few years. This study explores the use of Twitter in public and academic libraries to understand microblogging patterns. Analysis of the tweets was conducted in two phases: (1) statistical descriptive analysis and (2) content…

An Investigation of School Counselor Self-Efficacy with English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Leonissa V.; Ziomek-Daigle, Jolie; Haskins, Natoya Hill; Paisley, Pamela O.

2017-01-01

This exploratory quantitative study described school counselors' self-efficacy with English language learners. Findings suggest that school counselors with exposure to and experiences with English language learners have higher levels of self-efficacy. Statistically significant and practical differences in self-efficacy were apparent by race, U.S.…

Energy Literacy and Agency of New Zealand Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aguirre-Bielschowsky, I.; Lawson, R.; Stephenson, J.; Todd, S.

2017-01-01

The development of energy literacy (knowledge, attitudes, and intended behaviour) and agency of New Zealand children (age 9-10) were investigated through thematic and exploratory statistical analyses of interviews (October 2011-April 2012) with 26 children, their parents and teachers, focus groups and photo elicitation. The children knew that…

Factor Structure of the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale in Turkish Early Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sahin, Ertugrul; Topkaya, Nursel

2015-01-01

Although the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS) is most often validated with the use of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on undergraduate students, exploratory factor analysis and multiple factor retention decision criteria necessitate the analysis of underlying factor structure to prevent over and under factoring as well as to reveal…

Preliminary development and psychometric evaluation of an unmet needs measure for adolescents and young adults with cancer: the Cancer Needs Questionnaire - Young People (CNQ-YP).

PubMed

Clinton-McHarg, Tara; Carey, Mariko; Sanson-Fisher, Rob; D'Este, Catherine; Shakeshaft, Anthony

2012-01-30

Adolescents and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors may have unique physical, psychological and social needs due to their cancer occurring at a critical phase of development. The aim of this study was to develop a psychometrically rigorous measure of unmet need to capture the specific needs of this group. Items were developed following a comprehensive literature review, focus groups with AYAs, and feedback from health care providers, researchers and other professionals. The measure was pilot tested with 32 AYA cancer survivors recruited through a state-based cancer registry to establish face and content validity. A main sample of 139 AYA cancer patients and survivors were recruited through seven treatment centres and invited to complete the questionnaire. To establish test-retest reliability, a sub-sample of 34 participants completed the measure a second time. Exploratory factor analysis was performed and the measure was assessed for internal consistency, discriminative validity, potential responsiveness and acceptability. The Cancer Needs Questionnaire - Young People (CNQ-YP) has established face and content validity, and acceptability. The final measure has 70 items and six factors: Treatment Environment and Care (33 items); Feelings and Relationships (14 items); Daily Life (12 items); Information and Activities (5 items); Education (3 items); and Work (3 items). All domains achieved Cronbach's alpha values greater than 0.80. Item-to-item test-retest reliability was also high, with all but four items reaching weighted kappa values above 0.60. The CNQ-YP is the first multi-dimensional measure of unmet need which has been developed specifically for AYA cancer patients and survivors. The measure displays a strong factor structure, and excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability. However, the small sample size has implications for the reliability of the statistical analyses undertaken, particularly the exploratory factor analysis. Future studies with a larger sample are recommended to confirm the factor structure of the measure. Longitudinal studies to establish responsiveness and predictive validity should also be undertaken.

Preliminary development and psychometric evaluation of an unmet needs measure for adolescents and young adults with cancer: the Cancer Needs Questionnaire - Young People (CNQ-YP)

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Adolescents and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors may have unique physical, psychological and social needs due to their cancer occurring at a critical phase of development. The aim of this study was to develop a psychometrically rigorous measure of unmet need to capture the specific needs of this group. Methods Items were developed following a comprehensive literature review, focus groups with AYAs, and feedback from health care providers, researchers and other professionals. The measure was pilot tested with 32 AYA cancer survivors recruited through a state-based cancer registry to establish face and content validity. A main sample of 139 AYA cancer patients and survivors were recruited through seven treatment centres and invited to complete the questionnaire. To establish test-retest reliability, a sub-sample of 34 participants completed the measure a second time. Exploratory factor analysis was performed and the measure was assessed for internal consistency, discriminative validity, potential responsiveness and acceptability. Results The Cancer Needs Questionnaire - Young People (CNQ-YP) has established face and content validity, and acceptability. The final measure has 70 items and six factors: Treatment Environment and Care (33 items); Feelings and Relationships (14 items); Daily Life (12 items); Information and Activities (5 items); Education (3 items); and Work (3 items). All domains achieved Cronbach's alpha values greater than 0.80. Item-to-item test-retest reliability was also high, with all but four items reaching weighted kappa values above 0.60. Conclusions The CNQ-YP is the first multi-dimensional measure of unmet need which has been developed specifically for AYA cancer patients and survivors. The measure displays a strong factor structure, and excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability. However, the small sample size has implications for the reliability of the statistical analyses undertaken, particularly the exploratory factor analysis. Future studies with a larger sample are recommended to confirm the factor structure of the measure. Longitudinal studies to establish responsiveness and predictive validity should also be undertaken. PMID:22284545

Validation of the Adolescent Concerns Measure (ACM): evidence from exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

PubMed

Ang, Rebecca P; Chong, Wan Har; Huan, Vivien S; Yeo, Lay See

2007-01-01

This article reports the development and initial validation of scores obtained from the Adolescent Concerns Measure (ACM), a scale which assesses concerns of Asian adolescent students. In Study 1, findings from exploratory factor analysis using 619 adolescents suggested a 24-item scale with four correlated factors--Family Concerns (9 items), Peer Concerns (5 items), Personal Concerns (6 items), and School Concerns (4 items). Initial estimates of convergent validity for ACM scores were also reported. The four-factor structure of ACM scores derived from Study 1 was confirmed via confirmatory factor analysis in Study 2 using a two-fold cross-validation procedure with a separate sample of 811 adolescents. Support was found for both the multidimensional and hierarchical models of adolescent concerns using the ACM. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability estimates were adequate for research purposes. ACM scores show promise as a reliable and potentially valid measure of Asian adolescents' concerns.

Patient's Communication Perceived Self-efficacy Scale (PCSS): construction and validation of a new measure in a socio-cognitive perspective.

PubMed

Capone, Vincenza; Petrillo, Giovanna

2014-06-01

In two studies we constructed and validated the Patient's Communication Perceived Self-efficacy Scale (PCSS) designed to assess patients' beliefs about their capability to successfully manage problematic situations related to communication with doctor. The 20-item scale was administered to 179 outpatients (study 1). An Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed a three-factor solution. In study 2, the 16-item scale was administered to 890 outpatients. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses supported the 3-factor solution (Provide and Collect information, Express concerns and doubts, Verify information) that showed good psychometric properties and was invariant for gender. PCSS is an easily administered, reliable, and valid test of patients' communication self-efficacy beliefs. It can be applied optimally in the empirical study of factors influencing doctor-patient communication and used in training aimed at strengthening patients' communication skills. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Exploratory Study to Measure Excessive Involvement in Multitasking Interaction with Smart Devices.

PubMed

Zhang, Yubo; Rau, Pei-Luen Patrick

2016-06-01

This study developed a scale measuring excessive involvement in multitasking interaction with smart devices. An online questionnaire was designed and surveyed in a sample of 380 respondents. The sample was split into two groups for exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. A four-factor structure was identified with an acceptable goodness of fit. The first two factors, "Obsession and neglect" and "Problematic control," described the obsessive feelings, neglect behaviors, and behavior control problems accompanied by excessive multitasking interaction with smart devices. The latter two factors, "Multitasking preference" and "Polychronic orientation," referred to multitaskers' preference of engaging in multiple media use or interaction tasks rather than a single task from the time orientation perspective. The four-factor structure indicates that excessive involvement in multitasking interaction with smart devices shares some similarities with other behavioral addiction types, but demonstrates uniqueness compared with excessive engagement in single media use.

The Dream Property Scale: an exploratory English version.

PubMed

Takeuchi, T; Ogilvie, R D; Ferrelli, A V; Murphy, T I; Belicki, K

2001-09-01

Our goal is to develop an English version of the Dream Property Scale (DPS-E) based on the original normed scale in Japan (DPS-J). Factor analyses extracted four factors (Emotionality, Rationality, Activity, and Impression) and its factor structure was apparently similar to the DPS-J. The DPS-E was also shown to be related to EEG power spectral values. These results indicate that the DPS-E may provide an exploratory basis for a reliable and valid tool for capturing and quantifying the properties of dream experiences that could reflect physiological activities without the intervention of experimenters. We suggest that the DPS-E will develop into a useful tool to help clarify dream production mechanisms by further investigation. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Factor Analysis via Components Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bentler, Peter M.; de Leeuw, Jan

2011-01-01

When the factor analysis model holds, component loadings are linear combinations of factor loadings, and vice versa. This interrelation permits us to define new optimization criteria and estimation methods for exploratory factor analysis. Although this article is primarily conceptual in nature, an illustrative example and a small simulation show…

Secondary School Students' Views of Inhibiting Factors in Seeking Counselling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Stephanie; Quinn, Philip

2012-01-01

This study examines secondary school students' perceptions of inhibiting factors in seeking counselling. Responses to a questionnaire completed by 1346 secondary school students were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Exploratory factor analysis highlighted that within 21 pre-defined inhibiting factors, items loaded strongly on…

An investigation into the prevalence of exploratory behavior in captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus).

PubMed

Quirke, Thomas; O'Riordan, Ruth

2015-01-01

Exploratory behavior in the wild is fundamentally linked to an animal's survival and natural life history. The ability to gather information about their environment, establish territories, assert dominance, communicate information regarding reproductive status and locate mates are closely associated with a range of exploratory behaviors. Understanding how these behaviors are performed within the captive setting is crucial in order to create a captive environment in which these behaviors can be expressed, and their function conserved. The objective of this research was to highlight the factors of captive husbandry and management that influence the occurrence of exploratory behaviour of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) in captivity. One hundred and twelve cheetahs in 88 enclosures across nine zoological institutions in five countries were the subjects of this study. The presence of raised areas, number of movements between enclosures, group composition, sex and an interaction between group composition and the ability to view cheetahs in adjacent enclosures, all significantly influenced the prevalence of exploratory behavior in captive cheetahs. The presence of raised areas and an increasing number of movements between enclosures significantly increased the probability of observing exploratory behaviour, while this probability was significantly decreased for female cheetahs, when cheetahs were able to view conspecifics in adjacent enclosures, and were maintained in groups. A number of recommendations are discussed in relation to promoting exploratory behavior in captive cheetahs. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Determining the Number of Factors in P-Technique Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo, Lawrence L.; Molenaar, Peter C. M.; Rovine, Michael

2017-01-01

Determining the number of factors is a critical first step in exploratory factor analysis. Although various criteria and methods for determining the number of factors have been evaluated in the usual between-subjects R-technique factor analysis, there is still question of how these methods perform in within-subjects P-technique factor analysis. A…

Exploratory structural equation modeling of personality data.

PubMed

Booth, Tom; Hughes, David J

2014-06-01

The current article compares the use of exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) as an alternative to confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) models in personality research. We compare model fit, factor distinctiveness, and criterion associations of factors derived from ESEM and CFA models. In Sample 1 (n = 336) participants completed the NEO-FFI, the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form, and the Creative Domains Questionnaire. In Sample 2 (n = 425) participants completed the Big Five Inventory and the depression and anxiety scales of the General Health Questionnaire. ESEM models provided better fit than CFA models, but ESEM solutions did not uniformly meet cutoff criteria for model fit. Factor scores derived from ESEM and CFA models correlated highly (.91 to .99), suggesting the additional factor loadings within the ESEM model add little in defining latent factor content. Lastly, criterion associations of each personality factor in CFA and ESEM models were near identical in both inventories. We provide an example of how ESEM and CFA might be used together in improving personality assessment. © The Author(s) 2014.

Exploratory factor analysis of borderline personality disorder criteria in monolingual Hispanic outpatients with substance use disorders†

PubMed Central

Becker, Daniel F.; Añez, Luis Miguel; Paris, Manuel; Grilo, Carlos M.

2009-01-01

This study examined the factor structure of the DSM-IV criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) in Hispanic patients. Subjects were 130 monolingual Hispanic adults who had been admitted to a specialty outpatient clinic that provides psychiatric and substance abuse services to Spanish-speaking individuals. All were reliably assessed with the Spanish-Language Version of the Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders. After evaluating internal consistency of the BPD criterion set, an exploratory factor analysis was performed using principal axis factoring. Results suggested a unidimensional structure, and were consistent with similar studies of the DSM-IV criteria for BPD in non-Hispanic samples. These findings have implications for understanding borderline psychopathology in this population, and for the overall validity of the DSM-IV BPD construct. PMID:20472296

Psychometric Properties of the Child PTSD Checklist in a Community Sample of South African Children and Adolescents

PubMed Central

Boyes, Mark E.; Cluver, Lucie D.; Gardner, Frances

2012-01-01

Objective The current study assessed the basic psychometric properties of the Child PTSD Checklist and examined the structure of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a large sample of South African youth. Methodology The checklist was completed by 1025 (540 male; 485 female) South African youth (aged between 10 and 19 years). The factor structure of the scale was assessed with a combination of confirmatory and exploratory techniques. Internal consistencies for the full scale and all subscales were evaluated with Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega. Validity was assessed by comparing PTSD scores obtained by children who had and had not experienced a traumatic event, and by examining associations between total PTSD scores and known correlates of PTSD. Results Scores on the Child PTSD Checklist clearly discriminated between youth who had experienced a traumatic event and those who had not. Internal consistencies for the full scale (and all subscales) were acceptable to good and hypothesized correlations between PTSD, depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, and age were observed. Two of the reported fit statistics for the tripartite DSM-IV-TR model of PTSD did not meet traditional criteria and further exploratory analyses revealed a four-factor structure (broadly consistent with Simms and colleagues’ Dysphoria Model of PTSD symptoms) which provided a better fit to the observed data. Conclusion Given the continued use of the Child PTSD Checklist in South Africa, findings offer an important first step in establishing the reliability and validity of the checklist for use with South African youth. However, further evaluation of the checklist in South African samples is clearly required before conclusions regarding its use as diagnostic tool in this context can be made. PMID:23056523

Measuring Medical Students' Empathy: Exploring the Underlying Constructs of and Associations Between Two Widely Used Self-Report Instruments in Five Countries.

PubMed

Costa, Patrício; de Carvalho-Filho, Marco Antonio; Schweller, Marcelo; Thiemann, Pia; Salgueira, Ana; Benson, John; Costa, Manuel João; Quince, Thelma

2017-06-01

Understanding medical student empathy is important to future patient care; however, the definition and development of clinical empathy remain unclear. The authors sought to examine the underlying constructs of two of the most widely used self-report instruments-Davis's Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Jefferson Scale of Empathy version for medical students (JSE-S)-plus, the distinctions and associations between these instruments. Between 2007 and 2014, the authors administered the IRI and JSE-S in three separate studies in five countries, (Brazil, Ireland, New Zealand, Portugal, and the United Kingdom). They collected data from 3,069 undergraduate medical students and performed exploratory factor analyses, correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression analyses. Exploratory factor analysis yielded identical results in each country, confirming the subscale structures of each instrument. Results of correlation analyses indicated significant but weak correlations (r = 0.313) between the total IRI and JSE-S scores. All intercorrelations of IRI and JSE-S subscale scores were statistically significant but weak (range r = -0.040 to 0.306). Multiple linear regression models revealed that the IRI subscales were weak predictors of all JSE-S subscale and total scores. The IRI subscales explained between 9.0% and 15.3% of variance for JSE-S subscales and 19.5% for JSE-S total score. The IRI and JSE-S are only weakly related, suggesting that they may measure different constructs. To better understand this distinction, more studies using both instruments and involving students at different stages in their medical education, as well as more longitudinal and qualitative studies, are needed.

Validation of the partner version of the multidimensional vaginal penetration disorder questionnaire: A tool for clinical assessment of lifelong vaginismus in a sample of Iranian population.

PubMed

Molaeinezhad, Mitra; Khoei, Effat Merghati; Salehi, Mehrdad; Yousfy, Alireza; Roudsari, Robab Latifnejad

2014-01-01

The role of spousal response in woman's experience of pain during the vaginal penetration attempts believed to be an important factor; however, studies are rather limited in this area. The aim of this study was to develop and investigate the psychometric indexes of the partner version of a multidimensional vaginal penetration disorder questionnaire (PV-MVPDQ); hence, the clinical assessment of spousal psychosexual reactions to vaginismus by specialists will be easier. A mixed-methods sequential exploratory design was used, through that, the findings from a thematic qualitative research with 20 unconsummated couples, which followed by an extensive literature review used for development of PV-MVPDQ. A consecutive sample of 214 men who their wives' suffered from lifelong vaginismus (LLV) based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4(th) version (DSM)-IVTR criteria during a cross-sectional design, completed the questionnaire and additional questions regarding their demographic and sexual history. Validation measures and reliability were conducted by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Cronbach's alpha coefficient through SPSS version 16 manufactured by SPSS Inc. (IBM corporation, Armonk, USA). After conducting EFA PV-MVPDQ emerged as having 40 items and 7 dimensions: Helplessness, sexual information, vicious cycle of penetration, hypervigilance and solicitous, catastrophic cognitions, sexual and marital adjustment and optimism. Subscales of PV-MVPDQ showed a significant reliability (0.71-0.85) and results of test-retest were satisfactory. The present study shows PV-MVPDQ is a multi-dimensional valid and reliable self-report questionnaire for assessment of cognitions, sexual and marital relations related to vaginal penetrations in spouses of women with LLV. It may assist specialists to base on which clinical judgment and appropriate planning for clinical management.

Validation of the partner version of the multidimensional vaginal penetration disorder questionnaire: A tool for clinical assessment of lifelong vaginismus in a sample of Iranian population

PubMed Central

Molaeinezhad, Mitra; Khoei, Effat Merghati; Salehi, Mehrdad; Yousfy, Alireza; Roudsari, Robab Latifnejad

2014-01-01

Background: The role of spousal response in woman's experience of pain during the vaginal penetration attempts believed to be an important factor; however, studies are rather limited in this area. The aim of this study was to develop and investigate the psychometric indexes of the partner version of a multidimensional vaginal penetration disorder questionnaire (PV-MVPDQ); hence, the clinical assessment of spousal psychosexual reactions to vaginismus by specialists will be easier. Materials and Methods: A mixed-methods sequential exploratory design was used, through that, the findings from a thematic qualitative research with 20 unconsummated couples, which followed by an extensive literature review used for development of PV-MVPDQ. A consecutive sample of 214 men who their wives’ suffered from lifelong vaginismus (LLV) based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th version (DSM)-IVTR criteria during a cross-sectional design, completed the questionnaire and additional questions regarding their demographic and sexual history. Validation measures and reliability were conducted by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Cronbach's alpha coefficient through SPSS version 16 manufactured by SPSS Inc. (IBM corporation, Armonk, USA). Results: After conducting EFA PV-MVPDQ emerged as having 40 items and 7 dimensions: Helplessness, sexual information, vicious cycle of penetration, hypervigilance and solicitous, catastrophic cognitions, sexual and marital adjustment and optimism. Subscales of PV-MVPDQ showed a significant reliability (0.71-0.85) and results of test-retest were satisfactory. Conclusion: The present study shows PV-MVPDQ is a multi-dimensional valid and reliable self-report questionnaire for assessment of cognitions, sexual and marital relations related to vaginal penetrations in spouses of women with LLV. It may assist specialists to base on which clinical judgment and appropriate planning for clinical management. PMID:25540787

Cross-Validation of Levenson's Psychopathy Scale in a Sample of Federal Female Inmates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brinkley, Chad A.; Diamond, Pamela M.; Magaletta, Philip R.; Heigel, Caron P.

2008-01-01

Levenson, Kiehl, and Fitzpatrick's Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRPS) is evaluated to determine the factor structure and concurrent validity of the instrument among 430 federal female inmates. Confirmatory factor analysis fails to validate the expected 2-factor structure. Subsequent exploratory factor analysis reveals a 3-factor structure…

Factor Structure of the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cornick, Jessica E.

2015-01-01

The current study utilized exercise self-efficacy ratings from undergraduate students to assess the factor structure of the Self-Efficacy to Regulate Exercise Scale (Bandura, 1997, 2006). An exploratory factor analysis (n = 759) indicated a two-factor model solution and three separate confirmatory factor analyses (n = 1,798) supported this…

Factor Structure of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire in Children with Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leyfer, Ovsanna; John, Angela E.; Woodruff-Borden, Janet; Mervis, Carolyn B.

2012-01-01

To examine the factor structure of temperament in 5-10-year-olds with Williams syndrome, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the responses of parents of 192 children on the children's behavior questionnaire. Four factors were identified. Two corresponded to factors reported for typically developing children: effortful control and…

Confirmatory factor analysis applied to the Force Concept Inventory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eaton, Philip; Willoughby, Shannon D.

2018-06-01

In 1995, Huffman and Heller used exploratory factor analysis to draw into question the factors of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). Since then several papers have been published examining the factors of the FCI on larger sets of student responses and understandable factors were extracted as a result. However, none of these proposed factor models have been verified to not be unique to their original sample through the use of independent sets of data. This paper seeks to confirm the factor models proposed by Scott et al. in 2012, and Hestenes et al. in 1992, as well as another expert model proposed within this study through the use of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and a sample of 20 822 postinstruction student responses to the FCI. Upon application of CFA using the full sample, all three models were found to fit the data with acceptable global fit statistics. However, when CFA was performed using these models on smaller sample sizes the models proposed by Scott et al. and Eaton and Willoughby were found to be far more stable than the model proposed by Hestenes et al. The goodness of fit of these models to the data suggests that the FCI can be scored on factors that are not unique to a single class. These scores could then be used to comment on how instruction methods effect the performance of students along a single factor and more in-depth analyses of curriculum changes may be possible as a result.

Re-Examining the Dimensions of Obligatory Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan, Lindsay R.; Hall, Craig R.; Fraser, Shawn N.; Rodgers, Wendy M.; Wilson, Philip M.; Loitz, Christina C.

2012-01-01

The authors examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire using exploratory factor analyses (Study 1), and confirmatory factor analyses (Study 2). The relationships between obligatory exercise and other psychological variables including: motivation, subjective well-being, physical self-concept,…

Caregiver’s feeding styles questionnaire - new factors and correlates

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Study objectives were to conduct exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of Caregiver’s Feeding Styles Questionnaire (CFSQ) and evaluate correlations between factors and maternal feeding practices, attitudes, and perceptions. Mothers (N = 144) were 43% minority race/ethnicity, 24% full-time employed, 54% ...

Secondary School Burnout Scale (SSBS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aypay, Ayse

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop "Secondary School Burnout Scale." Study group included 728 students out of 14 schools in four cities in Turkey. Both Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were conducted on the data. A seven-factor solution emerged. The seven factors explained 61% of the total variance. The…

Singaporean Adolescents' Perceptions of Online Social Communication: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Robert Z.; Cheok, Angeline; Khoo, Eng

2011-01-01

The current study investigated adolescents' perceptions in online social communication. Three factors were perceived by adolescents as critical to online social communication. These included self-identity, self-confidence, and self-social factors. Results showed significant differences between the factors derived from the current study and those…

Factor Structure of Autistic Traits in Children with ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Joanna; Hamshere, Marian L.; O'Donovan, Michael C.; Rutter, Michael; Thapar, Anita

2014-01-01

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often co-occur. Factor analyses of ASD traits in children with and without ASD indicate the presence of social and restrictive-repetitive behaviour (RRB) factors. This study used exploratory factor analyses to determine the structure of ASD traits (assessed using…

The factor structure of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).

PubMed

Doyle, Suzanne R; Donovan, Dennis M; Kivlahan, Daniel R

2007-05-01

Past research assessing the factor structure of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) with various exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic techniques has identified one-, two-, and three-factor solutions. Because different factor analytic procedures may result in dissimilar findings, we examined the factor structure of the AUDIT using the same factor analytic technique on two new large clinical samples and on archival data from six samples studied in previous reports. Responses to the AUDIT were obtained from participants who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), criteria for alcohol dependence in two large randomized clinical trials: the COMBINE (Combining Medications and Behavioral Interventions) Study (N = 1,337; 69% men) and Project MATCH (Matching Alcoholism Treatments to Client Heterogeneity; N = 1,711; 76% men). Supplementary analyses involved six correlation matrices of AUDIT data obtained from five previously published articles. Confirmatory factor analyses based on one-, two-, and three-factor models were conducted on the eight correlation matrices to assess the factor structure of the AUDIT. Across samples, analyses supported a correlated, two-factor solution representing alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences. The three-factor solution fit the data equally well, but two factors (alcohol dependence and harmful alcohol use) were highly correlated. The one-factor solution did not provide a good fit to the data. These findings support a two-factor solution for the AUDIT (alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences). The results contradict the original three-factor design of the AUDIT and the prevalent use of the AUDIT as a one-factor screening instrument with a single cutoff score.

Exploratory and Confirmatory Studies of the Structure of the Bem Sex Role Inventory Short Form with Two Divergent Samples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Namok; Fuqua, Dale R.; Newman, Jody L.

2009-01-01

The short form of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) contains half as many items as the long form and yet has often demonstrated better reliability and validity. This study uses exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic methods to examine the structure of the short form of the BSRI. A structure noted elsewhere also emerged here, consisting of…

An Exploratory Study of Specific Factors in a Prison Environment That Affect a Manpower Training Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barton, Marlin C.; And Others

An exploratory study of a prison community is presented. The study employed a three-phase design: (1) a pre-survey of the prison community, (2) limited intervention, based on findings of the pre-survey, and (3) a post-survey to determine effects of intervention and to validate findings of the pre-survey for which no intervention had been designed.…

Gene Identification Algorithms Using Exploratory Statistical Analysis of Periodicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Shashi Bajaj; Sen, Pradip Kumar

2010-10-01

Studying periodic pattern is expected as a standard line of attack for recognizing DNA sequence in identification of gene and similar problems. But peculiarly very little significant work is done in this direction. This paper studies statistical properties of DNA sequences of complete genome using a new technique. A DNA sequence is converted to a numeric sequence using various types of mappings and standard Fourier technique is applied to study the periodicity. Distinct statistical behaviour of periodicity parameters is found in coding and non-coding sequences, which can be used to distinguish between these parts. Here DNA sequences of Drosophila melanogaster were analyzed with significant accuracy.

Development of a questionnaire for assessing the childbirth experience (QACE).

PubMed

Carquillat, Pierre; Vendittelli, Françoise; Perneger, Thomas; Guittier, Marie-Julia

2017-08-30

Due to its potential impact on women's psychological health, assessing perceptions of their childbirth experience is important. The aim of this study was to develop a multidimensional self-reporting questionnaire to evaluate the childbirth experience. Factors influencing the childbirth experience were identified from a literature review and the results of a previous qualitative study. A total of 25 items were combined from existing instruments or were created de novo. A draft version was pilot tested for face validity with 30 women and submitted for evaluation of its construct validity to 477 primiparous women at one-month post-partum. The recruitment took place in two obstetric clinics from Swiss and French university hospitals. To evaluate the content validity, we compared item responses to general childbirth experience assessments on a numeric, 0 to 10 rating scale. We dichotomized two group assessment scores: "0 to 7" and "8 to 10". We performed an exploratory factor analysis to identify underlying dimensions. In total, 291 women completed the questionnaire (response rate = 61%). The responses to 22 items were statistically significant between the 0 to 7 and 8 to 10 groups for the general childbirth experience assessments. An exploratory factor analysis yielded four sub-scales, which were labelled "relationship with staff" (4 items), "emotional status" (3 items), "first moments with the new born," (3 items) and "feelings at one month postpartum" (3 items). All 4 scales had satisfactory internal consistency levels (alpha coefficients from 0.70 to 0.85). The full 25-item version can be used to analyse each item by itself, and the short 4-dimension version can be scored to summarize the general assessment of the childbirth experience. The Questionnaire for Assessing the Childbirth Experience (QACE) could be useful as a screening instrument to identify women with negative childbirth experiences. It can be used as both a research instrument in its short version and a questionnaire for use in clinical practice in its full version.

Determinants of resilience to cigarette smoking among young Australians at risk: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Colgan, Yola; Turnbull, Deborah A; Mikocka-Walus, Antonina A; Delfabbro, Paul

2010-07-08

Numerous researchers studied risk factors associated with smoking uptake, however, few examined protective factors associated with smoking resilience. This study therefore aims to explore determinants of smoking resilience among young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who are at risk of smoking. Overall, 92 out of 92 vocational education students accepted invitation to participate in this exploratory study. The Adelaide Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Arts campus was chosen for the study given the focus on studying resilience in young people of lower socioeconomic status i.e. resilient despite the odds. A self-report questionnaire comprising a measure of resilience: sense of coherence, sense of humour, coping styles, depression, anxiety and stress, and family, peers and community support, was distributed among participants aged 15 to 29. Additional factors researched are parental approval and disapproval, course type, and reasons for not smoking. Using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, version 13.0), analyses were undertaken using frequencies, means, standard deviations, independent sample t-tests, correlations, analysis of variance, logistic regression, and chi-square test. Twenty five (27%) out of 92 students smoked. Young people with peer support tended to smoke (p < .05). A relationship between daily smoking and depression, anxiety and stress was also found (p < .05). When both mothers and fathers disapproved of their children smoking, it had a greater influence on females not smoking, compared with males. The majority of students chose 'health and fitness' as a reason for not smoking. Students in the Dance course tended to not smoke. The current study showed that most students chose 'health and fitness' as the reason for not smoking. Single anti-smoking messages cannot be generalised to all young people, but should recognise that people within different contexts, groups and subcultures will have different reasons for choosing whether or not to smoke. Future studies should use larger samples with a mixed methods design (quantitative and qualitative).

Comorbidity structure of psychological disorders in the online e-PASS data as predictors of psychosocial adjustment measures: psychological distress, adequate social support, self-confidence, quality of life, and suicidal ideation.

PubMed

Al-Asadi, Ali M; Klein, Britt; Meyer, Denny

2014-10-28

A relative newcomer to the field of psychology, e-mental health has been gaining momentum and has been given considerable research attention. Although several aspects of e-mental health have been studied, 1 aspect has yet to receive attention: the structure of comorbidity of psychological disorders and their relationships with measures of psychosocial adjustment including suicidal ideation in online samples. This exploratory study attempted to identify the structure of comorbidity of 21 psychological disorders assessed by an automated online electronic psychological assessment screening system (e-PASS). The resulting comorbidity factor scores were then used to assess the association between comorbidity factor scores and measures of psychosocial adjustments (ie, psychological distress, suicidal ideation, adequate social support, self-confidence in dealing with mental health issues, and quality of life). A total of 13,414 participants were assessed using a complex online algorithm that resulted in primary and secondary Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition, Text Revision) diagnoses for 21 psychological disorders on dimensional severity scales. The scores on these severity scales were used in a principal component analysis (PCA) and the resulting comorbidity factor scores were related to 4 measures of psychosocial adjustments. A PCA based on 17 of the 21 psychological disorders resulted in a 4-factor model of comorbidity: anxiety-depression consisting of all anxiety disorders, major depressive episode (MDE), and insomnia; substance abuse consisting of alcohol and drug abuse and dependency; body image-eating consisting of eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorders; depression-sleep problems consisting of MDE, insomnia, and hypersomnia. All comorbidity factor scores were significantly associated with psychosocial measures of adjustment (P<.001). They were positively related to psychological distress and suicidal ideation, but negatively related to adequate social support, self-confidence, and quality of life. This exploratory study identified 4 comorbidity factors in the e-PASS data and these factor scores significantly predicted 5 psychosocial adjustment measures. Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN121611000704998; http://www.anzctr.org.au/trial_view.aspx?ID=336143 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/618r3wvOG).

Comorbidity Structure of Psychological Disorders in the Online e-PASS Data as Predictors of Psychosocial Adjustment Measures: Psychological Distress, Adequate Social Support, Self-Confidence, Quality of Life, and Suicidal Ideation

PubMed Central

Klein, Britt; Meyer, Denny

2014-01-01

Background A relative newcomer to the field of psychology, e-mental health has been gaining momentum and has been given considerable research attention. Although several aspects of e-mental health have been studied, 1 aspect has yet to receive attention: the structure of comorbidity of psychological disorders and their relationships with measures of psychosocial adjustment including suicidal ideation in online samples. Objective This exploratory study attempted to identify the structure of comorbidity of 21 psychological disorders assessed by an automated online electronic psychological assessment screening system (e-PASS). The resulting comorbidity factor scores were then used to assess the association between comorbidity factor scores and measures of psychosocial adjustments (ie, psychological distress, suicidal ideation, adequate social support, self-confidence in dealing with mental health issues, and quality of life). Methods A total of 13,414 participants were assessed using a complex online algorithm that resulted in primary and secondary Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition, Text Revision) diagnoses for 21 psychological disorders on dimensional severity scales. The scores on these severity scales were used in a principal component analysis (PCA) and the resulting comorbidity factor scores were related to 4 measures of psychosocial adjustments. Results A PCA based on 17 of the 21 psychological disorders resulted in a 4-factor model of comorbidity: anxiety-depression consisting of all anxiety disorders, major depressive episode (MDE), and insomnia; substance abuse consisting of alcohol and drug abuse and dependency; body image–eating consisting of eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorders; depression–sleep problems consisting of MDE, insomnia, and hypersomnia. All comorbidity factor scores were significantly associated with psychosocial measures of adjustment (P<.001). They were positively related to psychological distress and suicidal ideation, but negatively related to adequate social support, self-confidence, and quality of life. Conclusions This exploratory study identified 4 comorbidity factors in the e-PASS data and these factor scores significantly predicted 5 psychosocial adjustment measures. Trial Registration Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN121611000704998; http://www.anzctr.org.au/trial_view.aspx?ID=336143 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/618r3wvOG). PMID:25351885

Questioning context: a set of interdisciplinary questions for investigating contextual factors affecting health decision making

PubMed Central

Charise, Andrea; Witteman, Holly; Whyte, Sarah; Sutton, Erica J.; Bender, Jacqueline L.; Massimi, Michael; Stephens, Lindsay; Evans, Joshua; Logie, Carmen; Mirza, Raza M.; Elf, Marie

2011-01-01

Abstract Objective  To combine insights from multiple disciplines into a set of questions that can be used to investigate contextual factors affecting health decision making. Background  Decision‐making processes and outcomes may be shaped by a range of non‐medical or ‘contextual’ factors particular to an individual including social, economic, political, geographical and institutional conditions. Research concerning contextual factors occurs across many disciplines and theoretical domains, but few conceptual tools have attempted to integrate and translate this wide‐ranging research for health decision‐making purposes. Methods  To formulate this tool we employed an iterative, collaborative process of scenario development and question generation. Five hypothetical health decision‐making scenarios (preventative, screening, curative, supportive and palliative) were developed and used to generate a set of exploratory questions that aim to highlight potential contextual factors across a range of health decisions. Findings  We present an exploratory tool consisting of questions organized into four thematic domains – Bodies, Technologies, Place and Work (BTPW) – articulating wide‐ranging contextual factors relevant to health decision making. The BTPW tool encompasses health‐related scholarship and research from a range of disciplines pertinent to health decision making, and identifies concrete points of intersection between its four thematic domains. Examples of the practical application of the questions are also provided. Conclusions  These exploratory questions provide an interdisciplinary toolkit for identifying the complex contextual factors affecting decision making. The set of questions comprised by the BTPW tool may be applied wholly or partially in the context of clinical practice, policy development and health‐related research. PMID:21029277

An exploratory analysis on how geographic, socioeconomic, and environmental drivers affect the diversity of livestock breeds worldwide.

PubMed

Leroy, G; Boettcher, P; Hoffmann, I; Mottet, A; Teillard, F; Baumung, R

2016-12-01

This study investigates the relationships between various environmental and geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic factors with the diversity of livestock breeds reported within countries across the world. Statistical analyses were performed considering the numbers of breeds reported by 158 countries for 4 livestock mammalian species (cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs). Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries reported more breeds than non-OECD countries in general. Strong and positive correlations were found between agricultural area, human population size, species population size, and number of breeds per country. When considering regression models, the species population size was found as the most important explanatory factor for the number of breeds reported by countries in the 4 species. Diversity of production systems in the country had a significant association with the number of breeds reported for sheep, goats, and pigs. The number of ruminant breeds was positively associated with the size of agricultural area and the diversity of land cover in the country. While demographic and cultural importance of a given species is a major factor associated with the number of livestock breeds within countries, this diversity is also connected to the variability in environmental and production conditions.

DRG coding practice: a nationwide hospital survey in Thailand.

PubMed

Pongpirul, Krit; Walker, Damian G; Rahman, Hafizur; Robinson, Courtland

2011-10-31

Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) payment is preferred by healthcare reform in various countries but its implementation in resource-limited countries has not been fully explored. This study was aimed (1) to compare the characteristics of hospitals in Thailand that were audited with those that were not and (2) to develop a simplified scale to measure hospital coding practice. A questionnaire survey was conducted of 920 hospitals in the Summary and Coding Audit Database (SCAD hospitals, all of which were audited in 2008 because of suspicious reports of possible DRG miscoding); the questionnaire also included 390 non-SCAD hospitals. The questionnaire asked about general demographics of the hospitals, hospital coding structure and process, and also included a set of 63 opinion-oriented items on the current hospital coding practice. Descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were used for data analysis. SCAD and Non-SCAD hospitals were different in many aspects, especially the number of medical statisticians, experience of medical statisticians and physicians, as well as number of certified coders. Factor analysis revealed a simplified 3-factor, 20-item model to assess hospital coding practice and classify hospital intention. Hospital providers should not be assumed capable of producing high quality DRG codes, especially in resource-limited settings.

Sense of community, organizational commitment and quality of services.

PubMed

Lampinen, Mai-Stiina; Suutala, ElinaAnnikki; Konu, Anne Irmeli

2017-10-02

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how factors associated with a sense of community in the workplace are connected with organizational commitment and the quality of services among frontline managers and middle managers in social and health care services in Finland. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire designed specifically for this research was sent to 241 lower-level and middle-level managers in social and health care services in central Finland. A total of 136 managers completed the questionnaire (response rate 56 per cent). The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression analyses. Findings The study showed that feeling a sense of belonging, mutual trust and appreciation, and open interaction among colleagues were connected to organizational commitment for frontline managers and middle managers in social and health care services in Finland. Correspondingly, an open flow of information in the organization, job meaningfulness and appreciation received from managers' superiors were connected to the quality of services. Originality/value This study provides information on the factors that influence social and health care managers' organizational commitment and on items connected to their experience of the quality of services.

Predictors of $4 generic prescription drug discount programs use in the low-income population.

PubMed

Omojasola, Anthony; Hernandez, Mike; Sansgiry, Sujit; Paxton, Raheem; Jones, Lovell

2014-01-01

Generic drug discount programs (GDDPs) are an option to provide affordable prescription medication to low-income individuals. However, the factors that influence the use of GDDPs in low-income population are unknown. To evaluate factors associated with utilization of generic a drug discount program in a low-income population. A survey was administered to adult participants at health centers and community-based organizations in Houston, Texas, USA (n = 525). Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to determine the construct validity of the survey instrument and to assess distinct factors associated with GDDP utilization. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the distribution of patient socio-demographic characteristics and questionnaire responses. Multivariate logistic regression was used to compute adjusted odds ratios and to examine the strength of association with GDDP utilization after adjusting for participant socio-demographic features that were statistically significant at a priori level of P < 0.05. In this study, 72% of respondents were aware of the GDDP, and 61% had utilized the GDDP. Participants were 4 times likely to use a GDDP when their physician (AOR: 4.0, 95% CI: 2.6-6.4, P < 0.001) or pharmacist (AOR: 4.0, 95% CI: 2.6-6.3, P < 0.001) talked to them about it. Participants indicated that the most important barriers to utilization of GDDPs were lack of awareness (44%), and lack of recommendation by a physician (19%). Increased patient awareness and physician recommendation may increase the use of GDDPs, which may lead to improved compliance with medications, better health outcomes and reduced health care costs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 to measure depression among racially and ethnically diverse primary care patients.

PubMed

Huang, Frederick Y; Chung, Henry; Kroenke, Kurt; Delucchi, Kevin L; Spitzer, Robert L

2006-06-01

The Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-9) is a well-validated, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criterion-based measure for diagnosing depression, assessing severity and monitoring treatment response. The performance of most depression scales including the PHQ-9, however, has not been rigorously evaluated in different racial/ethnic populations. Therefore, we compared the factor structure of the PHQ-9 between different racial/ethnic groups as well as the rates of endorsement and differential item functioning (DIF) of the 9 items of the PHQ-9. The presence of DIF would indicate that responses to an individual item differ significantly between groups, controlling for the level of depression. A combined dataset from 2 separate studies of 5,053 primary care patients including non-Hispanic white (n=2,520), African American (n=598), Chinese American (n=941), and Latino (n=974) patients was used for our analysis. Exploratory principal components factor analysis was used to derive the factor structure of the PHQ-9 in each of the 4 racial/ethnic groups. A generalized Mantel-Haenszel statistic was used to test for DIF. One main factor that included all PHQ-9 items was found in each racial/ethnic group with alpha coefficients ranging from 0.79 to 0.89. Although endorsement rates of individual items were generally similar among the 4 groups, evidence of DIF was found for some items. Our analyses indicate that in African American, Chinese American, Latino, and non-Hispanic white patient groups the PHQ-9 measures a common concept of depression and can be effective for the detection and monitoring of depression in these diverse populations.

Predictors of $4 Generic Prescription Drug Discount Programs use in the Low-income Population

PubMed Central

Hernandez, Mike; Sansgiry, Sujit; Paxton, Raheem; Jones, Lovell

2013-01-01

Background Generic drug discount programs (GDDPs) are an option to provide affordable prescription medication to low-income individuals. However, the factors that influence the use of GDDPs in low-income population are unknown. Objectives To evaluate factors associated with utilization of generic a drug discount program in a low-income population. Methods A survey was administered to adult participants at health centers and community based organizations in Houston, Texas, USA (n=525). Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to determine the construct validity of the survey instrument and to assess distinct factors associated with GDDP utilization. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the distribution of patient socio-demographic characteristics and questionnaire responses. Multivariate logistic regression was used to compute adjusted odds ratios and to examine the strength of association with GDDP utilization after adjusting for participant socio-demographic features that were statistically significant at a priori level of p<0.05. Results In this study, 72% of respondents were aware of the GDDP, and 61% had utilized the GDDP. Participants were 4 times likely to use a GDDP when their physician (AOR: 4.0, 95% CI: 2.6 – 6.4, P < 0.001) or pharmacist (AOR: 4.0, 95% CI: 2.6 – 6.3, P < 0.001) talked to them about it. Participants indicated that the most important barriers to utilization of GDDPs were lack of awareness (44%), and lack of recommendation by a physician (19%). Conclusions Increased patient awareness and physician recommendation may increase the use of GDDPs, which may lead to improved compliance with medications, better health outcomes and reduced health care costs. PMID:23684716

Psychometric properties and Confirmatory structure of the Strengths and difficulties questionnaire in a sample of adolescents in Nigeria.

PubMed

Akpa, Onoja M; Afolabi, Rotimi F; Fowobaje, Kayode R

Though the SDQ has been used in selected studies in Nigeria, its theoretical structure has not been fully and appropriately investigated in the setting. The present study employs Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to investigate the theoretical structure of the self-reported version of the SDQ in a sample of adolescents in Benue state, Nigeria. A total of 1,244 adolescents from different categories of secondary schools in Makurdi and Vandekya Local government areas of Benue state participated in the study. Preliminary data analyses were performed using descriptive statistics while the theoretical structure of the SDQ was assessed using EFA and CFA. Model fits were assessed using Chi-square test and other fit indices at 5% significance level. Participants were 14.19±2.45 (Vandekya) and 14.19±2.45 (Makurdi) years old. Results of the EFA and CFA revealed a 3-factor oblique model as the best model for the sample of adolescents studied ( χ 2 / df =2.20, p<0.001) with all fit indices yielding better results. A correlated 3-factor model fits the present data better than the 5-factor theoretical model of the SDQ. The use of the original 5-factor model of the SDQ in the present setting should be interpreted with caution.

The faking orgasm scale for women: psychometric properties.

PubMed

Cooper, Erin B; Fenigstein, Allan; Fauber, Robert L

2014-04-01

The Faking Orgasm Scale for Women (FOS) was designed to assess women's self-reported motives for faking orgasm during oral sex and sexual intercourse. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on the responses of 481 heterosexual undergraduate females (M age = 20.33 years, SD = 2.48). Results of the EFA revealed that the FOS-Sexual Intercourse Subscale was composed of four factors: (1) Altruistic Deceit, faking orgasm out of concern for a partner's feelings; (2) Fear and Insecurity, faking orgasm to avoid negative emotions associated with the sexual experience; (3) Elevated Arousal, a woman's attempt to increase her own arousal through faking orgasm; and (4) Sexual Adjournment, faking orgasm to end sex. The analysis of the FOS-Oral Sex Subscale yielded four factors: (1) Altruistic Deceit; (2) Insecure Avoidance, faking orgasm to avoid feelings of insecurity; (3) Elevated Arousal; and (4) Fear of Dysfunction, faking orgasm to cope with concerns of being abnormal. Each factor of the two subscales was found to have excellent internal consistency. Confirmatory factor analysis on a separate sample of 398 heterosexual female undergraduates (M age = 20.52 years, SD = 2.55) confirmed the factor structure of each subscale with excellent fit statistics. The FOS should allow researchers and clinicians to better understand why women fake orgasm. Deepening this understanding may serve future research examining sexual desire, satisfaction, and dysfunction as well as have applications in sex and couples' therapy.

Defining dignity in terminally ill cancer patients: a factor-analytic approach.

PubMed

Hack, Thomas F; Chochinov, Harvey Max; Hassard, Thomas; Kristjanson, Linda J; McClement, Susan; Harlos, Mike

2004-10-01

The construct of 'dignity' is frequently raised in discussions about quality end of life care for terminal cancer patients, and is invoked by parties on both sides of the euthanasia debate. Lacking in this general debate has been an empirical explication of 'dignity' from the viewpoint of cancer patients themselves. The purpose of the present study was to use factor-analytic and regression methods to analyze dignity data gathered from 213 cancer patients having less than 6 months to live. Patients rated their sense of dignity, and completed measures of symptom distress and psychological well-being. The results showed that although the majority of patients had an intact sense of dignity, there were 99 (46%) patients who reported at least some, or occasional loss of dignity, and 16 (7.5%) patients who indicated that loss of dignity was a significant problem. The exploratory factor analysis yielded six primary factors: (1) Pain; (2) Intimate Dependency; (3) Hopelessness/Depression; (4) Informal Support Network; (5) Formal Support Network; and (6) Quality of Life. Subsequent regression analyses of modifiable factors produced a final two-factor (Hopelessness/Depression and Intimate Dependency) model of statistical significance. These results provide empirical support for the dignity model, and suggest that the provision of end of life care should include methods for treating depression, fostering hope, and facilitating functional independence. Copyright 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Dispositions for Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitaker, Manya C.; Valtierra, Kristina Marie

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the dispositions for culturally responsive pedagogy scale (DCRPS). Design/methodology/approach: Scale development consisted of a six-step process including item development, expert review, exploratory factor analysis, factor interpretation, confirmatory factor analysis and convergent…

Perceptions and attitude effects on nanotechnology acceptance: an exploratory framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganesh Pillai, Rajani; Bezbaruah, Achintya N.

2017-02-01

Existing literature in people's attitude toward nanotechnology and acceptance of nanotechnology applications has generally investigated the impact of factors at the individual or context levels. While this vast body of research is very informative, a comprehensive understanding of how attitude toward nanotechnology are formed and factors influencing the acceptance of nanotechnology are elusive. This paper proposes an exploratory nanotechnology perception-attitude-acceptance framework (Nano-PAAF) to build a systematic understanding of the phenomenon. The framework proposes that perceptions of risks and benefits of nanotechnology are influenced by cognitive, affective, and sociocultural factors. The sociodemographic factors of consumers and contextual factors mitigate the influence of cognitive, affective, and sociocultural factors on the perception of risks and benefits. The perceived risks and benefits in turn influence people's attitude toward nanotechnology, which then influences acceptance of nanotechnology products. This framework will need further development over time to incorporate emerging knowledge and is expected to be useful for researchers, decision and policy makers, industry, and business entities.

Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire

PubMed Central

Farrokhi, Farahman; Mahdavi, Ali; Moradi, Samad

2012-01-01

Objective The present study aimed at validating the structure of Career Decision-making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ). Methods Five hundred and eleven undergraduate students took part in this research; from these participants, 63 males and 200 females took part in the first study, and 63 males and 185 females completed the survey for the second study. Results The results of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) indicated strong support for the three-factor structure, consisting of lack of information about the self, inconsistent information, lack of information and lack of readiness factors. A confirmatory factor analysis was run with the second sample using structural equation modeling. As expected, the three-factor solution provided a better fit to the data than the alternative models. Conclusion CDDQ was recommended to be used for college students in this study due to the fact that this instrument measures all three aspects of the model. Future research is needed to learn whether this model would fit other different samples. PMID:22952549

Specificity of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: an investigation of comorbidity between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and depression in treatment-seeking veterans.

PubMed

Gros, Daniel F; Simms, Leonard J; Acierno, Ron

2010-12-01

In response to high levels of comorbidity and symptom overlap between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and other disorders, much attention has been devoted to the role of specific and nonspecific symptoms among the disorders. The present study investigated the overlapping symptoms of PTSD and MDD in treatment-seeking veterans. Exploratory factor analyses were used to identify latent factors of both self-reported and clinician-rated symptoms of PTSD and MDD. Results of exploratory factor analyses supported a 2-factor model representing symptoms of depression and PTSD; however, a subset of PTSD symptoms, characterized by emotional numbing and dysphoria, loaded onto the depression factor, rather than the PTSD factor. These nonspecific PTSD symptoms were predictive of comorbid MDD and increased depression symptomatology in patients with PTSD. Together, these findings demonstrate the importance of accounting for nonspecific symptoms in diagnosis and treatment of PTSD, highlighting a need for revisions to our current diagnostics.

Substance Abuse Counselors and Moral Reasoning: Hypothetical and Authentic Dilemmas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sias, Shari M.

2009-01-01

This exploratory study examined the assumption that the level of moral reasoning (Defining Issues Test; J. R. Rest, 1986) used in solving hypothetical and authentic dilemmas is similar for substance abuse counselors (N = 188). The statistical analyses used were paired-sample t tests, Pearson product-moment correlation, and simultaneous multiple…

Web 2.0 in the Professional LIS Literature: An Exploratory Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aharony, Noa

2011-01-01

This paper presents a statistical descriptive analysis and a thorough content analysis of descriptors and journal titles extracted from the Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA) database, focusing on the subject of Web 2.0 and its main applications: blog, wiki, social network and tags.The primary research questions include: whether the…

Pedagogy and the PC: Trends in the AIS Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Badua, Frank

2008-01-01

The author investigated the array of course topics in accounting information systems (AIS), as course syllabi embody. The author (a) used exploratory data analysis to determine the topics that AIS courses most frequently offered and (b) used descriptive statistics and econometric analysis to trace the diversity of course topics through time,…

What Are the Characteristics of Principals Identified As Effective by Teachers?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fowler, William J., Jr.

This exploratory study investigated which characteristics of a principal are identified as effective by teachers in the same school setting. The data were obtained from the Schools and Staffing Study of 1988, from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The Teacher Questionnaire of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) questioned…

Assessing Students' Metacognitive Awareness of Learning Strategies among Secondary School Students in Edo State, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okoza, Jolly; Aluede, Oyaziwo; Owens-Sogolo, Osasere

2013-01-01

This study examined metacognitive awareness of learning strategies among Secondary School Students in Edo State, Nigeria. The study was an exploratory one, which utilized descriptive statistics. A total number of 1200 students drawn through multistage proportionate random sampling technique participated in the study. The study found that secondary…

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Report 15: Technical uncertainty and project complexity as correlates of information use by US industry-affiliated aerospace engineers and scientists: Results of an exploratory investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinelli, Thomas E.; Glassman, Nanci A.; Affelder, Linda O.; Hecht, Laura M.; Kennedy, John M.; Barclay, Rebecca O.

1993-01-01

An exploratory study was conducted that investigated the influence of technical uncertainty and project complexity on information use by U.S. industry-affiliated aerospace engineers and scientists. The study utilized survey research in the form of a self-administered mail questionnaire. U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists on the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) mailing list served as the study population. The adjusted response rate was 67 percent. The survey instrument is appendix C to this report. Statistically significant relationships were found to exist between technical uncertainty, project complexity, and information use. Statistically significant relationships were found to exist between technical uncertainty, project complexity, and the use of federally funded aerospace R&D. The results of this investigation are relevant to researchers investigating information-seeking behavior of aerospace engineers. They are also relevant to R&D managers and policy planners concerned with transferring the results of federally funded aerospace R&D to the U.S. aerospace industry.

Exploratory study of emergency physicians' use of a prescription monitoring program using a framework of technology acceptance.

PubMed

Fleming, Marc L; Hatfield, Mark D; Wattana, Monica K; Todd, Knox H

2014-03-01

Emergency physicians (EPs) are faced with significant challenges regarding pain management, while preventing abuse of prescription opioids. Prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) are increasingly used to help allay the abuse of controlled substances. The objective of this study was to determine EPs' intention to use the Texas PMP within the framework of the Technology Acceptance Model. A cross-sectional, 24-item survey instrument was developed and distributed to EPs attending an emergency medicine conference. PMP nonusers reported a positive intention to use the PMP in the future, with attitude (β = 0.61, p < 0.01) as the only statistically significant predictor of intention. PMP users reported a positive intention to use the PMP, with perceived usefulness (β = 0.62, p < 0.01) as the only statistically significant predictor of intention for PMP users. This exploratory study provides a basis for understanding EPs' intention to use a PMP. The use of PMPs by EPs may lead to a decrease in prescription opioid abuse and improve patient safety related to opioid prescribing in the emergency department setting.

Self-concept in institutionalized children with disturbed attachment: The mediating role of exploratory behaviours.

PubMed

Vacaru, V S; Sterkenburg, P S; Schuengel, C

2018-05-01

Self-concept is seen as both an outcome of sociocognitive and emotional development, and a factor in social and mental health outcomes. Although the contribution of attachment experiences to self-concept has been limited to quality of primary attachment relationships, little is known of the effects of disturbed attachment on self-concept in institutionalized children. Thus, the current study examined associations between disturbed attachment behaviours in institutionalized children and self-concept, testing limited exploration as an explanatory factor. Thirty-three institutionalized children, aged 4-12, participated in a multimethod and multi-informant assessment of disturbed attachment behaviours (i.e., Disturbances of Attachment Interview and Behavioral Signs of Disturbed Attachment in Young Children), self-concept (i.e., Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children), and exploratory behaviours (i.e., Student Exploratory Behaviours Observation Scale). Analyses were conducted using bootstrapping techniques. Global self-concept converged with teacher-rated children's self-concept, except for physical competence domain. Disturbed attachment behaviours were identified in 62.5% of the children, and this was associated with lower levels of exploration and lower scores on self-concept, compared with children without disturbed attachment behaviours. Furthermore, exploratory behaviours mediated the effects of disturbed attachment behaviours on self-concept. Institution-reared children with disturbed attachment behaviours were likely to have a negative perception of self and one's own competences. Limited exploratory behaviours explained this linkage. Targeting disordered attachment in children reared in institutions and their caregivers should become a high priority as a means for preventing socioemotional development issues. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Validation of Hungarian Smartphone Deprivation Inventory (HSDI) with school children].

PubMed

Csibi, Sándor; Demetrovics, Zsolt; Szabo, Attila

2017-01-01

The widespread use of smartphones generates new habits and behaviors among the users, including schoolchildren. Advance technology-based applications, capturing interest and attention, influence cognitive focus and time spent with the device. Examination of these factors points toward the risk of addiction, as well as the deprivations sensations associated with the latter, that call for scholastic attention. The aim of this study was to validate a Hungarian Smartphone Deprivation Inventory (HSDI), to gauge the deprivation feelings and their severity in schoolchildren when they cannot access their device. A 9-item, 7-point, agree-disagree inventory was developed on the basis of an earlier exercise deprivation scale (Robbins and Joseph, 1985). The inventory was completed by 258 Hungarian schoolchildren (mean age=12.4 ± SD = 1.71 years). The participants also completed the Hungarian version of the Brief Addiction to Smartphone Scale (BASS). An exploratory factor analysis of the HSDI yielded a single factor that accounted for 55.84 % of the variance. The internal consistency of the inventory was excellent (Cronbach's α = 0.90). Content validity of the HSDI was checked by comparing the scores of those scoring above and below the median on the BASS that yielded statistically significant differences (p < .001). The HSDI correlated statistically significantly with the BASS (r = .62, p < .001) as well as with the deprivation subscale of the BASS (r = .63, p < .001), which demonstrated the inventory's congruent validity. These findings show that the HSDI is a sensitive tool for measuring deprivation feelings related prevented smartphone access in schoolchildren.

Alcohol Consumption Decisions among Nonabusing Drinkers Diagnosed with Hepatitis C: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Study

PubMed Central

Stoller, Eleanor Palo; Webster, Noah J.; Blixen, Carol E.; McCormick, Richard A.; Hund, Andrew J.; Perzynski, Adam T.; Kanuch, Stephanie W.; Thomas, Charles L.; Kercher, Kyle; Dawson, Neal V.

2009-01-01

Most studies of decisions to curtail alcohol consumption reflect experiences of abusing drinkers. We employ an exploratory sequential research design to explore the applicability of this research to the experience of nonabusing drinkers advised to curtail alcohol consumption after a Hepatitis C diagnosis. A qualitative component identified 17 new decision factors not reflected in an inventory of factors based on synthesis of existing scales. We triangulated qualitative data by supplementing semi-structured interviews with Internet postings. A quantitative component estimated prevalence and association with current drinking of these new decision factors. Patients who quit drinking tended to attribute post-diagnosis drinking to occasional triggers, whereas patients who were still drinking were more likely to endorse rationales not tied to specific triggers. PMID:20046861

Construction and Validation of Afterlife Belief Scale for Muslims.

PubMed

Ghayas, Saba; Batool, Syeda Shahida

2017-06-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a scale in Urdu language for measuring different dimensions of afterlife belief. The scale was subjected to exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis on a sample of 504 individuals (235 men and 269 women) recruited from different cities in the Punjab, Pakistan. After exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, 16 items were retained with three well-defined factor structures of afterlife belief: positive, negative, and extinction. The alpha coefficients of the subscales ranged from .65 to .78. Convergent and discriminant validity of the subscales of Afterlife Belief Scale was determined by finding its relationship with the Pleasant Afterlife Belief Scale, the Unpleasant Afterlife Belief Scale, the Anxiety Subscale of DASS, and the Belief in Equitable World Scale. The results support that the newly developed scale has promising validity.

On the structure of personality disorder traits: conjoint analyses of the CAT-PD, PID-5, and NEO-PI-3 trait models.

PubMed

Wright, Aidan G C; Simms, Leonard J

2014-01-01

The current study examines the relations among contemporary models of pathological and normal range personality traits. Specifically, we report on (a) conjoint exploratory factor analyses of the Computerized Adaptive Test of Personality Disorder static form (CAT-PD-SF) with the Personality Inventory for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition and NEO Personality Inventory-3 First Half, and (b) unfolding hierarchical analyses of the three measures in a large general psychiatric outpatient sample (n = 628; 64% Female). A five-factor solution provided conceptually coherent alignment among the CAT-PD-SF, PID-5, and NEO-PI-3FH scales. Hierarchical solutions suggested that higher-order factors bear strong resemblance to dimensions that emerge from structural models of psychopathology (e.g., Internalizing and Externalizing spectra). These results demonstrate that the CAT-PD-SF adheres to the consensual structure of broad trait domains at the five-factor level. Additionally, patterns of scale loadings further inform questions of structure and bipolarity of facet and domain level constructs. Finally, hierarchical analyses strengthen the argument for using broad dimensions that span normative and pathological functioning to scaffold a quantitatively derived phenotypic structure of psychopathology to orient future research on explanatory, etiological, and maintenance mechanisms.

A symptom level examination of the relationship between Cluster B personality disorders and patterns of criminality and violence in women.

PubMed

Warren, Janet I; South, Susan C

2009-01-01

The psychometric properties and structure of the Cluster B Personality Disorder criteria (Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, and Narcissistic) are examined in a sample of 261 female inmates using a self-report screen followed by a full diagnostic interview. The results of the structural analyses in this sample demonstrated good internal consistency and convergence, but poor discriminant validity between disorders. An exploratory factor analysis found that the structure of these disorders was best accounted for by a four-factor solution that paralleled the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR; APA, 2000) classification scheme with some significant and notable exceptions. Using the factor scores generated from the factor analysis, the personality profiles of the women were compared with several behavioral indices, including instant offense, institutional infractions, and self-report violence and victimization within the prison. Of particular importance was the consistent relationship observed between narcissistic personality traits and threatening and violent behavior within the prison combined with the impulsive but less malignant presentation of antisocial personality traits among this sample of women. Results are discussed as they inform our understanding of the structural integrity of the four Cluster B diagnostic categories and the relationship of these personality disorders to different types of criminality and violence.

Medical history, lifestyle, family history, and occupational risk factors for adult acute lymphocytic leukemia: the InterLymph Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Subtypes Project.

PubMed

Skibola, Christine F; Slager, Susan L; Berndt, Sonja I; Lightfoot, Tracy; Sampson, Joshua N; Morton, Lindsay M; Weisenburger, Dennis D

2014-08-01

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (ALL) in adults is a rare malignancy with a poor clinical outcome, and few reported etiologic risk factors. We performed an exploratory pooled study of 152 ALL cases and 23096 controls from 16 case-control studies to investigate the role of medical history, lifestyle, family history, and occupational risk factors and risk of ALL. Age- race/ethnicity-, sex-, and study-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression. An increased risk of ALL was found in those with a family history of a hematological malignancy (OR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.22 to 5.54) and in leather (OR = 3.91, 95% CI = 1.35 to 11.35) and sewing/embroidery workers (OR = 2.92, 95% CI = 1.00 to 8.49). Consumers of alcohol had an increased risk of B-cell ALL (OR = 2.87, 95% CI = 1.18 to 6.95). The small number of statistically significant risk factors identified out of the 112 variables examined could be chance findings and will require further replication to assess their role in the etiology of adult ALL. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

An Examination of the Partner Cyber Abuse Questionnaire in a College Student Sample

PubMed Central

Wolford-Clevenger, Caitlin; Zapor, Heather; Brasfield, Hope; Febres, Jeniimarie; Elmquist, JoAnna; Brem, Meagan; Shorey, Ryan C.; Stuart, Gregory L.

2015-01-01

Objective To examine the factor structure and convergent validity of a newly developed measure of an understudied form of partner abuse, cyber abuse, and to examine the prevalence of, and gender differences in, victimization by cyber abuse. Method College students in a dating relationship (N = 502) completed the Partner Cyber Abuse Questionnaire (Hamby, 2013), as well as measures of partner abuse victimization and depression. Results Using exploratory factor analysis, we determined a one-factor solution was the most statistically and conceptually best fitting model. The cyber abuse victimization factor was correlated with depressive symptoms and physical, psychological, and sexual partner abuse victimization, supporting the convergent validity of the measure. The overall prevalence of victimization by cyber abuse was 40%, with victimization by specific acts ranging from 2–31%. Men and women did not differ in their victimization by cyber abuse. Conclusions Cyber abuse is prevalent among college students and occurs concurrently with other partner abuse forms and depressive symptoms. Given the interrelated nature of partner abuse forms, prevention and intervention programs should address partner abuse occurring in-person and through technology. Cyber abuse should also be considered in the conceptualization and measurement of partner abuse to more fully understand this social problem. PMID:27014498

Development of a problematic mobile phone use scale for Turkish adolescents.

PubMed

Güzeller, Cem Oktay; Coşguner, Tolga

2012-04-01

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale (PMPUS) for Turkish Adolescents. The psychometric properties of PMPUS were tested in two separate sample groups that consisted of 950 Turkish high school students. The first sample group (n=309) was used to determine the factor structure of the scale. The second sample group (n=461) was used to test data conformity with the identified structure, discriminant validity and concurrent scale validity, internal consistency reliability calculations, and item statistics calculations. The results of exploratory factor analyses indicated that the scale had three factors: interference with negative effect, compulsion/persistence, and withdrawal/tolerance. The results showed that item and construct reliability values yielded satisfactory rates in general for the three-factor construct. On the other hand, the average variance extracted value remained below the scale value for three subscales. The scores for the scale significantly correlated with depression and loneliness. In addition, the discriminant validity value was above the scale in all sub-dimensions except one. Based on these data, the reliability of the PMPUS scale appears to be satisfactory and provides good internal consistency. Therefore, with limited exception, the PMPUS was found to be reliable and valid in the context of Turkish adolescents.

The Evaluation of a Self-Enumerated Scale of Quality of Life (CASP-19) in the Context of Research on Ageing: A Combination of Exploratory and Confirmatory Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiggins, R. D.; Netuveli, G.; Hyde, M.; Higgs, P.; Blane, D.

2008-01-01

This paper describes the conceptual development of a self-enumerated scale of quality of life (CASP-19) and presents an empirical evaluation of its structure using a combination of exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic approaches across three different survey settings for older people living in England and Wales in the new millennium. All…

Measuring hope among families impacted by cognitive impairment

PubMed Central

Hunsaker, Amanda E.; Terhorst, Lauren; Gentry, Amanda; Lingler, Jennifer H.

2014-01-01

The current exploratory investigation aims to establish the reliability and validity of a hope measure, the Herth Hope Index (HHI), among families impacted by early cognitive impairment (N=96). Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the dimensionality of the measure. Bivariate analyses were used to examine construct validity. The sample had moderately high hope scores. A two-factor structure emerged from the factor analysis, explaining 51.44% of the variance. Both factors exhibited strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s alphas ranged from .83 to .86). Satisfaction with social support was positively associated with hope, supporting convergent validity. Neurocognitive status, illness insight and depression were not associated with hope, indicating discriminant validity. Families impacted by cognitive impairment may maintain hope in the face of a potentially progressive illness, regardless of cognitive status. The HHI can be utilized as a reliable and valid measure of hope by practitioners providing support to families impacted by cognitive impairment. PMID:24784938

Aligning internal organizational factors with a service excellence mission: an exploratory investigation in health care.

PubMed

Ford, Robert C; Sivo, Stephen A; Fottler, Myron D; Dickson, Duncan; Bradley, Kenneth; Johnson, Lee

2006-01-01

In today's competitive health care environment, service excellence is rapidly becoming a major differentiating advantage between health care providers. Too often, senior executives talk about their commitment to a mission statement that extols the virtues of providing world class service to their patients only to undermine those statements with what they do, write, and say. This article presents an exploratory investigation into a new application of an internal mission alignment instrument that seeks to assess the extent to which an organization's internal processes are aligned with its service mission. This instrument was sent to 250 randomly selected employees from all clinical departments of a large southeastern hospital to explore the underlying alignment factors. A factor analysis of the data revealed eight factors that predicted beneficial employee outcomes such as organizational commitment and satisfaction with the job and organization.

Question Number Two: How Many Factors?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodwyn, Fara

2012-01-01

Exploratory factor analysis involves five key decisions. The second decision, how many factors to retain, is the focus of the current paper. Extracting too many or too few factors often leads to devastating effects on study results. The advantages and disadvantages of the most effective and/or most utilized strategies to determine the number of…

Development and Initial Validation of the Intimate Violence Responsibility Scale (IVRS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yun, Sung Hyun; Vonk, M. Elizabeth

2011-01-01

The present study demonstrates the development and initial examination of psychometric properties of the Intimate Violence Responsibility Scale (IVRS) in a community-based sample (N = 527). The underlying factor structure of the IVRS was tested by the exploratory factor analysis (Principal Axis Factoring), which identifies the four factors:…

Brief Symptom Inventory Factor Structure in Antisocial Adolescents: Implications for Juvenile Justice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitt, Ahmed; Howard, Matthew O.

2012-01-01

Objectives: The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) is widely used in juvenile justice settings; however, little is known regarding its factor structure in antisocial youth. The authors evaluated the BSI factor structure in a state residential treatment population. Methods: 707 adolescents completed the BSI. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses…

Factor Analysis of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brinkley, Jason; Nations, Laura; Abramson, Ruth K.; Hall, Alicia; Wright, Harry H.; Gabriels, Robin; Gilbert, John R.; Pericak-Vance, Margaret A. O.; Cuccaro, Michael L.

2007-01-01

Exploratory factor analysis (varimax and promax rotations) of the aberrant behavior checklist-community version (ABC) in 275 individuals with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) identified four- and five-factor solutions which accounted for greater than 70% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis (Lisrel 8.7) revealed indices of moderate fit for…

The Counseling Competencies Scale: Validation and Refinement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambie, Glenn W.; Mullen, Patrick R.; Swank, Jacqueline M.; Blount, Ashley

2018-01-01

Supervisors evaluated counselors-in-training at multiple points during their practicum experience using the Counseling Competencies Scale (CCS; N = 1,070). The CCS evaluations were randomly split to conduct exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, resulting in a 2-factor model (61.5% of the variance explained).

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Interpersonal Sexual Objectification Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kozee, Holly B.; Tylka, Tracy L.; Augustus-Horvath, Casey L.; Denchik, Angela

2007-01-01

This study reports on the development and psychometric evaluation of the Interpersonal Sexual Objectification Scale (ISOS). Data from 576 college women were collected in three studies. Exploratory factor analysis uncovered two factors: Body Evaluation and Unwanted Explicit Sexual Advances; confirmatory factor analysis supported this factor…

Trait gratitude and suicidal ideation and behavior: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Krysinska, Karolina; Lester, David; Lyke, Jennifer; Corveleyn, Jozef

2015-01-01

Despite the progress of positive psychology, current knowledge regarding suicide protective factors is limited. Trait gratitude (a tendency to experience gratitude in daily life) may protect against suicidal ideation and behavior. The study tested a model of causal effects among gratitude, religiosity, reasons for living, coping, and social support as predictors of suicidal ideation, suicide threats, and suicide attempts after controlling for depression and stressful life events. A sample of 165 college students were administered measures of gratitude, religiosity, reasons for living, social support, coping skills, stress, and depression. The study assessed lifetime and current suicidal ideation as well as lifetime suicide threat and attempt. Both gratitude and religiosity, along with social support, coping skills, and reasons for living, correlated negatively with prior suicidal ideation, but not with prior attempted suicide. After controlling for risk factor (depression and stress), the impact of gratitude and religiosity was no longer statistically significant. Further research could help understand the role of positive emotions and human strengths, such as gratitude, in preventing and alleviating suicidal ideation and behavior.

Entrepreneurship of dietetic program graduates.

PubMed

Mann, Linda L; Blum, Ilya

2004-01-01

Successful dietetic program graduates must have an entrepreneurial mindset and skills to respond to environmental changes and consumer trends. The purpose of this study was to determine current or intended entrepreneurship by graduates of a Dietitians of Canada accredited university program, as influenced by self-efficacy stemming from entrepreneurial experiences in education or early career, as well as by internal and external factors. This study employed an exploratory descriptive methodology with a questionnaire mailed to a discrete sample. Ninety graduates completed and returned the questionnaire for a response rate of 55%. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, two-way table analysis, the chi-square test for independence, and Fisher's exact test. Significant relationships were found between self-efficacy scores and entrepreneurial action, specific entrepreneurial experiences and entrepreneurial intent and action, dietetic internship and intent, and belief in the importance of business skills and intent. Those with entrepreneurial intent and/or action identified creativity, dietetic education/internship, persistence, business skills, and family/friend support as helping factors. These results suggest that undergraduate, internship, and continuing education programs for dietitians should incorporate activities that develop entrepreneurial skills and contribute toward an entrepreneurial mindset.

Statistical reporting of clinical pharmacology research.

PubMed

Ring, Arne; Schall, Robert; Loke, Yoon K; Day, Simon

2017-06-01

Research in clinical pharmacology covers a wide range of experiments, trials and investigations: clinical trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses of drug usage after market approval, the investigation of pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships, the search for mechanisms of action or for potential signals for efficacy and safety using biomarkers. Often these investigations are exploratory in nature, which has implications for the way the data should be analysed and presented. Here we summarize some of the statistical issues that are of particular importance in clinical pharmacology research. © 2017 The British Pharmacological Society.

A medical school's organizational readiness for curriculum change (MORC): development and validation of a questionnaire.

PubMed

Jippes, Mariëlle; Driessen, Erik W; Broers, Nick J; Majoor, Gerard D; Gijselaers, Wim H; van der Vleuten, Cees P M

2013-09-01

Because successful change implementation depends on organizational readiness for change, the authors developed and assessed the validity of a questionnaire, based on a theoretical model of organizational readiness for change, designed to measure, specifically, a medical school's organizational readiness for curriculum change (MORC). In 2012, a panel of medical education experts judged and adapted a preliminary MORC questionnaire through a modified Delphi procedure. The authors administered the resulting questionnaire to medical school faculty involved in curriculum change and tested the psychometric properties using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and generalizability analysis. The mean relevance score of the Delphi panel (n = 19) reached 4.2 on a five-point Likert-type scale (1 = not relevant and 5 = highly relevant) in the second round, meeting predefined criteria for completing the Delphi procedure. Faculty (n = 991) from 131 medical schools in 56 countries completed MORC. Exploratory factor analysis yielded three underlying factors-motivation, capability, and external pressure-in 12 subscales with 53 items. The scale structure suggested by exploratory factor analysis was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach alpha ranged from 0.67 to 0.92 for the subscales. Generalizability analysis showed that the MORC results of 5 to 16 faculty members can reliably evaluate a school's organizational readiness for change. MORC is a valid, reliable questionnaire for measuring organizational readiness for curriculum change in medical schools. It can identify which elements in a change process require special attention so as to increase the chance of successful implementation.

Validating the Farsi version of the Pregnancy Worries and Stress Questionnaire (PWSQ): An exploratory factor analysis.

PubMed

Navidpour, Fariba; Dolatian, Mahrokh; Shishehgar, Sara; Yaghmaei, Farideh; Majd, Hamid Alavi; Hashemi, Seyed Saeed

2016-10-01

Biological, environmental, inter- and intrapersonal changes during the antenatal period can result in anxiety and stress in pregnant women. It is pivotal to identify potential stressors and prevent their foetal and maternal consequences. The present study was conducted to validate and examine the factor structure of the Farsi version of the Pregnancy Worries and Stress Questionnaire (PWSQ). In 2015, 502 Iranian healthy pregnant women, referred to selected hospitals in Tehran for prenatal care at 8-39 weeks of pregnancy, were recruited through a randomized cluster sampling. The PWSQ was translated into Farsi, and its validity and reliability were examined using exploratory factor analysis by SPSS version 21. The content validity of items on the PWSQ was between 0.63-1. The content validity index for relevance, clarity and simplicity were 0.92, 0.98, and 0.98, respectively, with a mean of 0.94. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy was 0.863. Test-retest reliability showed high internal consistency (α=0.89; p<0.0001). The psychometric evaluation and exploratory factor analysis showed that the translated questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool to identify stress in Iranian pregnant women. Application of the questionnaire can facilitate the diagnosis of stress in pregnant women and assist health care providers in providing timely support and minimizing negative outcomes of stress and anxiety in pregnant women and their infants.

Isolating the anthropogenic component of Arctic warming

DOE PAGES

Chylek, Petr; Hengartner, Nicholas; Lesins, Glen; ...

2014-05-28

Structural equation modeling is used in statistical applications as both confirmatory and exploratory modeling to test models and to suggest the most plausible explanation for a relationship between the independent and the dependent variables. Although structural analysis cannot prove causation, it can suggest the most plausible set of factors that influence the observed variable. Here, we apply structural model analysis to the annual mean Arctic surface air temperature from 1900 to 2012 to find the most effective set of predictors and to isolate the anthropogenic component of the recent Arctic warming by subtracting the effects of natural forcing and variabilitymore » from the observed temperature. We also find that anthropogenic greenhouse gases and aerosols radiative forcing and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation internal mode dominate Arctic temperature variability. Finally, our structural model analysis of observational data suggests that about half of the recent Arctic warming of 0.64 K/decade may have anthropogenic causes.« less

An Exploratory Study of OEE Implementation in Indian Manufacturing Companies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, J.; Soni, V. K.

2015-04-01

Globally, the implementation of Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) has proven to be highly effective in improving availability, performance rate and quality rate while reducing unscheduled breakdown and wastage that stems from the equipment. This paper investigates the present status and future scope of OEE metrics in Indian manufacturing companies through an extensive survey. In this survey, opinions of Production and Maintenance Managers have been analyzed statistically to explore the relationship between factors, perspective of OEE and potential use of OEE metrics. Although the sample has been divers in terms of product, process type, size, and geographic location of the companies, they are enforced to implement improvement techniques such as OEE metrics to improve performance. The findings reveal that OEE metrics has huge potential and scope to improve performance. Responses indicate that Indian companies are aware of OEE but they are not utilizing full potential of OEE metrics.

An exploratory analysis of treatment completion and client and organizational factors using hierarchical linear modeling.

PubMed

Woodward, Albert; Das, Abhik; Raskin, Ira E; Morgan-Lopez, Antonio A

2006-11-01

Data from the Alcohol and Drug Services Study (ADSS) are used to analyze the structure and operation of the substance abuse treatment industry in the United States. Published literature contains little systematic empirical analysis of the interaction between organizational characteristics and treatment outcomes. This paper addresses that deficit. It develops and tests a hierarchical linear model (HLM) to address questions about the empirical relationship between treatment inputs (industry costs, types and use of counseling and medical personnel, diagnosis mix, patient demographics, and the nature and level of services used in substance abuse treatment), and patient outcomes (retention and treatment completion rates). The paper adds to the literature by demonstrating a direct and statistically significant link between treatment completion and the organizational and staffing structure of the treatment setting. Related reimbursement issues, questions for future analysis, and limitations of the ADSS for this analysis are discussed.

Relationship of nurses' intrapersonal characteristics with work performance and caring behaviors: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Geyer, Nelouise-Marié; Coetzee, Siedine K; Ellis, Suria M; Uys, Leana R

2018-02-28

This study aimed to describe intrapersonal characteristics (professional values, personality, empathy, and job involvement), work performance as perceived by nurses, and caring behaviors as perceived by patients, and to examine the relationships among these variables. A cross-sectional design was employed. A sample was recruited of 218 nurses and 116 patients in four private hospitals and four public hospitals. Data were collected using self-report measures. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, hierarchical linear modelling, correlations, and structural equation modeling. Nurses perceived their work performance to be of high quality. Among the intrapersonal characteristics, nurses had high scores for professional values, and moderately high scores for personality, empathy and job involvement. Patients perceived nurses' caring behaviors as moderately high. Professional values of nurses were the only selected intrapersonal characteristic with a statistically significant positive relationship, of practical importance, with work performance as perceived by nurses and with caring behaviors as perceived by patients at ward level. Managers can enhance nurses' work performance and caring behaviors through provision of in-service training that focuses on development of professional values. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Examination of environmentally friendly "green" logistics behavior of managers in the pharmaceutical sector using the Theory of Planned Behavior.

PubMed

Arslan, Miray; Şar, Sevgi

2017-12-11

Logistics activities play a prominent role in enabling manufacturers, distribution channels, and pharmacies to work in harmony. Nowadays these activities have become increasingly striking in the pharmaceutical industry and seen as a development area for this sector. Additionally, green practices are beginning to be more attracting particularly in decreasing costs and increasing image of pharmaceutical companies. The main objective of this study was modeling green logistics (GL) behavior of the managers in the pharmaceutical sector in the theory of planned behavior (TPB) frame via structural equation modeling (SEM). A measurement tool was developed according to TPB. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to determine subfactors of GL behavior. In the second step, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted for confirming whether there is a relationship between the observed variables and their underlying latent constructs. Finally, structural equation model was conducted to specify the relationships between latent variables. In the proposed green logistics behavior (GLB) model, the positive effect of environmental attitude towards GL, perceived behavioral control related GL, and subjective norm about GL on intention towards GL were found statistically significant. Nevertheless, the effect of attitude towards costs of GL on intention towards GL was not found statistically significant. Intention towards GL has been found to have a positive statistically significant effect on the GL behavior. Based on the results of this study, it is possible to say that TPB is an appropriate theory for modeling green logistics behavior of managers. This model can be seen as a guide to the companies in the pharmaceutical sector to participate in green logistics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factors Considered by Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals in Employability and Earning Capacity Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, John M.; Dunn, Patrick L.; Bast, Steve; Giesen, Judy

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that contributed to vocational rehabilitation assessment of earning capacity. Rehabilitation professionals who attended a national forensic rehabilitation conference were asked to rate the importance of 26 variables in development of opinions of earning capacity. Exploratory factor analysis…

Factor Structure and Basic Psychometric Properties of the "Transition Assessment" and "Goal Generator"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hennessey, Maeghan N.; Terry, Robert; Martin, James E.; McConnell, Amber E.; Willis, Donna M.

2017-01-01

The researchers examined the theoretical factor structure fit and psychometric properties of the Transition Assessment and Goal Generator (TAGG). In the first study, 349 transition-aged students with disabilities, their special educators, and family members completed TAGG assessments, and using exploratory factor analysis (EFA)/confirmatory factor…

Teacher Professionalization: Motivational Factors and the Influence of Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hildebrandt, Susan A.; Eom, Minhee

2011-01-01

This study examines motivational factors of teachers who have achieved a national standard of professionalization. Data were collected from National Board certified teachers in the United States (N = 453) using a two-part, web-based survey. Exploratory factor analysis found five motivators: improved teaching, financial gain, collaborative…

The Concerns about Counseling Racial Minority Clients Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Meifen; Chao, Ruth Chu-Lien; Tsai, Pei-Chun; Botello-Zamarron, Raquel

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Concerns about Counseling Racial Minority Clients (CCRMC) scale among counselor trainees. Sample 1 was used for an exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Four factors were identified, Managing Cultural Differences ([alpha] = 0.82), Offending or Hurting Clients…

Factor Structure and Basic Psychometric Properties of the "Transition Assessment and Goal Generator"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hennessey, Maeghan N.; Terry, Robert; Martin, James E.; McConnell, Amber E.; Willis, Donna M.

2018-01-01

We examined the theoretical factor structure fit and psychometric properties of the "Transition Assessment and Goal Generator" (TAGG). In the first study, 349 transition-aged students with disabilities, their special educators, and family members completed TAGG assessments, and using exploratory factor analysis (EFA)/confirmatory factor…

Scale Development: Perceived Barriers to Public Use of School Recreational Facilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spengler, John O.; Ko, Yong Jae; Connaughton, Daniel P.

2012-01-01

Objectives: To test an original scale assessing perceived barriers among school administrators to allowing community use of school recreational facilities outside of regular school hours. Methods: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: Using EFA and CFA, we found that a model including factors of…

Investigating the Structure of the WJ-III Cognitive at School Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dombrowski, Stefan C.

2013-01-01

During its development, the Woodcock-Johnson, Third Edition Cognitive (WJ-III Cognitive; McGrew & Woodcock, 2001) was never subjected to structural analysis using exploratory and higher order factor analyses. Instead, confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on separate sets of WJ-III correlation matrices, yielding a seven-factor model…

The factor structure of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS): An item-level exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) bifactor analysis.

PubMed

Ng, Vincent; Cao, Mengyang; Marsh, Herbert W; Tay, Louis; Seligman, Martin E P

2017-08-01

The factor structure of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS; Peterson & Seligman, 2004) has not been well established as a result of methodological challenges primarily attributable to a global positivity factor, item cross-loading across character strengths, and questions concerning the unidimensionality of the scales assessing character strengths. We sought to overcome these methodological challenges by applying exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) at the item level using a bifactor analytic approach to a large sample of 447,573 participants who completed the VIA-IS with all 240 character strengths items and a reduced set of 107 unidimensional character strength items. It was found that a 6-factor bifactor structure generally held for the reduced set of unidimensional character strength items; these dimensions were justice, temperance, courage, wisdom, transcendence, humanity, and an overarching general factor that is best described as dispositional positivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

An Exploratory Factor Analysis of Coping Styles and Relationship to Depression Among a Sample of Homeless Youth.

PubMed

Brown, Samantha M; Begun, Stephanie; Bender, Kimberly; Ferguson, Kristin M; Thompson, Sanna J

2015-10-01

The extent to which measures of coping adequately capture the ways that homeless youth cope with challenges, and the influence these coping styles have on mental health outcomes, is largely absent from the literature. This study tests the factor structure of the Coping Scale using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and then investigates the relationship between coping styles and depression using hierarchical logistic regression with data from 201 homeless youth. Results of the EFA indicate a 3-factor structure of coping, which includes active, avoidant, and social coping styles. Results of the hierarchical logistic regression show that homeless youth who engage in greater avoidant coping are at increased risk of meeting criteria for major depressive disorder. Findings provide insight into the utility of a preliminary tool for assessing homeless youths' coping styles. Such assessment may identify malleable risk factors that could be addressed by service providers to help prevent mental health problems.

An Exploratory Study of Trauma and Religious Factors in Predicting Drinking Outcomes in African American Sexual Assault Survivors

PubMed Central

Adofoli, Grace; Ullman, Sarah E.

2014-01-01

This exploratory study examined the relationships between religious factors, trauma histories and life satisfaction to alcohol-related outcomes in adult sexual assault survivors. A mail survey was administered to a community sample of African American survivors (N = 836) in the Chicago metropolitan area. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that for non-religious women, interpersonal trauma was related to greater frequency of heavy drinking. For moderately religious women, interpersonal and contextual traumas were related to more frequent heavy drinking. For highly religious women, religious coping was related to less frequent heavy drinking. Implications are drawn for research and treatment of female survivors. PMID:25530738

Quantifying the Strength of General Factors in Psychopathology: A Comparison of CFA with Maximum Likelihood Estimation, BSEM, and ESEM/EFA Bifactor Approaches.

PubMed

Murray, Aja Louise; Booth, Tom; Eisner, Manuel; Obsuth, Ingrid; Ribeaud, Denis

2018-05-22

Whether or not importance should be placed on an all-encompassing general factor of psychopathology (or p factor) in classifying, researching, diagnosing, and treating psychiatric disorders depends (among other issues) on the extent to which comorbidity is symptom-general rather than staying largely within the confines of narrower transdiagnostic factors such as internalizing and externalizing. In this study, we compared three methods of estimating p factor strength. We compared omega hierarchical and explained common variance calculated from confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) bifactor models with maximum likelihood (ML) estimation, from exploratory structural equation modeling/exploratory factor analysis models with a bifactor rotation, and from Bayesian structural equation modeling (BSEM) bifactor models. Our simulation results suggested that BSEM with small variance priors on secondary loadings might be the preferred option. However, CFA with ML also performed well provided secondary loadings were modeled. We provide two empirical examples of applying the three methodologies using a normative sample of youth (z-proso, n = 1,286) and a university counseling sample (n = 359).

Validation of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale among Korean Adolescents.

PubMed

Heo, Eun-Hye; Choi, Kyeong-Sook; Yu, Je-Chun; Nam, Ji-Ae

2018-02-01

The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is designed to measure the current level of depressive symptomatology in the general population. However, no review has examined whether the scale is reliable and valid among children and adolescents in Korea. The purpose of this study was to test whether the Korean form of the CES-D is valid in adolescents. Data were obtained from 1,884 adolescents attending grades 1-3 in Korean middle schools. Reliability was evaluated by internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). Concurrent validity was evaluated by a correlation analysis between the CES-D and other scales. Construct validity was evaluated by exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses. The internal consistency coefficient for the entire group was 0.88. The CES-D was positively correlated with scales that measure negative psychological constructs, such as the State Anxiety Inventory for Children, the Korean Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents, and the Reynold Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire, but it was negatively correlated with scales that measure positive psychological constructs, such as the Korean version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-2. The CES-D was examined by three-dimensional exploratory factor analysis, and the three-factor structure of the scale explained 53.165% of the total variance. The variance explained by factor I was 24.836%, that explained by factor II was 15.988%, and that explained by factor III was 12.341%. The construct validity of the CES-D was tested by confirmatory factor analysis, and we applied the entire group's data using a three-factor hierarchical model. The fit index showed a level similar to those of other countries' adolescent samples. The CES-D has high internal consistency and addresses psychological constructs similar to those addressed by other scales. The CES-D showed a three-factor structure in an exploratory factor analysis. The present findings suggest that the CES-D is a useful and reliable tool for measuring depression in Korean adolescents.

Google Scholar Users and User Behaviors: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrera, Gail

2011-01-01

The University of Mississippi Library created a profile to provide linking from Google Scholar (GS) to library resources in 2005. Although Google Scholar does not provide usage statistics for institutions, use of Google Scholar is clearly evident in looking at library link resolver logs. The purpose of this project is to examine users of Google…

Self-Concept, Early Childhood Depression and School Retention as Predictors of Adolescent Depression in Urban Hispanic Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robles-Pina, Rebecca A.; Defrance, Emily; Cox, Deborah L.

2008-01-01

The role that early school retention, early childhood depression and self-concept had on levels of depression in 191 urban Hispanic adolescents was investigated. This exploratory study used a purposeful sample to study relationships and thus causality cannot be inferred. Statistically significant gender differences were found for depression with…

Dose Response Effects of Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Treatment in Adults with ADHD: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faraone, Stephen V.; Spencer, Thomas J.; Kollins, Scott H.; Glatt, Stephen J.; Goodman, David

2012-01-01

Objective: To explore dose-response effects of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) treatment for ADHD. Method: This was a 4-week, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, forced-dose titration study in adult participants, aged 18 to 55 years, meeting "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (4th ed., text rev.)…

University Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design: How Postsecondary Institutions Use the LEEDRTM Green Building Rating System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chance, Shannon Massie

2010-01-01

This descriptive, exploratory study focused on how institutions of higher education have used the United States Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED[R]) Green Building Rating system. It employed statistical methods to assess which types of universities have used LEED, what ratings they earned, and…

The Development of Rhythm at the Age of 6-11 Years: Non-Pitch Rhythmic Improvisation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paananen, Pirkko

2006-01-01

In the statistical and transcriptional analyses reported in this exploratory study, original rhythms of 6-11-year-old children (N=36) were examined. The hypotheses were based on a new model of musical development, and tested empirically using non-pitch rhythmic improvisation in a MIDI-environment. Several representational types were found in…

Using Data Comparison to Support a Focus on Distribution: Examining Preservice Teachers' Understandings of Distribution when Engaged in Statistical Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leavy, Aisling

2006-01-01

This exploratory study, a one group pretest-posttest design, investigated the development of elementary preservice teachers' understandings of distribution as expressed in the measures and representations used to compare data distributions. During a semester-long mathematics methods course, participants worked in small groups on two statistical…

Curbing Early-Career Teacher Attrition: A Pan-Canadian Document Analysis of Teacher Induction and Mentorship Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kutsyuruba, Benjamin; Tregunna, Leigha

2014-01-01

Over the past two decades, the phenomenon of teachers abandoning the profession has been noted internationally, and has increasingly caught the attention of policy makers and educational leaders. Despite this awareness, no pan-Canadian statistics or comprehensive reviews are available. This paper reports on the exploratory, pan-Canadian document…

NHEXAS PHASE I MARYLAND STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR EXPLORATORY DATA ANALYSIS AND SUMMARY STATISTICS (D05)

EPA Science Inventory

This SOP describes the methods and procedures for two types of QA procedures: spot checks of hand entered data, and QA procedures for co-located and split samples. The spot checks were used to determine whether the error rate goal for the input of hand entered data was being att...

An exploratory investigation of weight estimation techniques for hypersonic flight vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cook, E. L.

1981-01-01

The three basic methods of weight prediction (fixed-fraction, statistical correlation, and point stress analysis) and some of the computer programs that have been developed to implement them are discussed. A modified version of the WAATS (Weights Analysis of Advanced Transportation Systems) program is presented, along with input data forms and an example problem.

Buddy-Tutor Project. Hilo Intermediate School. Final Report, March-July, 1974.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawaii Univ., Honolulu. Social Welfare Development and Research Center.

An operational description of the 1973-74 Buddy-Tutor Project at Hilo Intermediate School in Hilo, Hawaii and an evaluative assessment of its outcome with statistical treatment of the data is provided in this report. This project is an exploratory behavioral intervention program for educationally deprived students and focuses its efforts on the…

A Comparison of Factor Score Estimation Methods in the Presence of Missing Data: Reliability and an Application to Nicotine Dependence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Estabrook, Ryne; Neale, Michael

2013-01-01

Factor score estimation is a controversial topic in psychometrics, and the estimation of factor scores from exploratory factor models has historically received a great deal of attention. However, both confirmatory factor models and the existence of missing data have generally been ignored in this debate. This article presents a simulation study…

Examining the Factor Structure of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) in a Multiethnic Sample of Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villodas, Feion; Villodas, Miguel T.; Roesch, Scott

2011-01-01

The psychometric properties of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule were examined in a multiethnic sample of adolescents. Results from confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the original two-factor model did not adequately fit the data. Exploratory factor analyses revealed that four items were not pure markers of the factors. (Contains 1…

4P: fast computing of population genetics statistics from large DNA polymorphism panels

PubMed Central

Benazzo, Andrea; Panziera, Alex; Bertorelle, Giorgio

2015-01-01

Massive DNA sequencing has significantly increased the amount of data available for population genetics and molecular ecology studies. However, the parallel computation of simple statistics within and between populations from large panels of polymorphic sites is not yet available, making the exploratory analyses of a set or subset of data a very laborious task. Here, we present 4P (parallel processing of polymorphism panels), a stand-alone software program for the rapid computation of genetic variation statistics (including the joint frequency spectrum) from millions of DNA variants in multiple individuals and multiple populations. It handles a standard input file format commonly used to store DNA variation from empirical or simulation experiments. The computational performance of 4P was evaluated using large SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) datasets from human genomes or obtained by simulations. 4P was faster or much faster than other comparable programs, and the impact of parallel computing using multicore computers or servers was evident. 4P is a useful tool for biologists who need a simple and rapid computer program to run exploratory population genetics analyses in large panels of genomic data. It is also particularly suitable to analyze multiple data sets produced in simulation studies. Unix, Windows, and MacOs versions are provided, as well as the source code for easier pipeline implementations. PMID:25628874

Geographic variation in the association between exploratory behavior and physiology in rufous-collared sparrows.

PubMed

Maldonado, Karin; van Dongen, Wouter F D; Vásquez, Rodrigo A; Sabat, Pablo

2012-01-01

Increasing research has attempted to clarify the links between animal personality and physiology. However, the mechanisms driving this association remain largely unknown, and knowledge of how ecological factors may affect its direction and strength is scant. In this study, we quantified variation in the association between exploratory behavior, basal metabolic rate (BMR), and total evaporative water loss (TEWL) in rufous-collared sparrows (Zonotrichia capensis) inhabiting desert, Mediterranean, and cold-temperate climates. We found that the exploratory behavior score was highest in birds from the cold-temperate site, which was characterized by a moderate level of ecological variability (seasonality). Moreover, the association between exploratory behavior and physiological variables differed among localities. Only birds from the Mediterranean site showed a positive correlation between exploratory behavior and BMR. We found no association between exploration and TEWL at any study site. Our findings suggest that differences in the ecological conditions experienced by each sparrow population result in a particular combination of behavioral and physiological traits. An understanding of this intraspecific variation along ecological gradients provides unique insights into how specific ecological conditions affect the coupling of behavioral and physiological traits and the mechanisms underlying that relationship.

Cognitive Style Index: Further Investigation of the Factor Structure with an American Student Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Backhaus, Kristin; Liff, Joshua P.

2007-01-01

The present study investigates the factor structure of the Cognitive Style Index (CSI), comparing the unitary, bipolar continuum of intuition-analysis, the theory upon which the CSI is predicated, with the two-factor theory of cognitive style. We conducted both confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses on data from a sample of 222 American…

On the Factor Structure of a Reading Comprehension Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salehi, Mohammad

2011-01-01

To investigate the construct validly of a section of a high stakes test, an exploratory factor analysis using principal components analysis was employed. The rotation used was varimax with the suppression level of 0.30. Eleven factors were extracted out of 35 reading comprehension items. The fact that these factors emerged speak to the construct…

Establishing the Factor Structure of the 18-Item Version of the Junior Metacognitive Awareness Inventory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Boyoung; Zyromski, Brett; Mariani, Melissa; Lee, Sang Min; Carey, John C.

2017-01-01

The Junior Metacognitive Awareness Inventory is a student self-report scale developed to correspond to a two-factor model of metacognition. Exploratory (N = 1,783) and confirmatory factor analysis (N = 942) were conducted using data from students in Grades 6 through 12 with results supporting two underlying factors corresponding to Knowledge and…

Understanding Older Adults' Perceptions of Internet Use: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Robert; Spears, Jeffrey; Luptak, Marilyn; Wilby, Frances

2015-01-01

The current study examined factors related to older adults' perceptions of Internet use. Three hundred ninety five older adults participated in the study. The factor analysis revealed four factors perceived by older adults as critical to their Internet use: social connection, self-efficacy, the need to seek financial information, and the need to…

Factor Analysis of Drawings: Application to College Student Models of the Greenhouse Effect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Libarkin, Julie C.; Thomas, Stephen R.; Ording, Gabriel

2015-01-01

Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify models underlying drawings of the greenhouse effect made by over 200 entering university freshmen. Initial content analysis allowed deconstruction of drawings into salient features, with grouping of these features via factor analysis. A resulting 4-factor solution explains 62% of the data variance,…

Conceptions about Teaching and Learning of Expressivity in Music among Higher Education Teachers and Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonastre, Carolina; Muñoz, Enrique; Timmers, Renee

2017-01-01

This work aimed to analyse factors related to conceptions and beliefs about expressivity in music among students and teachers. A questionnaire with 11 Likert-type items was developed covering the main factors included in the literature of teaching-learning of expressivity and emotion in music. Through exploratory factor analysis three factors were…

A confirmatory factor analytic validation of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory.

PubMed

Kleinstäuber, Maria; Frank, Ina; Weise, Cornelia

2015-03-01

Because the postulated three-factor structure of the internationally widely used Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) has not been confirmed yet by a confirmatory factor analytic approach this was the central aim of the current study. From a clinical setting, N=373 patients with chronic tinnitus completed the THI and further questionnaires assessing tinnitus-related and psychological variables. In order to analyze the psychometric properties of the THI, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and correlational analyses were conducted. CFA provided a statistically significant support for a better fit of the data to the hypothesized three-factor structure (RMSEA=.049, WRMR=1.062, CFI=.965, TLI=.961) than to a general factor model (RMSEA=.062, WRMR=1.258, CFI=.942, TLI=.937). The calculation of Cronbach's alpha as indicator of internal consistency revealed satisfactory values (.80-.91) with the exception of the catastrophic subscale (.65). High positive correlations of the THI and its subscales with other measures of tinnitus distress, anxiety, and depression, high negative correlations with tinnitus acceptance, moderate positive correlations with anxiety sensitivity, sleeping difficulties, tinnitus loudness, and small correlations with the Big Five personality dimensions confirmed construct validity. Results show that the THI is a highly reliable and valid measure of tinnitus-related handicap. In contrast to results of previous exploratory analyses the current findings speak for a three-factor in contrast to a unifactorial structure. Future research is needed to replicate this result in different tinnitus populations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Psychometric properties of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and prevalence of alcohol use among Iranian psychiatric outpatients.

PubMed

Noorbakhsh, Simasadat; Shams, Jamal; Faghihimohamadi, Mohamadmahdi; Zahiroddin, Hanieh; Hallgren, Mats; Kallmen, Hakan

2018-01-30

Iran is a developing and Islamic country where the consumption of alcoholic beverages is banned. However, psychiatric disorders and alcohol use disorders are often co-occurring. We used the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) to estimate the prevalence of alcohol use and examined the psychometric properties of the test among psychiatric outpatients in Teheran, Iran. AUDIT was completed by 846 consecutive (sequential) patients. Descriptive statistics, internal consistency (Cronbach alpha), confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were used to analyze the prevalence of alcohol use, reliability and construct validity. 12% of men and 1% of women were hazardous alcohol consumers. Internal reliability of the Iranian version of AUDIT was excellent. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the construct validity and the fit of previous factor structures (1, 2 and 3 factors) to data were not good and seemingly contradicted results from the explorative principal axis factoring, which showed that a 1-factor solution explained 77% of the co-variances. We could not reproduce the suggested factor structure of AUDIT, probably due to the skewed distribution of alcohol consumption. Only 19% of men and 3% of women scored above 0 on AUDIT. This could be explained by the fact that alcohol is illegal in Iran. In conclusion the AUDIT exhibited good internal reliability when used as a single scale. The prevalence estimates according to AUDIT were somewhat higher among psychiatric patients compared to what was reported by WHO regarding the general population.

Identifying Items to Assess Methodological Quality in Physical Therapy Trials: A Factor Analysis

PubMed Central

Cummings, Greta G.; Fuentes, Jorge; Saltaji, Humam; Ha, Christine; Chisholm, Annabritt; Pasichnyk, Dion; Rogers, Todd

2014-01-01

Background Numerous tools and individual items have been proposed to assess the methodological quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The frequency of use of these items varies according to health area, which suggests a lack of agreement regarding their relevance to trial quality or risk of bias. Objective The objectives of this study were: (1) to identify the underlying component structure of items and (2) to determine relevant items to evaluate the quality and risk of bias of trials in physical therapy by using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Design A methodological research design was used, and an EFA was performed. Methods Randomized controlled trials used for this study were randomly selected from searches of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Two reviewers used 45 items gathered from 7 different quality tools to assess the methodological quality of the RCTs. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted using the principal axis factoring (PAF) method followed by varimax rotation. Results Principal axis factoring identified 34 items loaded on 9 common factors: (1) selection bias; (2) performance and detection bias; (3) eligibility, intervention details, and description of outcome measures; (4) psychometric properties of the main outcome; (5) contamination and adherence to treatment; (6) attrition bias; (7) data analysis; (8) sample size; and (9) control and placebo adequacy. Limitation Because of the exploratory nature of the results, a confirmatory factor analysis is needed to validate this model. Conclusions To the authors' knowledge, this is the first factor analysis to explore the underlying component items used to evaluate the methodological quality or risk of bias of RCTs in physical therapy. The items and factors represent a starting point for evaluating the methodological quality and risk of bias in physical therapy trials. Empirical evidence of the association among these items with treatment effects and a confirmatory factor analysis of these results are needed to validate these items. PMID:24786942

Identifying items to assess methodological quality in physical therapy trials: a factor analysis.

PubMed

Armijo-Olivo, Susan; Cummings, Greta G; Fuentes, Jorge; Saltaji, Humam; Ha, Christine; Chisholm, Annabritt; Pasichnyk, Dion; Rogers, Todd

2014-09-01

Numerous tools and individual items have been proposed to assess the methodological quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The frequency of use of these items varies according to health area, which suggests a lack of agreement regarding their relevance to trial quality or risk of bias. The objectives of this study were: (1) to identify the underlying component structure of items and (2) to determine relevant items to evaluate the quality and risk of bias of trials in physical therapy by using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). A methodological research design was used, and an EFA was performed. Randomized controlled trials used for this study were randomly selected from searches of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Two reviewers used 45 items gathered from 7 different quality tools to assess the methodological quality of the RCTs. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted using the principal axis factoring (PAF) method followed by varimax rotation. Principal axis factoring identified 34 items loaded on 9 common factors: (1) selection bias; (2) performance and detection bias; (3) eligibility, intervention details, and description of outcome measures; (4) psychometric properties of the main outcome; (5) contamination and adherence to treatment; (6) attrition bias; (7) data analysis; (8) sample size; and (9) control and placebo adequacy. Because of the exploratory nature of the results, a confirmatory factor analysis is needed to validate this model. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first factor analysis to explore the underlying component items used to evaluate the methodological quality or risk of bias of RCTs in physical therapy. The items and factors represent a starting point for evaluating the methodological quality and risk of bias in physical therapy trials. Empirical evidence of the association among these items with treatment effects and a confirmatory factor analysis of these results are needed to validate these items. © 2014 American Physical Therapy Association.

The Psychometric Structure of Items Assessing Autogynephilia.

PubMed

Hsu, Kevin J; Rosenthal, A M; Bailey, J Michael

2015-07-01

Autogynephilia, or paraphilic sexual arousal in a man to the thought or image of himself as a woman, manifests in a variety of different behaviors and fantasies. We examined the psychometric structure of 22 items assessing five known types of autogynephilia by subjecting them to exploratory factor analysis in a sample of 149 autogynephilic men. Results of oblique factor analyses supported the ability to distinguish five group factors with suitable items. Results of hierarchical factor analyses suggest that the five group factors were strongly underlain by a general factor of autogynephilia. Because the general factor accounted for a much greater amount of the total variance of the 22 items than did the group factors, the types of autogynephilia that a man has seem less important than the degree to which he has autogynephilia. However, the five types of autogynephilia remain conceptually useful because meaningful distinctions were found among them, including differential rates of endorsement and differential ability to predict other relevant variables like gender dysphoria. Factor-derived scales and subscales demonstrated good internal consistency reliabilities, and validity, with large differences found between autogynephilic men and heterosexual male controls. Future research should attempt to replicate our findings, which were mostly exploratory.

Factors affecting construction performance: exploratory factor analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soewin, E.; Chinda, T.

2018-04-01

The present work attempts to develop a multidimensional performance evaluation framework for a construction company by considering all relevant measures of performance. Based on the previous studies, this study hypothesizes nine key factors, with a total of 57 associated items. The hypothesized factors, with their associated items, are then used to develop questionnaire survey to gather data. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was applied to the collected data which gave rise 10 factors with 57 items affecting construction performance. The findings further reveal that the items constituting ten key performance factors (KPIs) namely; 1) Time, 2) Cost, 3) Quality, 4) Safety & Health, 5) Internal Stakeholder, 6) External Stakeholder, 7) Client Satisfaction, 8) Financial Performance, 9) Environment, and 10) Information, Technology & Innovation. The analysis helps to develop multi-dimensional performance evaluation framework for an effective measurement of the construction performance. The 10 key performance factors can be broadly categorized into economic aspect, social aspect, environmental aspect, and technology aspects. It is important to understand a multi-dimension performance evaluation framework by including all key factors affecting the construction performance of a company, so that the management level can effectively plan to implement an effective performance development plan to match with the mission and vision of the company.

Factor structure of the Japanese version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in the postpartum period.

PubMed

Kubota, Chika; Okada, Takashi; Aleksic, Branko; Nakamura, Yukako; Kunimoto, Shohko; Morikawa, Mako; Shiino, Tomoko; Tamaji, Ai; Ohoka, Harue; Banno, Naomi; Morita, Tokiko; Murase, Satomi; Goto, Setsuko; Kanai, Atsuko; Masuda, Tomoko; Ando, Masahiko; Ozaki, Norio

2014-01-01

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a widely used screening tool for postpartum depression (PPD). Although the reliability and validity of EPDS in Japanese has been confirmed and the prevalence of PPD is found to be about the same as Western countries, the factor structure of the Japanese version of EPDS has not been elucidated yet. 690 Japanese mothers completed all items of the EPDS at 1 month postpartum. We divided them randomly into two sample sets. The first sample set (n = 345) was used for exploratory factor analysis, and the second sample set was used (n = 345) for confirmatory factor analysis. The result of exploratory factor analysis indicated a three-factor model consisting of anxiety, depression and anhedonia. The results of confirmatory factor analysis suggested that the anxiety and anhedonia factors existed for EPDS in a sample of Japanese women at 1 month postpartum. The depression factor varies by the models of acceptable fit. We examined EPDS scores. As a result, "anxiety" and "anhedonia" exist for EPDS among postpartum women in Japan as already reported in Western countries. Cross-cultural research is needed for future research.

Chemical Structure and Molecular Dimension As Controls on the Inherent Stability of Charcoal in Boreal Forest Soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hockaday, W. C.; Kane, E. S.; Ohlson, M.; Huang, R.; Von Bargen, J.; Davis, R.

2014-12-01

Efforts have been made by various scientific disciplines to study hyporheic zones and characterize their associated processes. One way to approach the study of the hyporheic zone is to define facies, which are elements of a (hydrobio) geologic classification scheme that groups components of a complex system with high variability into a manageable set of discrete classes. In this study, we try to classify the hyporheic zone based on the geology, geochemistry, microbiology, and understand their interactive influences on the integrated biogeochemical distributions and processes. A number of measurements have been taken for 21 freeze core samples along the Columbia River bank in the Hanford 300 Area, and unique datasets have been obtained on biomass, pH, number of microbial taxa, percentage of N/C/H/S, microbial activity parameters, as well as microbial community attributes/modules. In order to gain a complete understanding of the geological control on these variables and processes, the explanatory variables are set to include quantitative gravel/sand/mud/silt/clay percentages, statistical moments of grain size distributions, as well as geological (e.g., Folk-Wentworth) and statistical (e.g., hierarchical) clusters. The dominant factors for major microbial and geochemical variables are identified and summarized using exploratory data analysis approaches (e.g., principal component analysis, hierarchical clustering, factor analysis, multivariate analysis of variance). The feasibility of extending the facies definition and its control of microbial and geochemical properties to larger scales is discussed.

Analysis of differences in exercise recognition by constraints on physical activity of hospitalized cancer patients based on their medical history.

PubMed

Choi, Mi-Ri; Jeon, Sang-Wan; Yi, Eun-Surk

2018-04-01

The purpose of this study is to analyze the differences among the hospitalized cancer patients on their perception of exercise and physical activity constraints based on their medical history. The study used questionnaire survey as measurement tool for 194 cancer patients (male or female, aged 20 or older) living in Seoul metropolitan area (Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon). The collected data were analyzed using frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis t -test, and one-way distribution using statistical program SPSS 18.0. The following results were obtained. First, there was no statistically significant difference between cancer stage and exercise recognition/physical activity constraint. Second, there was a significant difference between cancer stage and sociocultural constraint/facility constraint/program constraint. Third, there was a significant difference between cancer operation history and physical/socio-cultural/facility/program constraint. Fourth, there was a significant difference between cancer operation history and negative perception/facility/program constraint. Fifth, there was a significant difference between ancillary cancer treatment method and negative perception/facility/program constraint. Sixth, there was a significant difference between hospitalization period and positive perception/negative perception/physical constraint/cognitive constraint. In conclusion, this study will provide information necessary to create patient-centered healthcare service system by analyzing exercise recognition of hospitalized cancer patients based on their medical history and to investigate the constraint factors that prevents patients from actually making efforts to exercise.

Microbial facies distribution and its geological and geochemical controls at the Hanford 300 area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Z.; Nelson, W.; Stegen, J.; Murray, C. J.; Arntzen, E.

2015-12-01

Efforts have been made by various scientific disciplines to study hyporheic zones and characterize their associated processes. One way to approach the study of the hyporheic zone is to define facies, which are elements of a (hydrobio) geologic classification scheme that groups components of a complex system with high variability into a manageable set of discrete classes. In this study, we try to classify the hyporheic zone based on the geology, geochemistry, microbiology, and understand their interactive influences on the integrated biogeochemical distributions and processes. A number of measurements have been taken for 21 freeze core samples along the Columbia River bank in the Hanford 300 Area, and unique datasets have been obtained on biomass, pH, number of microbial taxa, percentage of N/C/H/S, microbial activity parameters, as well as microbial community attributes/modules. In order to gain a complete understanding of the geological control on these variables and processes, the explanatory variables are set to include quantitative gravel/sand/mud/silt/clay percentages, statistical moments of grain size distributions, as well as geological (e.g., Folk-Wentworth) and statistical (e.g., hierarchical) clusters. The dominant factors for major microbial and geochemical variables are identified and summarized using exploratory data analysis approaches (e.g., principal component analysis, hierarchical clustering, factor analysis, multivariate analysis of variance). The feasibility of extending the facies definition and its control of microbial and geochemical properties to larger scales is discussed.

Turkish Version of Kolcaba's Immobilization Comfort Questionnaire: A Validity and Reliability Study.

PubMed

Tosun, Betül; Aslan, Özlem; Tunay, Servet; Akyüz, Aygül; Özkan, Hüseyin; Bek, Doğan; Açıksöz, Semra

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Immobilization Comfort Questionnaire (ICQ). The sample used in this methodological study consisted of 121 patients undergoing lower extremity arthroscopy in a training and research hospital. The validity study of the questionnaire assessed language validity, structural validity and criterion validity. Structural validity was evaluated via exploratory factor analysis. Criterion validity was evaluated by assessing the correlation between the visual analog scale (VAS) scores (i.e., the comfort and pain VAS scores) and the ICQ scores using Spearman's correlation test. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin coefficient and Bartlett's test of sphericity were used to determine the suitability of the data for factor analysis. Internal consistency was evaluated to determine reliability. The data were analyzed with SPSS version 15.00 for Windows. Descriptive statistics were presented as frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. A p value ≤ .05 was considered statistically significant. A moderate positive correlation was found between the ICQ scores and the VAS comfort scores; a moderate negative correlation was found between the ICQ and the VAS pain measures in the criterion validity analysis. Cronbach α values of .75 and .82 were found for the first and second measurements, respectively. The findings of this study reveal that the ICQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the comfort of patients in Turkey who are immobilized because of lower extremity orthopedic problems. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Subjective well-being of mental health nurses in the United Kingdom: Results of an online survey.

PubMed

Oates, Jennifer; Jones, Julia; Drey, Nicholas

2017-08-01

The aim of the present study was to measure the subjective well-being of a group of 225 UK registered mental health nurses (MHN) using three survey measures, and to identify whether certain demographic and workplace factors correlated with subjective well-being measure scores. An online survey incorporating the subjective well-being questions used by the Office for National Statistics, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale was administered to members of two professional bodies for MHN. There was good consistency between the three subjective well-being measures, each demonstrating that UK MHN had a relatively low subjective well-being. Apart from the Office for National Statistics question, 'Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?', demographic and workplace factors did not correlate with subjective well-being measure scores, although the characteristics of being male, living alone, and being aged 40-49 years were associated with lower mean scores on all three measures. The findings of the exploratory study suggest that a similar study should be undertaken with a larger representative population of MHN, and that qualitative research should explore why and how UK MHN have relatively low subjective well-being. The limitations of this study, namely the response rate and sample representativeness, mean that the results of the present study must be tested in further research on the MHN population. © 2016 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

Factor analysis of the Zarit Burden Interview in family caregivers of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PubMed

Oh, Juyeon; Kim, Jung A

2018-02-01

The Zarit Burden Interview has been used in many studies to assess caregiver burden in family caregivers of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, but the factor structure of the Zarit Burden Interview in the caregivers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients is unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the factor structure of the Zarit Burden Interview in family caregivers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients using exploratory factor analysis. The exploratory factor analysis was performed using generalized least squares with oblique rotation in a sample of 202 family caregivers. Three factors had an eigenvalue greater than 1 and accounted for 60.33% of the total variance. The three factors were named as follows: (factor 1) "Social restrictions" (items 2, 3, and 10-15); (factor 2) "Self-criticism" (items 20-21); and (factor 3) "Anger and frustration" (items 1, 4-6, 9, and 16-19). The correlation between factors 1 and 3 was much higher (r = 0.79) than that between factors 1 and 2 (r = 0.14) or factors 2 and 3 (r = 0.15). The findings of this study enriched our understanding of several meaningful dimensions of the caregiving burden in caregivers of an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis population and provided opportunities for future intervention.

Managerial Success Factors: A Chinese Profile

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stivers, Bonnie P.; Adams, Janet S.; Liu, Bin

2007-01-01

This article reports on an exploratory study conducted in the People's Republic of China (PRC) to identify the managerial success factors perceived by Chinese managers to be important in their market economy. The study also looked at how these factors are exhibited by recent graduates of Chinese universities now working in Chinese firms.…

Rotation in the Dynamic Factor Modeling of Multivariate Stationary Time Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molenaar, Peter C. M.; Nesselroade, John R.

2001-01-01

Proposes a special rotation procedure for the exploratory dynamic factor model for stationary multivariate time series. The rotation procedure applies separately to each univariate component series of a q-variate latent factor series and transforms such a component, initially represented as white noise, into a univariate moving-average.…

Are There Stable Factors in Preadolescent Girls' Externalizing Behaviors?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loeber, Rolf; Pardini, Dustin A.; Hipwell, Alison; Stouthamer-Loeber, Magda; Keenan, Kate; Sembower, Mark A.

2009-01-01

Relatively little is known about the factor structure of disruptive behavior among preadolescent girls. The present study reports on exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of disruptive girl behavior over four successive data waves as rated by parents and teachers in a large, representative community sample of girls (N = 2,451). Five factors…

The Self-Report Family Inventory: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodrich, Kristopher M.; Selig, James P.; Trahan, Don P., Jr.

2012-01-01

Researchers explored the factor structure of the Self-Report Family Inventory with a sample of heterosexual parents who have a son or daughter who self-identifies as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Results suggest that a two-factor solution is appropriate. Research and clinical implications are offered. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.)

Higher-Order Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales with a Referred Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Jason M.; Canivez, Gary L.; Lindstrom, Will; Hatt, Clifford V.

2007-01-01

The factor structure of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS; [Reynolds, C.R., & Kamphaus, R.W. (2003). "Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales". Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.]) was investigated with a large (N=1163) independent sample of referred students (ages 6-18). More rigorous factor extraction criteria…

Students' Perspectives on University Experiences; The Role of Protective Factors in Students' Lives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jdaitawi, Malek; Maya-Panorama; Nawafleh, Ahmad; Nabrawi, Ismaeel; Talafha, Feras; Mohd, Amani

2013-01-01

This study examined the relationship between protective factors and students' university experiences among 289 first year university students. The study made use of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to reveal initial support for the research variables. In addition, path analysis was utilized to investigate the relationship among the…

Structural Analysis of Correlated Factors: Lessons from the Verbal-Performance Dichotomy of the Wechsler Scales.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macmann, Gregg M.; Barnett, David W.

1994-01-01

Describes exploratory and confirmatory analyses of verbal-performance procedures to illustrate concepts and procedures for analysis of correlated factors. Argues that, based on convergent and discriminant validity criteria, factors should have higher correlations with variables that they purport to measure than with other variables. Discusses…

Creative Ideation Meets Relational Support: Measuring Links between These Factors in Early Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Ross C.; Pitts, Christine; Smolkowski, Keith

2017-01-01

This study examines measurement of creative ideational behaviors alongside factors of student engagement that may play a role in the development of students' creative potential during early adolescence in school. Two studies used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, cross-validation, and invariance testing of 2 extant measures with…

The Psychometric Properties of the School Engagement Measure in Adolescents in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yusof, Noradlin; Ang, Rebecca P.; Oei, Tian Po S.

2017-01-01

This study examined the psychometric properties of the school engagement measure (SEM) in Singapore. The sample consisted of 1,027 students from a multi-ethnic Singapore adolescent community. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed that the two-factor solution, namely, (a) Emotional and (b) Cognitive…

Measuring Adjustment to College: Construct Validity of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feldt, Ronald C.; Graham, Melody; Dew, Dennis

2011-01-01

This study employed confirmatory factor analysis to examine the quality of fit of two measurement models of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (N = 305). Following the observation of poor fit, exploratory factor analysis was used. Results indicated six factors that account for the variance in Student Adaptation to College…

Environmental Factors of Distance Learning: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klaus, Tim; Changchit, Chuleeporn

2014-01-01

The widespread use of the Internet has opened new avenues for learning in higher education. Distance education through the Internet has had a large increase over the last decade. This study focuses on examining factors of the online course environment that affect student satisfaction. The results identify factors that affect students' satisfaction…

Psychometric Evaluation of Data from the Race-Related Events Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crusto, Cindy A.; Dantzler, John; Roberts, Yvonne Humenay; Hooper, Lisa M.

2015-01-01

Using exploratory factor analysis, we examined the factor structure of data collected from the Race-Related Events Scale, which assesses perceived exposure to race-related stress. Our sample (N = 201) consisted of diverse caregivers of Head Start preschoolers. Three factors explained 81% of the variance in the data and showed sound reliability.

Psychometric evaluation of the Dutch version of the Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale (SOWS).

PubMed

Dijkstra, Boukje A G; Krabbe, Paul F M; Riezebos, Truus G M; van der Staak, Cees P F; De Jong, Cor A J

2007-01-01

To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the 16-item Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale (SOWS). The SOWS measures withdrawal symptoms at the time of assessment. The Dutch SOWS was repeatedly administered to a sample of 272 opioid-dependent inpatients of four addiction treatment centers during rapid detoxification with or without general anesthesia. Examination of the psychometric properties of the SOWS included exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and criterion validity. Exploratory factor analysis of the SOWS revealed a general pattern of four factors with three items not always clustered in the same factors at different points of measurement. After excluding these items from factor analysis four factors were identified during detoxification (temperature dysregulation, tractus locomotorius, tractus gastro-intestinalis and facial disinhibition). The 13-item SOWS shows high internal consistency and test-retest reliability and good validity at different stages of withdrawal. The 13-item SOWS is a reliable and valid instrument to assess opioid withdrawal during rapid detoxification. Three items were deleted because their content does not correspond directly with opioid withdrawal symptoms. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Psychometric Properties of Creative Self-Efficacy Inventory Among Distinguished Students in Saudi Arabian Universities.

PubMed

Alotaibi, Khaled N

2016-06-01

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of Abbott's Creative Self-Efficacy inventory. Saudi honors students (157 men vs. 163 women) participated. These students are undergraduates (M age = 19.5 year, SD = 1.9) who complete 30 credit hours with a grade point average of no less than 4.5 out of 5. The results showed that the internal consistency (α = .87) and the test-retest reliabilities (r = .73) were satisfactory. The study sample was separated into two subsamples. The data from the first subsample (n = 60) were used to conduct an exploratory factor analysis, whereas the data from the second subsample (n = 260) were used to perform a confirmatory factor analysis. The results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis indicated that creative self-efficacy was not a unidimensional construct but consisted of two factors labeled "creative thinking self-efficacy" and "creative performance self-efficacy." As expected, this two-factor model fit the data adequately, supporting prior research that treated creative self-efficacy as multidimensional construct. © The Author(s) 2016.

School Counselors' Experiential Training in Group Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bore, Samuel K.; Armstrong, Stephen A.; Womack, Ashley

2010-01-01

School counselors' perceptions of the efficacy and satisfaction of their experiential training in group work were investigated. An exploratory factor analysis (n = 304) revealed four salient factors: leader characteristics, leader responsibilities, child/adolescent group leadership and adult group leadership. A majority of participants indicated…

Prevalence of depressive symptoms among schoolchildren in Cyprus: a cross-sectional descriptive correlational study.

PubMed

Sokratis, Sokratous; Christos, Ζilides; Despo, Panagi; Maria, Karanikola

2017-01-01

Depressive symptoms in the young constitute a public health issue. The current study aims to estimate: (a) the frequency of depressive symptoms in a sample of final grade elementary-school children in Cyprus, (b) the association among frequency of depressive symptoms, gender and nationality and, (c) the metric properties of the Greek-Cypriot version of the children's depression inventory (CDI). A descriptive cross-sectional study with internal comparison was performed. The occurrence of depressive symptoms was assessed with the CDI, which includes 5 subscales: depressive mood, interpersonal difficulties, ineffectiveness, anhedonia and negative self-esteem. Clinical depressive symptoms were reported as CDI score ≥19. CDI was anonymously and voluntarily completed by 439 schoolchildren [mean age 12.3 (±0.51) years old] from fifteen public elementary schools (217 boys and 222 girls), yielding a response rate of 58.2%. The metric properties of the CDI were assessed in terms of internal consistency reliability and construct validity via exploratory factor analysis (rotated and unrotated principal component analysis). Descriptive and inferential statistics were explored. 10.25% of Cypriot schoolchildren reported clinical depressive symptoms (CDI score ≥19). Statistically significant differences were reported between boys and girls in all five subscales of the CDI. Girls reported higher scores in "Depressive mood", "Negative self-esteem" and "Anhedonia" subscales, while boys scored higher in "Interpersonal difficulties" and "Ineffectiveness" subscales. There were no statistically significant differences among ethnicity groups regarding the entire CDI or the subscales of it. Concerning the metric properties of the Greek-Cypriot version of the CDI, internal consistency reliability was adequate (Cronbach's alpha = 0.84). Factor analysis with varimax rotation resulted in five factors explaining 42% of the variance. The Greek-Cypriot version of the CDI is a reliable tool for the assessment of the severity of depressive symptoms in schoolchildren. Institutional counseling services, as well as interventions aiming to empower the young need to address the different psychological needs of boys and girls. Longitudinal studies within this cultural context may be warranted, with special attention to other factors related to depressive symptoms and low self-esteem in schoolchildren, such as suicidality or bullying.

The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire: score validity among medicine residents.

PubMed

Cook, David A; Thompson, Warren G; Thomas, Kris G

2011-12-01

The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) purports to measure motivation using the expectancy-value model. Although it is widely used in other fields, this instrument has received little study in health professions education. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of MSLQ scores. We conducted a validity study evaluating the relationships of MSLQ scores to other variables and their internal structure (reliability and factor analysis). Participants included 210 internal medicine and family medicine residents participating in a web-based course on ambulatory medicine at an academic medical centre. Measurements included pre-course MSLQ scores, pre- and post-module motivation surveys, post-module knowledge test and post-module Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS) scores. Internal consistency was universally high for all MSLQ items together (Cronbach's α = 0.93) and for each domain (α ≥ 0.67). Total MSLQ scores showed statistically significant positive associations with post-test knowledge scores. For example, a 1-point rise in total MSLQ score was associated with a 4.4% increase in post-test scores (β = 4.4; p < 0.0001). Total MSLQ scores showed moderately strong, statistically significant associations with several other measures of effort, motivation and satisfaction. Scores on MSLQ domains demonstrated associations that generally aligned with our hypotheses. Self-efficacy and control of learning belief scores demonstrated the strongest domain-specific relationships with knowledge scores (β = 2.9 for both). Confirmatory factor analysis showed a borderline model fit. Follow-up exploratory factor analysis revealed the scores of five factors (self-efficacy, intrinsic interest, test anxiety, extrinsic goals, attribution) demonstrated psychometric and predictive properties similar to those of the original scales. Scores on the MSLQ are reliable and predict meaningful outcomes. However, the factor structure suggests a simplified model might better fit the empiric data. Future research might consider how assessing and responding to motivation could enhance learning. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2011.

Factors Influencing the Organizational Stress among Teachers Working in Higher Education Sector in Kerala: An Empirical Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Areekkuzhiyil, Santhosh

2014-01-01

The study aims to explore the various factors that influence the organizational stress of teachers working in higher education sector in the state of Kerala. The data required for the study has been conveniently collected from 200 teachers working in higher education sector. Exploratory factor analysis revealed nine factors, which significantly…

The Construct Validity of Scores on the Ways of Coping Questionnaire: Confirmatory Analysis of Alternative Factor Structures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Jeffrey R.; O'Neill, Regina M.

1998-01-01

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate alternative factor structures, based on previous exploratory factor analyses and coping dimensions derived from the theory of R. Lazarus, for the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (S. Folkman and R. Lazarus, 1988). Results from responses of 654 college graduates provide little support for the factor…

The Development and Validation of the Protective Factors Survey: A Self-Report Measure of Protective Factors against Child Maltreatment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Counts, Jacqueline M.; Buffington, Elenor S.; Chang-Rios, Karin; Rasmussen, Heather N.; Preacher, Kristopher J.

2010-01-01

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the internal structure of a self-report measure of multiple family-level protective factors against abuse and neglect and explore the relationship of this instrument to other measures of child maltreatment. Methods: For the exploratory factor analysis, 11 agencies from 4 states administered…

Estimating usable resources from historical industry data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cargill, S.M.; Root, D.H.; Bailey, E.H.

1981-01-01

Historical production statistics are used to predict the quantity of remaining usable resources. The commodities considered are mercury, copper and its byproducts gold and silver, and petroleum; the production and discovery data are for the United States. The results of the study indicate that the cumulative return per unit of effort, herein measured as grade of metal ores and discovery rate of recoverable petroleum, is proportional to a negative power of total effort expended, herein measured as total ore mined and total exploratory wells or footage drilled. This power relationship can be extended to some limiting point (a lower ore grade or a maximum number of exploratory wells or footage), and the apparent quantity of available remaining resource at that limit can be calculated. For mercury ore of grades at and above 0.1 percent, the remaining usable resource in the United States is calculated to be 54 million kg (1,567,000 flasks). For copper ore of grades at and above 0.2 percent, the remaining usable copper resource is calculated to be 270 million metric tons (298 million short tons); remaining resources of its by-products gold and silver are calculated to be 3,656 metric tons (118 million troy ounces) and 64,676 metric tons (2,079 million troy ounces), respectively. The undiscovered recoverable crude oil resource in the conterminous United States, at 3 billion feet of additional exploratory drilling, is calculated to be nearly 37.6 billion barrels; the undiscovered recoverable petroleum resource in the Permian basin of western Texas and southeastern New Mexico, at 300 million feet of additional exploratory drilling or 50,000 additional exploratory wells, is calculated to be about 6.2 billion BOE (barrels of oil equivalent).

Factor Analysis of the Brazilian Version of UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale.

PubMed

Sediyama, Cristina Y N; Moura, Ricardo; Garcia, Marina S; da Silva, Antonio G; Soraggi, Carolina; Neves, Fernando S; Albuquerque, Maicon R; Whiteside, Setephen P; Malloy-Diniz, Leandro F

2017-01-01

Objective: To examine the internal consistency and factor structure of the Brazilian adaptation of the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale. Methods: UPPS is a self-report scale composed by 40 items assessing four factors of impulsivity: (a) urgency, (b) lack of premeditation; (c) lack of perseverance; (d) sensation seeking. In the present study 384 participants (278 women and 106 men), who were recruited from schools, universities, leisure centers and workplaces fulfilled the UPPS scale. An exploratory factor analysis was performed by using Varimax factor rotation and Kaiser Normalization, and we also conducted two confirmatory analyses to test the independency of the UPPS components found in previous analysis. Results: Results showed a decrease in mean UPPS total scores with age and this analysis showed that the youngest participants (below 30 years) scored significantly higher than the other groups over 30 years. No difference in gender was found. Cronbach's alpha, results indicated satisfactory values for all subscales, with similar high values for the subscales and confirmatory factor analysis indexes also indicated a poor model fit. The results of two exploratory factor analysis were satisfactory. Conclusion: Our results showed that the Portuguese version has the same four-factor structure of the original and previous translations of the UPPS.

Attitudes of clinician educators towards interprofessional education and collaboration: Insights from two interprofessional scales.

PubMed

Ong, Sik Yin; Tan, Nigel C K; Knab, Mary S; Farrell, Susan E; Lim, Wee Shiong

2017-09-01

The increasing complexity of healthcare needs underlines the growing importance of interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP) in enhancing quality of patient care. In particular, clinician educators play an influential role in advocating IPECP. The primary goal of our exploratory pilot study is to explore 34 clinician educators' attitudes towards IPECP by using the adapted 14-item Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS) and 15-item Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS). Mean scores of ATHCTS and RIPLS were 3.81 (SD = 0.90) and 4.02 (SD = 0.79), respectively. Using exploratory factor analysis, we identified four factors: team value (ATHCTS), team efficiency (ATHCTS), teamwork and collaboration (RIPLS), and professional socialisation (RIPLS). The "team efficiency" factor on the ATHCTS scored lowest (factor mean = 3.49) compared with other factors (factor means = 3.87-4.08). Correlation analyses revealed that the "team efficiency" factor had small correlations with other factors (r = -0.05-0.37). Our clinician educators valued IPECP in promoting teamwork and professional socialisation but they perceived IPECP to compromise efficiency. The issue of perceived inefficiency by clinician educators merits attention in order to promote wider implementation of IPECP.

An Exploratory Study of Psychosocial Risk Behaviors of Adolescents Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Comparisons and Recommendations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coll, Kenneth M.; Cutler, Martin M.; Thobro, Patti; Haas, Robin; Powell, Stephanie

2009-01-01

The study compared psychosocial risk behaviors of adolescents who were deaf or hard of hearing with those of their hearing peers in a residential treatment facility. Statistically significant differences emerged between groups. The adolescents who were deaf or hard of hearing demonstrated clinically higher scores than those of their hearing peers…

L2 Motivation Profiling and the Role of Context: A Study in Exploratory Statistical Procedures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vahtrick, Lousia; de Bot, Kees

2013-01-01

Two studies were carried out in order to create distinct motivational profiles of students, examine the way in which context had an effect on motivational styles, and attempt to collaborate these findings with the L2 Motivational Self-System. The research questions for this study were concerned with ascertaining whether or not it is possible to…

Handwriting and Gender: A Multi-Use Data Set

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradley, Sean

2015-01-01

Can individuals guess the gender of a writer based on a sample of his or her handwriting? We administer an electronic survey twice to the same individuals to find out. The resulting data set is interesting to students, rich enough to be amenable to a wide array of activities, and open to a variety of exploratory tacks for statistics students and…

Flipping between Languages? An Exploratory Analysis of the Usage by Spanish-Speaking English Language Learner Tertiary Students of a Bilingual Probability Applet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesser, Lawrence M.; Wagler, Amy E.; Salazar, Berenice

2016-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) are a rapidly growing part of the student population in many countries. Studies on resources for language learners--especially Spanish-speaking ELLs--have focused on areas such as reading, writing, and mathematics, but not introductory probability and statistics. Semi-structured qualitative interviews investigated…

Robust Mokken Scale Analysis by Means of the Forward Search Algorithm for Outlier Detection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zijlstra, Wobbe P.; van der Ark, L. Andries; Sijtsma, Klaas

2011-01-01

Exploratory Mokken scale analysis (MSA) is a popular method for identifying scales from larger sets of items. As with any statistical method, in MSA the presence of outliers in the data may result in biased results and wrong conclusions. The forward search algorithm is a robust diagnostic method for outlier detection, which we adapt here to…

LSAT Dimensionality Analysis for the December 1991, June 1992, and October 1992 Administrations. Statistical Report. LSAC Research Report Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglas, Jeff; Kim, Hae-Rim; Roussos, Louis; Stout, William; Zhang, Jinming

An extensive nonparametric dimensionality analysis of latent structure was conducted on three forms of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) (December 1991, June 1992, and October 1992) using the DIMTEST model in confirmatory analyses and using DIMTEST, FAC, DETECT, HCA, PROX, and a genetic algorithm in exploratory analyses. Results indicate that…

Hazard Management Dealt by Safety Professionals in Colleges: The Impact of Individual Factors.

PubMed

Wu, Tsung-Chih; Chen, Chi-Hsiang; Yi, Nai-Wen; Lu, Pei-Chen; Yu, Shan-Chi; Wang, Chien-Peng

2016-12-03

Identifying, evaluating, and controlling workplace hazards are important functions of safety professionals (SPs). The purpose of this study was to investigate the content and frequency of hazard management dealt by safety professionals in colleges. The authors also explored the effects of organizational factors/individual factors on SPs' perception of frequency of hazard management. The researchers conducted survey research to achieve the objective of this study. The researchers mailed questionnaires to 200 SPs in colleges after simple random sampling, then received a total of 144 valid responses (response rate = 72%). Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the hazard management scale (HMS) extracted five factors, including physical hazards, biological hazards, social and psychological hazards, ergonomic hazards, and chemical hazards. Moreover, the top 10 hazards that the survey results identified that safety professionals were most likely to deal with (in order of most to least frequent) were: organic solvents, illumination, other chemicals, machinery and equipment, fire and explosion, electricity, noise, specific chemicals, human error, and lifting/carrying. Finally, the results of one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated there were four individual factors that impacted the perceived frequency of hazard management which were of statistical and practical significance: job tenure in the college of employment, type of certification, gender, and overall job tenure. SPs within colleges and industries can now discuss plans revolving around these five areas instead of having to deal with all of the separate hazards.

Hazard Management Dealt by Safety Professionals in Colleges: The Impact of Individual Factors

PubMed Central

Wu, Tsung-Chih; Chen, Chi-Hsiang; Yi, Nai-Wen; Lu, Pei-Chen; Yu, Shan-Chi; Wang, Chien-Peng

2016-01-01

Identifying, evaluating, and controlling workplace hazards are important functions of safety professionals (SPs). The purpose of this study was to investigate the content and frequency of hazard management dealt by safety professionals in colleges. The authors also explored the effects of organizational factors/individual factors on SPs’ perception of frequency of hazard management. The researchers conducted survey research to achieve the objective of this study. The researchers mailed questionnaires to 200 SPs in colleges after simple random sampling, then received a total of 144 valid responses (response rate = 72%). Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the hazard management scale (HMS) extracted five factors, including physical hazards, biological hazards, social and psychological hazards, ergonomic hazards, and chemical hazards. Moreover, the top 10 hazards that the survey results identified that safety professionals were most likely to deal with (in order of most to least frequent) were: organic solvents, illumination, other chemicals, machinery and equipment, fire and explosion, electricity, noise, specific chemicals, human error, and lifting/carrying. Finally, the results of one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated there were four individual factors that impacted the perceived frequency of hazard management which were of statistical and practical significance: job tenure in the college of employment, type of certification, gender, and overall job tenure. SPs within colleges and industries can now discuss plans revolving around these five areas instead of having to deal with all of the separate hazards. PMID:27918474

Measuring smoking knowledge, attitudes and services (S-KAS) among clients in addiction treatment

PubMed Central

Guydish, Joseph; Tajima, Barbara; Chan, Mable; Delucchi, Kevin L.; Ziedonis, Douglas

2010-01-01

Background Addiction treatment programs are increasingly working to address prevalent and comorbid tobacco dependence in their service populations. However at present there are few published measurement tools, with known psychometric properties, that can be used to assess client-level constructs related to tobacco dependence in addiction treatment settings. Following on previous work that developed a staff-level survey instrument, this report describes the development and measurement characteristics of the Smoking Knowledge, Attitudes and Services (S-KAS) for use with clients in addiction treatment settings. Method 250 clients enrolled in residential drug abuse treatment programs were surveyed. Summary statistics were used to characterize both the participants and their responses, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to examine the underlying factor structure. Results Examination of the rotated factor pattern indicated that the latent structure was formed by one Knowledge factor, one Attitude factor, and two “service” factors reflecting Program Services and Clinician Services related to tobacco dependence. Standardized Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the four scales were, respectively, .57, .75, .82 and .82. Conclusions The proposed scales have reasonably good psychometric characteristics, although the knowledge scale leaves room for improvement, and will allow researchers to quantify client knowledge, attitudes and services regarding tobacco dependence treatment. Researchers, program administrators, and clinicians may find the S-KAS useful in changing organizational culture and clinical practices related to tobacco addiction, help in program evaluation studies, and in tracking and improving client motivation. PMID:21055884

In Situ Distribution Guided Analysis and Visualization of Transonic Jet Engine Simulations.

PubMed

Dutta, Soumya; Chen, Chun-Ming; Heinlein, Gregory; Shen, Han-Wei; Chen, Jen-Ping

2017-01-01

Study of flow instability in turbine engine compressors is crucial to understand the inception and evolution of engine stall. Aerodynamics experts have been working on detecting the early signs of stall in order to devise novel stall suppression technologies. A state-of-the-art Navier-Stokes based, time-accurate computational fluid dynamics simulator, TURBO, has been developed in NASA to enhance the understanding of flow phenomena undergoing rotating stall. Despite the proven high modeling accuracy of TURBO, the excessive simulation data prohibits post-hoc analysis in both storage and I/O time. To address these issues and allow the expert to perform scalable stall analysis, we have designed an in situ distribution guided stall analysis technique. Our method summarizes statistics of important properties of the simulation data in situ using a probabilistic data modeling scheme. This data summarization enables statistical anomaly detection for flow instability in post analysis, which reveals the spatiotemporal trends of rotating stall for the expert to conceive new hypotheses. Furthermore, the verification of the hypotheses and exploratory visualization using the summarized data are realized using probabilistic visualization techniques such as uncertain isocontouring. Positive feedback from the domain scientist has indicated the efficacy of our system in exploratory stall analysis.

Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Decision Regret Scale in Recipients of Internal Cardioverter Defibrillators

PubMed Central

Hickman, Ronald L.; Pinto, Melissa D.; Lee, Eunsuk; Daly, Barbara J.

2015-01-01

The Decision Regret Scale (DRS) is a five-item instrument that captures an individual’s regret associated with a healthcare decision. Cross-sectional data were collected from 109 cardiac patients who decided to receive an internal cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, assessments of the internal reliability consistency (α = .86), and discriminant validity established the DRS as a reliable and valid measure of decision regret in ICD recipients. The DRS, a psychometrically sound instrument, has relevance for clinicians and researchers vested in optimizing the decisional outcomes of ICD recipients. Future research is needed to examine the reliability and validity of the DRS in a larger and more diverse sample of ICD recipients. PMID:22679707

An Exploratory Data Analysis System for Support in Medical Decision-Making

PubMed Central

Copeland, J. A.; Hamel, B.; Bourne, J. R.

1979-01-01

An experimental system was developed to allow retrieval and analysis of data collected during a study of neurobehavioral correlates of renal disease. After retrieving data organized in a relational data base, simple bivariate statistics of parametric and nonparametric nature could be conducted. An “exploratory” mode in which the system provided guidance in selection of appropriate statistical analyses was also available to the user. The system traversed a decision tree using the inherent qualities of the data (e.g., the identity and number of patients, tests, and time epochs) to search for the appropriate analyses to employ.

Chinese isms dimensions in mainland China and Taiwan: Convergence and extension of American isms dimensions.

PubMed

Chen, Zhuo Job; Hsu, Kung-Yu; Zhou, Xinyue; Saucier, Gerard

2017-07-21

Previous studies of American English isms terms have uncovered as many as five broad factors: tradition-oriented religiousness (TR), subjective spirituality (SS), communal rationalism (CR), unmitigated self-interest (USI), and inequality aversion (IA). The present studies took a similar lexical approach to investigate the Chinese-language isms structures in both mainland China and Taiwan. In Study 1, exploratory factor analyses with 915 mainland Chinese subjects uncovered four interpretable factors dimensionalizing 165 mainland Chinese dictionary isms terms. These factors represented contents of a combination of TR and SS, USI, CR, and a culturally unique Communist Party of China (CPC) ideology factor. In Study 2, exploratory factor analyses with 467 Taiwan Chinese subjects revealed four interpretable factors categorizing 291 Taiwan Chinese dictionary isms terms. These factors represented contents of a combination of TR and SS, USI, CR, and a culturally unique dimension expressing aspirations for happiness. The results gave evidence for the existence of the isms factors TR and SS, USI, and CR in Chinese culture. Cultural uniqueness was reflected in the merging of TR and SS into the factor Syncretic Religiousness and the culture-specific factors of CPC ideology in China and Happiness/Peace Promotion in Taiwan. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Structural equation modeling assessing relationship between mathematics beliefs, teachers' attitudes and teaching practices among novice teachers in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borhan, Noziati; Zakaria, Effandi

2017-05-01

This quantitative study was conducted to investigate the perception level of novice teachers about mathematics belief, teachers' attitude towards mathematics and teaching practices of mathematics in the classroom. In addition, it also aims to identify whether there is a correspondence model with the data obtained and to identify the relationship between the variables of beliefs, attitudes and practices among novice teachers in Malaysia. A total of 263 primary novice teachers throughout the country were involved in this study were selected randomly. Respondents are required to provide a response to the questionnaire of 66 items related to mathematics beliefs, attitudes and practices of the teaching mathematics. There are ten sub-factors which have been established in this instrument for three major constructs using a Likert scale rating of five points. The items of the constructs undergo the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) procedure involve of unidimensionality test, convergent validity, construct validity and discriminant validity. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the frequency, percentage, the mean and standard deviation for completing some research questions that have been expressed. As for inferential statistical analysis, the researchers used structural equation modeling (SEM) to answer the question of correspondents model and the relationship between these three variables. The results of the study were found that there exist a correspondence measurement and structural model with the data obtained. While the relationship between variable found that mathematics beliefs have a significant influence on teachers' attitudes towards mathematics as well as the relationship between the attitudes with teaching practices. Meanwhile, mathematics belief had no significant relationship with mathematics teaching practices among novice teachers in Malaysia.

Development and Validation of the Mathematical Resilience Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kooken, Janice; Welsh, Megan E.; McCoach, D. Betsy; Johnston-Wilder, Sue; Lee, Clare

2016-01-01

The Mathematical Resilience Scale measures students' attitudes toward studying mathematics, using three correlated factors: Value, Struggle, and Growth. The Mathematical Resilience Scale was developed and validated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses across three samples. Results provide a new approach to gauge the likelihood of…

Five Describing Factors of Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamboer, Peter; Vorst, Harrie C. M.; Oort, Frans J.

2016-01-01

Two subtypes of dyslexia (phonological, visual) have been under debate in various studies. However, the number of symptoms of dyslexia described in the literature exceeds the number of subtypes, and underlying relations remain unclear. We investigated underlying cognitive features of dyslexia with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. A…

School Counselors and Principals: Different Perceptions of Relationship, Leadership, and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Stephen A.; MacDonald, Jane H.; Stillo, Sandy

2010-01-01

This study examined school counselors' and principals' perceptions of their relationship and the effectiveness of their respective professional preparation programs. An exploratory factor analysis (n = 615) revealed three salient factors: relationship quality, campus leadership and training satisfaction. Kruskal-Wallis tests revealed statistically…

[Development and validation of the Family Vulnerability Index to Disability and Dependence (FVI-DD)].

PubMed

Amendola, Fernanda; Alvarenga, Márcia Regina Martins; Latorre, Maria do Rosário Dias de Oliveira; Oliveira, Maria Amélia de Campos

2014-02-01

This exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional, and quantitative study aimed to develop and validate an index of family vulnerability to disability and dependence (FVI-DD). This study was adapted from the Family Development Index, with the addition of social and health indicators of disability and dependence. The instrument was applied to 248 families in the city of Sao Paulo, followed by exploratory factor analysis. Factor validation was performed using the concurrent and discriminant validity of the Lawton scale and Katz Index. The descriptive level adopted for the study was p < 0.05. The final vulnerability index comprised 50 questions classified into seven factors contemplating social and health dimensions, and this index exhibited good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82). FVI-DD was validated using both the Lawton scale and Katz Index. We conclude that FVI-DD can accurately and reliably assess family vulnerability to disability and dependence.

French validation of the internet addiction test.

PubMed

Khazaal, Yasser; Billieux, Joël; Thorens, Gabriel; Khan, Riaz; Louati, Youssr; Scarlatti, Elisa; Theintz, Florence; Lederrey, Jerome; Van Der Linden, Martial; Zullino, Daniele

2008-12-01

The main goal of the present study is to investigate the psychometric properties of a French version of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and to assess its relationship with both time spent on Internet and online gaming. The French version of the Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was administered to a sample of 246 adults. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses were carried out. We discovered that a one-factor model of the IAT has good psychometric properties and fits the data well, which is not the case of a six-factor model as found in previous studies using exploratory methods. Correlation analysis revealed positive significant relationships between IAT scores and both the daily duration of Internet use and the fact of being an online player. In addition, younger people scored higher on the IAT. The one-factor model found in this study has to be replicated in other IAT language versions.

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Care Dependency Scale in Nursing Homes.

PubMed

Rajabi, Gholamreza; Namadmalan, Masoume; Dijkstra, Ate; Ghasemzade, Roya; Foroughan, Mahshid; Zahednejad, Shahla

The purpose of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Care Dependency Scale (CDS) in nursing homes. Instrument development. The English version of the CDS was translated into Persian. A convenience sample of 140 (100 older people without dementia and 40 patients with dementia) Persian-speaking people were selected from the nursing homes in Ahvaz, Iran. Cronbach's alpha, discriminant validity, and construct validity (exploratory factor analysis) were examined. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the CDS has two factors, including psychosocial and somatic factors. Discriminant validity showed that the CDS can differentiate patients with dementia from the older adults without dementia. The results of the study showed that the Persian CDS is a reliable and valid scale when used in nursing homes. The Persian version of the CDS can help clinicians and nurses to assess patients' need and the degree of care dependency among older adults in Persian-speaking areas.

Physics Metacognition Inventory Part II: Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taasoobshirazi, Gita; Bailey, MarLynn; Farley, John

2015-11-01

The Physics Metacognition Inventory was developed to measure physics students' metacognition for problem solving. In one of our earlier studies, an exploratory factor analysis provided evidence of preliminary construct validity, revealing six components of students' metacognition when solving physics problems including knowledge of cognition, planning, monitoring, evaluation, debugging, and information management. The college students' scores on the inventory were found to be reliable and related to students' physics motivation and physics grade. However, the results of the exploratory factor analysis indicated that the questionnaire could be revised to improve its construct validity. The goal of this study was to revise the questionnaire and establish its construct validity through a confirmatory factor analysis. In addition, a Rasch analysis was applied to the data to better understand the psychometric properties of the inventory and to further evaluate the construct validity. Results indicated that the final, revised inventory is a valid, reliable, and efficient tool for assessing student metacognition for physics problem solving.

Causes of accidents in terrain parks: an exploratory factor analysis of recreational freestylers' views.

PubMed

Carús, Luis

2014-03-01

This study examines ski and snowboard terrain park users' views on aspects associated with accidents by identifying and assessing variables that may influence the occurrence of accidents and the resulting injuries. The research was conducted in a major resort in the Spanish Pyrenees, using information gathered from freestyle skiers and snowboarders aged 6 or older. To identify interrelationships among variables and to group the variables belonging to unified concepts, an exploratory factor analysis was performed using varimax rotation. The results revealed 5 factors that grouped the measured variables that may influence the occurrence of accidents while freestyling in terrain parks. The park features, conditions of the activity, and the user's personal conditions were found to have the most substantial influence on the freestylers' perceptions. Variables identified as components of the main factors of accident risk in terrain parks should be incorporated into resort management communication and policies. © 2013 Wilderness Medical Society Published by Wilderness Medical Society All rights reserved.

The Job Satisfaction of Finnish Nursing Staff: The Development of a Job Satisfaction Scale and Survey Results

PubMed Central

Kvist, Tarja; Mäntynen, Raija; Partanen, Pirjo; Turunen, Hannele; Miettinen, Merja; Vehviläinen-Julkunen, Katri

2012-01-01

This paper describes the development of the Kuopio University Hospital Job Satisfaction Scale (KUHJSS) and the results of the survey. The scale was developed through a systematic literature review, and its validity and reliability were assessed using several psychometric properties including expert evaluation (n = 5), a pilot survey (n = 172), and exploratory factor analysis. The final version of KUHJSS included 37 items. A large sample psychometric evaluation was made by nursing staff (n = 2708). The exploratory factor analysis revealed seven factors with modest internal consistency (0.64–0.92). The staff reported relatively high job satisfaction. The greatest satisfaction was derived from motivating factors associated with the work; the least, from the job's demands. Respondents who considered their working units to provide an excellent quality of care reported the highest job satisfaction in every subarea (P < .0001). The KUHJSS proved to be a reliable and valid tool for measuring job satisfaction in hospital care. PMID:23133750

Measuring hope among families impacted by cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Hunsaker, Amanda E; Terhorst, Lauren; Gentry, Amanda; Lingler, Jennifer H

2016-07-01

The current exploratory investigation aims to establish the reliability and validity of a hope measure, the Herth Hope Index, among families impacted by early cognitive impairment (N = 96). Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the dimensionality of the measure. Bivariate analyses were used to examine construct validity. The sample had moderately high hope scores. A two-factor structure emerged from the factor analysis, explaining 51.44% of the variance. Both factors exhibited strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alphas ranged from .83 to .86). Satisfaction with social support was positively associated with hope, supporting convergent validity. Neurocognitive status, illness insight, and depression were not associated with hope, indicating discriminant validity. Families impacted by cognitive impairment may maintain hope in the face of a potentially progressive illness, regardless of cognitive status. The Herth Hope Index can be utilized as a reliable and valid measure of hope by practitioners providing support to families impacted by cognitive impairment. © The Author(s) 2014.

Validation of the Work-Life Balance Culture Scale (WLBCS).

PubMed

Nitzsche, Anika; Jung, Julia; Kowalski, Christoph; Pfaff, Holger

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe the theoretical development and initial validation of the newly developed Work-Life Balance Culture Scale (WLBCS), an instrument for measuring an organizational culture that promotes the work-life balance of employees. In Study 1 (N=498), the scale was developed and its factorial validity tested through exploratory factor analyses. In Study 2 (N=513), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to examine model fit and retest the dimensional structure of the instrument. To assess construct validity, a priori hypotheses were formulated and subsequently tested using correlation analyses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a one-factor model. Results of the bivariate correlation analyses may be interpreted as preliminary evidence of the scale's construct validity. The five-item WLBCS is a new and efficient instrument with good overall quality. Its conciseness makes it particularly suitable for use in employee surveys to gain initial insight into a company's perceived work-life balance culture.

Further development of the talent development environment questionnaire for sport.

PubMed

Li, Chunxiao; Wang, Chee Keng John; Pyun, Do Young; Martindale, Russell

2015-01-01

Given the significance of monitoring the critical environmental factors that facilitate athlete performance, this two-phase research aimed to validate and refine the revised talent development environment questionnaire (TDEQ). The TDEQ is a multidimensional self-report scale that assesses talented athletes' environmental experiences. Study 1 (the first phase) involved the examination of the revised TDEQ through an exploratory factor analysis (n = 363). This exploratory investigation identified a 28-item five-factor structure (i.e., TDEQ-5) with adequate internal consistency. Study 2 (the second phase) examined the factorial structure of the TDEQ-5, including convergent validity, discriminant validity, and group invariance (i.e., gender and sports type). The second phase was carried out with 496 talented athletes through the application of confirmatory factor analyses and multigroup invariance tests. The results supported the convergent validity, discriminant validity, and group invariance of the TDEQ-5. In conclusion, the TDEQ-5 with 25 items appears to be a reliable and valid scale for use in talent development environments.

Multivariate statistical analysis software technologies for astrophysical research involving large data bases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Djorgovski, George

1993-01-01

The existing and forthcoming data bases from NASA missions contain an abundance of information whose complexity cannot be efficiently tapped with simple statistical techniques. Powerful multivariate statistical methods already exist which can be used to harness much of the richness of these data. Automatic classification techniques have been developed to solve the problem of identifying known types of objects in multiparameter data sets, in addition to leading to the discovery of new physical phenomena and classes of objects. We propose an exploratory study and integration of promising techniques in the development of a general and modular classification/analysis system for very large data bases, which would enhance and optimize data management and the use of human research resource.

Multivariate statistical analysis software technologies for astrophysical research involving large data bases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Djorgovski, Stanislav

1992-01-01

The existing and forthcoming data bases from NASA missions contain an abundance of information whose complexity cannot be efficiently tapped with simple statistical techniques. Powerful multivariate statistical methods already exist which can be used to harness much of the richness of these data. Automatic classification techniques have been developed to solve the problem of identifying known types of objects in multi parameter data sets, in addition to leading to the discovery of new physical phenomena and classes of objects. We propose an exploratory study and integration of promising techniques in the development of a general and modular classification/analysis system for very large data bases, which would enhance and optimize data management and the use of human research resources.

Career Preparedness and School Achievement of Portuguese Children: Longitudinal Trend Articulations

PubMed Central

Oliveira, Íris M.; Taveira, Maria do Céu; Porfeli, Erik J.

2017-01-01

Social Cognitive Career Theory suggests that students' preparedness for the school-to-work transition is a developmental process. Middle school children explore various careers, obtain feedback about their academic progress, and develop career self-efficacy and outcome expectations. These processes advance provisional educational/occupational goals. The literature has suggested articulations between career and academic development and how both vary across demographic characteristics, but longitudinal studies linking these processes are scarce. This study tested articulations between career preparedness and academic achievement during middle school years and employed gender and geographical location as potential moderators affecting the linkage between career and school domains. Participants included 429 children (47.8% girls) from northern (69.5%) and central Portugal (30.5%) followed across four occasions of measurement (MageWave1 = 10.23, SD = 0.50). Data was collected with school records, the Multidimensional Scales of Perceived Self-Efficacy, Career Exploratory Outcome Expectations Scale, Childhood Career Exploration Inventory and Childhood Career Development Scale. Average and orthnormalized linear, quadratic and cubic trends were computed. Pearson correlation coefficients suggested positive and statistically significant associations between career exploratory outcome expectations and academic achievement average trends. Career planning and self-efficacy expectations were negatively associated with academic achievement quadratic trends. Multiple linear regression models suggested that career exploratory outcome expectations and career planning were respectively statistically significant predictors of the average and quadratic trends of academic achievement. Gender moderated the association between the career variables and academic achievement linear trends as well as the relation of career planning and self-efficacy with academic achievement cubic trends. Additionally, the geographical location moderated the association between the average trend of career exploratory outcome expectations and academic achievement as well as tended to moderate the relation between the career variables and academic achievement quadratic trends. Future research could seek to explore the role of context in shaping the trajectories and linkages between career and academic progress with a more representative sample of participants from a broader array of geographical locations. This study advances extant literature by affirming the longitudinal relationship between the school and work domains in youth, which might sustain practices aimed at fostering students' career preparedness and academic achievement. PMID:28484413

Career Preparedness and School Achievement of Portuguese Children: Longitudinal Trend Articulations.

PubMed

Oliveira, Íris M; Taveira, Maria do Céu; Porfeli, Erik J

2017-01-01

Social Cognitive Career Theory suggests that students' preparedness for the school-to-work transition is a developmental process. Middle school children explore various careers, obtain feedback about their academic progress, and develop career self-efficacy and outcome expectations. These processes advance provisional educational/occupational goals. The literature has suggested articulations between career and academic development and how both vary across demographic characteristics, but longitudinal studies linking these processes are scarce. This study tested articulations between career preparedness and academic achievement during middle school years and employed gender and geographical location as potential moderators affecting the linkage between career and school domains. Participants included 429 children (47.8% girls) from northern (69.5%) and central Portugal (30.5%) followed across four occasions of measurement ( M ageWave1 = 10.23, SD = 0.50). Data was collected with school records, the Multidimensional Scales of Perceived Self-Efficacy, Career Exploratory Outcome Expectations Scale, Childhood Career Exploration Inventory and Childhood Career Development Scale. Average and orthnormalized linear, quadratic and cubic trends were computed. Pearson correlation coefficients suggested positive and statistically significant associations between career exploratory outcome expectations and academic achievement average trends. Career planning and self-efficacy expectations were negatively associated with academic achievement quadratic trends. Multiple linear regression models suggested that career exploratory outcome expectations and career planning were respectively statistically significant predictors of the average and quadratic trends of academic achievement. Gender moderated the association between the career variables and academic achievement linear trends as well as the relation of career planning and self-efficacy with academic achievement cubic trends. Additionally, the geographical location moderated the association between the average trend of career exploratory outcome expectations and academic achievement as well as tended to moderate the relation between the career variables and academic achievement quadratic trends. Future research could seek to explore the role of context in shaping the trajectories and linkages between career and academic progress with a more representative sample of participants from a broader array of geographical locations. This study advances extant literature by affirming the longitudinal relationship between the school and work domains in youth, which might sustain practices aimed at fostering students' career preparedness and academic achievement.

Psychometrics and life history strategy: the structure and validity of the High K Strategy Scale.

PubMed

Copping, Lee T; Campbell, Anne; Muncer, Steven

2014-03-22

In this paper, we critically review the conceptualization and implementation of psychological measures of life history strategy associated with Differential K theory. The High K Strategy Scale (HKSS: Giosan, 2006) was distributed to a large British sample (n = 809) with the aim of assessing its factor structure and construct validity in relation to theoretically relevant life history variables: age of puberty, age of first sexual encounter, and number of sexual partners. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the HKSS in its current form did not show an adequate statistical fit to the data. Modifications to improve fit indicated four correlated factors (personal capital, environmental stability, environmental security, and social capital). Later puberty in women was positively associated with measures of the environment and personal capital. Among men, contrary to Differential K predictions but in line with female mate preferences, earlier sexual debut and more sexual partners were positively associated with more favorable environments and higher personal and social capital. We raise concerns about the use of psychometric indicators of lifestyle and personality as proxies for life history strategy when they have not been validated against objective measures derived from contemporary life history theory and when their status as causes, mediators, or correlates has not been investigated.

Developing an attitude towards bullying scale for prisoners: structural analyses across adult men, young adults and women prisoners.

PubMed

Ireland, Jane L; Power, Christina L; Bramhall, Sarah; Flowers, Catherine

2009-01-01

Few studies have attempted to explore attitudes towards bullying among prisoners, despite acknowledgement that attitudes may play an important role. To evaluate the structure of a new attitudinal scale, the Prison Bullying Scale (PBS), with adult men and women in prison and with young male prisoners. That attitudes would be represented as a multidimensional construct and that the PBS structure would be replicated across confirmatory samples. The PBS was developed and confirmed across four independent studies using item parceling and confirmatory factor analysis: Study I comprised 412 adult male prisoners; Study II, 306 adult male prisoners; Study III, 171 male young offenders; and Study IV, 148 adult women prisoners. Attitudes were represented as a multidimensional construct comprising seven core factors. The exploratory analysis was confirmed in adult male samples, with some confirmation among young offenders and adult women. The fit for young offenders was adequate and improved by factor covariance. The fit for women was the poorest overall. The study notes the importance of developing ecologically valid measures and statistically testing these measures prior to their clinical or research use. The development of the PBS holds value both as an assessment and as a research measure and remains the only ecologically validated measure in existence to assess prisoner attitudes towards bullying.

Outcomes of home-based employment service programs for people with disabilities and their related factors--a preliminary study in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lin, Yi-Jiun; Huang, I-Chun; Wang, Yun-Tung

2014-01-01

The aim of this exploratory study is to gain an understanding of the outcomes of home-based employment service programs for people with disabilities and their related factors in Taiwan. This study used survey method to collect 132 questionnaires. Descriptive and two-variable statistics including chi-square (χ(2)), independent sample t-test and analysis of variance were employed. The results found that 36.5% of the subjects improved their employment status and 75.8% of them improved in employability. Educational level and and vocational categories including "web page production", "e-commerce", "internet marketing", "on-line store" and "website set-up and management" were significantly "positively" associated with either of the two outcome indicators - change of employment status and employability. This study is the first evidence-based study about the outcomes of home-based employment service programs and their related factors for people with disabilities in Taiwan. The outcomes of the home-based employment service programs for people with disabilities were presented. Implications for Rehabilitation Home-based rehabilitation for people with disabilities can be effective. A programme of this kind supports participants in improving or gaining employment status as well as developing employability skills. Further consideration should be given to developing cost-effective home-based programmes and evaluating their effectiveness.

DRG coding practice: a nationwide hospital survey in Thailand

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) payment is preferred by healthcare reform in various countries but its implementation in resource-limited countries has not been fully explored. Objectives This study was aimed (1) to compare the characteristics of hospitals in Thailand that were audited with those that were not and (2) to develop a simplified scale to measure hospital coding practice. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted of 920 hospitals in the Summary and Coding Audit Database (SCAD hospitals, all of which were audited in 2008 because of suspicious reports of possible DRG miscoding); the questionnaire also included 390 non-SCAD hospitals. The questionnaire asked about general demographics of the hospitals, hospital coding structure and process, and also included a set of 63 opinion-oriented items on the current hospital coding practice. Descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were used for data analysis. Results SCAD and Non-SCAD hospitals were different in many aspects, especially the number of medical statisticians, experience of medical statisticians and physicians, as well as number of certified coders. Factor analysis revealed a simplified 3-factor, 20-item model to assess hospital coding practice and classify hospital intention. Conclusion Hospital providers should not be assumed capable of producing high quality DRG codes, especially in resource-limited settings. PMID:22040256

A psychometric evaluation of the four-item version of the Control Attitudes Scale for patients with cardiac disease and their partners.

PubMed

Årestedt, Kristofer; Ågren, Susanna; Flemme, Inger; Moser, Debra K; Strömberg, Anna

2015-08-01

The four-item Control Attitudes Scale (CAS) was developed to measure control perceived by patients with cardiac disease and their family members, but extensive psychometric evaluation has not been performed. The aim was to translate, culturally adapt and psychometrically evaluate the CAS in a Swedish sample of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) recipients, heart failure (HF) patients and their partners. A sample (n=391) of ICD recipients, HF patients and partners were used. Descriptive statistics, item-total and inter-item correlations, exploratory factor analysis, ordinal regression modelling and Cronbach's alpha were used to validate the CAS. The findings from the factor analyses revealed that the CAS is a multidimensional scale including two factors, Control and Helplessness. The internal consistency was satisfactory for all scales (α=0.74-0.85), except the family version total scale (α=0.62). No differential item functioning was detected which implies that the CAS can be used to make invariant comparisons between groups of different age and sex. The psychometric properties, together with the simple and short format of the CAS, make it to a useful tool for measuring perceived control among patients with cardiac diseases and their family members. When using the CAS, subscale scores should be preferred. © The European Society of Cardiology 2014.

Psychometrically Improved, Abbreviated Versions of Three Classic Measures of Impulsivity and Self-Control

PubMed Central

Morean, Meghan E.; DeMartini, Kelly S.; Leeman, Robert F.; Pearlson, Godfrey D.; Anticevic, Alan; Krishnan-Sarin, Suchitra; Krystal, John H.; O’Malley, Stephanie S.

2014-01-01

Self-reported impulsivity confers risk factor for substance abuse. However, the psychometric properties of many self-report impulsivity measures have been questioned, thereby undermining the interpretability of study findings using these measures. To better understand these measurement limitations and to suggest a path to assessing self-reported impulsivity with greater psychometric stability, we conducted a comprehensive psychometric evaluation of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), the Behavioral Inhibition and Activation Scales (BIS/BAS), and the Brief Self Control Scale (BSCS) using data from 1,449 individuals who participated in substance use research. For each measure, we evaluated: 1) latent factor structure, 2) measurement invariance, 3) test-criterion relationships between the measures, and 4) test-criterion relations with drinking and smoking outcomes. Notably, we could not replicate the originally published latent structure for the BIS, BIS/BAS, or BSCS or any previously published alternative factor structures (English language). Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, we identified psychometrically improved, abbreviated versions of each measure (i.e., 8-item, 2 factor BIS-11 [RMSEA = .06, CFI = .95]; 13-item, 4 factor BIS/BAS [RMSEA = .04, CFI = .96]; 7-item, 2 factor BSCS [RMSEA = .05, CFI = .96]). These versions evidenced: 1) stable, replicable factor structures, 2) scalar measurement invariance, ensuring our ability to make statistically interpretable comparisons across subgroups of interest (e.g., sex, race, drinking/smoking status), and 3) test-criterion relationships with each other and with drinking/smoking. This study provides strong support for using these psychometrically improved impulsivity measures, which improve data quality directly through better scale properties and indirectly through reducing response burden. PMID:24885848

Validating the cross-cultural factor structure and invariance property of the Insomnia Severity Index: evidence based on ordinal EFA and CFA.

PubMed

Chen, Po-Yi; Yang, Chien-Ming; Morin, Charles M

2015-05-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the factor structure of the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) across samples recruited from different countries. We tried to identify the most appropriate factor model for the ISI and further examined the measurement invariance property of the ISI across samples from different countries. Our analyses included one data set collected from a Taiwanese sample and two data sets obtained from samples in Hong Kong and Canada. The data set collected in Taiwan was analyzed with ordinal exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to obtain the appropriate factor model for the ISI. After that, we conducted a series of confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), which is a special case of the structural equation model (SEM) that concerns the parameters in the measurement model, to the statistics collected in Canada and Hong Kong. The purposes of these CFA were to cross-validate the result obtained from EFA and further examine the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the ISI. The three-factor model outperforms other models in terms of global fit indices in Taiwan's population. Its external validity is also supported by confirmatory factor analyses. Furthermore, the measurement invariance analyses show that the strong invariance property between the samples from different cultures holds, providing evidence that the ISI results obtained in different cultures are comparable. The factorial validity of the ISI is stable in different populations. More importantly, its invariance property across cultures suggests that the ISI is a valid measure of the insomnia severity construct across countries. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Further insights on the French WISC-IV factor structure through Bayesian structural equation modeling.

PubMed

Golay, Philippe; Reverte, Isabelle; Rossier, Jérôme; Favez, Nicolas; Lecerf, Thierry

2013-06-01

The interpretation of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) is based on a 4-factor model, which is only partially compatible with the mainstream Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence measurement. The structure of cognitive batteries is frequently analyzed via exploratory factor analysis and/or confirmatory factor analysis. With classical confirmatory factor analysis, almost all cross-loadings between latent variables and measures are fixed to zero in order to allow the model to be identified. However, inappropriate zero cross-loadings can contribute to poor model fit, distorted factors, and biased factor correlations; most important, they do not necessarily faithfully reflect theory. To deal with these methodological and theoretical limitations, we used a new statistical approach, Bayesian structural equation modeling (BSEM), among a sample of 249 French-speaking Swiss children (8-12 years). With BSEM, zero-fixed cross-loadings between latent variables and measures are replaced by approximate zeros, based on informative, small-variance priors. Results indicated that a direct hierarchical CHC-based model with 5 factors plus a general intelligence factor better represented the structure of the WISC-IV than did the 4-factor structure and the higher order models. Because a direct hierarchical CHC model was more adequate, it was concluded that the general factor should be considered as a breadth rather than a superordinate factor. Because it was possible for us to estimate the influence of each of the latent variables on the 15 subtest scores, BSEM allowed improvement of the understanding of the structure of intelligence tests and the clinical interpretation of the subtest scores. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Impact of Low-Dose Oral Exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) on Juvenile and Adult Rat Exploratory and Anxiety Behavior: A CLARITY-BPA Consortium Study

PubMed Central

Rebuli, Meghan E.; Camacho, Luísa; Adonay, Maria E.; Reif, David M.; Aylor, David L.; Patisaul, Heather B.

2015-01-01

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high volume production chemical and has been identified as an endocrine disruptor, prompting concern that developmental exposure could impact brain development and behavior. Rodent and human studies suggest that early life BPA exposure may result in an anxious, hyperactive phenotype but results are conflicting and data from studies using multiple doses below the no-observed-adverse-effect level are limited. To address this, the present studies were conducted as part of the CLARITY-BPA (Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on BPA Toxicity) program. The impact of perinatal BPA exposure (2.5, 25, or 2500 µg/kg body weight (bw)/day) on behaviors related to anxiety and exploratory activity was assessed in juvenile (prepubertal) and adult NCTR Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes. Ethinyl estradiol (0.5 µg/kg bw/day) was used as a reference estrogen. Exposure spanned gestation and lactation with dams gavaged from gestational day 6 until birth and then the offspring gavaged directly through weaning (n = 12/sex/group). Behavioral assessments included open field, elevated plus maze, and zero maze. Anticipated sex differences in behavior were statistically identified or suggested in most cases. No consistent effects of BPA were observed for any endpoint, in either sex, at either age compared to vehicle controls; however, significant differences between BPA-exposed and ethinyl estradiol-exposed groups were identified for some endpoints. Limitations of this study are discussed and include suboptimal statistical power and low concordance across behavioral tasks. These data do not indicate BPA-related effects on anxiety or exploratory activity in these developmentally exposed rats. PMID:26209558

Sensitivity to volcanic field boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Runge, Melody; Bebbington, Mark; Cronin, Shane; Lindsay, Jan; Rashad Moufti, Mohammed

2016-04-01

Volcanic hazard analyses are desirable where there is potential for future volcanic activity to affect a proximal population. This is frequently the case for volcanic fields (regions of distributed volcanism) where low eruption rates, fertile soil, and attractive landscapes draw populations to live close by. Forecasting future activity in volcanic fields almost invariably uses spatial or spatio-temporal point processes with model selection and development based on exploratory analyses of previous eruption data. For identifiability reasons, spatio-temporal processes, and practically also spatial processes, the definition of a spatial region is required to which volcanism is confined. However, due to the complex and predominantly unknown sub-surface processes driving volcanic eruptions, definition of a region based solely on geological information is currently impossible. Thus, the current approach is to fit a shape to the known previous eruption sites. The class of boundary shape is an unavoidable subjective decision taken by the forecaster that is often overlooked during subsequent analysis of results. This study shows the substantial effect that this choice may have on even the simplest exploratory methods for hazard forecasting, illustrated using four commonly used exploratory statistical methods and two very different regions: the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand, and Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For Harrat Rahat, sensitivity of results to boundary definition is substantial. For the Auckland Volcanic Field, the range of options resulted in similar shapes, nevertheless, some of the statistical tests still showed substantial variation in results. This work highlights the fact that when carrying out any hazard analysis on volcanic fields, it is vital to specify how the volcanic field boundary has been defined, assess the sensitivity of boundary choice, and to carry these assumptions and related uncertainties through to estimates of future activity and hazard analyses.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Trinity Inventory of Precursors to Suicide (TIPS) and Its Relationship to Hopelessness and Depression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smyth, Caroline L.; MacLachlan, Malcolm

2005-01-01

Numerous existing measures assess attitudes toward suicide yet fail to account for contextual factors. The Trinity Inventory of Precursors to Suicide (TIPS) is presented as an alternative, with implications for the development of prevention programs. Having previously reported exploratory analysis of the TIPS; confirmatory factor analysis and…

Exploring the Dimensionality of a Brief School Readiness Screener for Use with Latino/a Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quirk, Matthew; Rebelez, Jennica; Furlong, Michael

2014-01-01

This study contributed to the school readiness literature by examining the factor structure and reliability of a revised version of the Kindergarten Student Entrance Profile (KSEP). Teachers rated 579 Latino/a children during the first month of kindergarten using the KSEP. Factor analysis procedures (exploratory factor analysis [EFA] and…

The Relationships between Coaching and Instruction in the Primary Grades: Evidence from High-Poverty Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walpole, Sharon; McKenna, Michael C.; Uribe-Zarain, Ximena; Lamitina, David

2010-01-01

In this study of 116 high-poverty schools, we explored teaching and coaching in grades K-3. We developed and validated observation protocols for both coaching and teaching. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were computed to identify and confirm factors that explained the protocol data. Three coaching factors were identified in both…

The Development of a Questionnaire on Academic Hardiness for Late Elementary School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamtsios, Spiridon; Karagiannopoulou, Evangelia

2013-01-01

The purpose of the research was to develop a questionnaire to measure dimensions of academic hardiness in late elementary school children. Questionnaires were distributed to 1474 children. After a set of exploratory factor analyses in studies 1 and 2, the confirmatory factor analysis results provided support for the 9-factor solution which…

Factor Analysis Methods and Validity Evidence: A Systematic Review of Instrument Development across the Continuum of Medical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wetzel, Angela Payne

2011-01-01

Previous systematic reviews indicate a lack of reporting of reliability and validity evidence in subsets of the medical education literature. Psychology and general education reviews of factor analysis also indicate gaps between current and best practices; yet, a comprehensive review of exploratory factor analysis in instrument development across…

A Primer on Bootstrap Factor Analysis as Applied to Health Studies Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Wenhua; Miao, Jingang; McKyer, E. Lisako J.

2014-01-01

Objectives: To demonstrate how the bootstrap method could be conducted in exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with a syntax written in SPSS. Methods: The data obtained from the Texas Childhood Obesity Prevention Policy Evaluation project (T-COPPE project) were used for illustration. A 5-step procedure to conduct bootstrap factor analysis (BFA) was…

Exploratory Factor Analysis as a Construct Validation Tool: (Mis)applications in Applied Linguistics Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karami, Hossein

2015-01-01

Factor analysis has been frequently exploited in applied research to provide evidence about the underlying factors in various measurement instruments. A close inspection of a large number of studies published in leading applied linguistic journals shows that there is a misconception among applied linguists as to the relative merits of exploratory…

Exploratory Factor Analysis of a Force Concept Inventory Data Set

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Terry F.; Schumayer, Daniel; Gray, Andrew R.

2012-01-01

We perform a factor analysis on a "Force Concept Inventory" (FCI) data set collected from 2109 respondents. We address two questions: the appearance of conceptual coherence in student responses to the FCI and some consequences of this factor analysis on the teaching of Newtonian mechanics. We will highlight the apparent conflation of Newton's…

Reliability, Validity, and Factor Structure of the Imaginative Capability Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liang, Chaoyun; Chia, Tsorng-Lin

2014-01-01

Three studies were combined to test the reliability, validity, and factor structure of the imaginative capability scale (ICS). The ICS was a new self-report measure, which was developed to be empirically valid and easy to administer. Study 1 consisted in an exploratory factor analysis to determine the most appropriate structure of the ICS in a…

Starting the Conversation: An Exploratory Study of Factors That Influence Student Office Hour Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, Whitney; Cohen, Steven D.; Berndtson, Rachel; Burson, Kristen M.; Camper, K. Martin; Chen, Yujie; Smith, Margaret Austin

2014-01-01

As part of best practices for increasing faculty-student interaction, higher education institutions across the country require faculty members to hold office hours. Various studies have reported factors affecting student use of office hours; however, results are unclear at best and in some cases conflicting with respect to which factors matter…

An Exploratory Study of the Factors Associated with Literacy Teachers' Integration of Technology: A Study of Lebanese Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chaaban, Youmen; Moloney, Robyn

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore Lebanese teachers' perceptions of the factors determining their integration of technology into literacy classrooms. A quantitative survey examining literacy teachers' individual characteristics and their perceptions of contextual factors was conducted at Lebanese schools. The survey collected data on the…

Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Young Schema Questionnaire (Short Form) in Chinese Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cui, Lixia; Lin, Wenwen; Oei, Tian P. S.

2011-01-01

This study investigated cross-cultural differences in the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Young Schema Questionnaire (short form; YSQ-SF). The participants were 712 Chinese undergraduate students. The total sample was randomly divided into two sub-samples. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted on questionnaire results…

Development and Validation of a Coping with Discrimination Scale: Factor Structure, Reliability, and Validity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Meifen; Alvarez, Alvin N.; Ku, Tsun-Yao; Russell, Daniel W.; Bonett, Douglas G.

2010-01-01

Four studies were conducted to develop and validate the Coping With Discrimination Scale (CDS). In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis (N = 328) identified 5 factors: Education/Advocacy, Internalization, Drug and Alcohol Use, Resistance, and Detachment, with internal consistency reliability estimates ranging from 0.72 to 0.90. In Study 2, a…

Assessing Self-Regulated Strategies for School Writing: Cross-Cultural Validation of a Triadic Measure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malpique, Anabela Abreu; Veiga Simão, Ana Margarida

2015-01-01

This study reports on the construction of a questionnaire to assess ninth-grade students' use of self-regulated strategies for school writing tasks. Exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses were conducted to validate the factor structure of the instrument. The initial factor analytic stage (n = 296) revealed a 13-factor scale, accounting…

An Empirical Analysis of Chinese College Learners' Obstacles to MOOC Learning in an English Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Liangxing

2017-01-01

This article reports a study applying an exploratory factor analysis to discovering the underlying factor structure of Chinese college students' obstacles to learning MOOC in an English context. Seven obstacle factors are identified: 1. academic and language skills; 2. internet skills; 3. course instruction/management; 4. learning motivations; 5.…

Exploring Factors of Media Characteristic Influencing Flow in Learning through Virtual Worlds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Beomkyu; Baek, Youngkyun

2011-01-01

This study aims to find out factors of media characteristic which are considered to influence flow in learning through virtual worlds. One hundred ninety eight elementary students who are eleven to twelve years old participated in this study. After the exploratory factor analysis, to extract media characteristics of virtual worlds, seventy-eight…

Spirituality as a Scientific Construct: Testing Its Universality across Cultures and Languages

PubMed Central

MacDonald, Douglas A.; Friedman, Harris L.; Brewczynski, Jacek; Holland, Daniel; Salagame, Kiran Kumar K.; Mohan, K. Krishna; Gubrij, Zuzana Ondriasova; Cheong, Hye Wook

2015-01-01

Using data obtained from 4004 participants across eight countries (Canada, India, Japan, Korea, Poland, Slovakia, Uganda, and the U.S.), the factorial reliability, validity and structural/measurement invariance of a 30-item version of Expressions of Spirituality Inventory (ESI-R) was evaluated. The ESI-R measures a five factor model of spirituality developed through the conjoint factor analysis of several extant measures of spiritual constructs. Exploratory factor analyses of pooled data provided evidence that the five ESI-R factors are reliable. Confirmatory analyses comparing four and five factor models revealed that the five dimensional model demonstrates superior goodness-of-fit with all cultural samples and suggest that the ESI-R may be viewed as structurally invariant. Measurement invariance, however, was not supported as manifested in significant differences in item and dimension scores and in significantly poorer fit when factor loadings were constrained to equality across all samples. Exploratory analyses with a second adjective measure of spirituality using American, Indian, and Ugandan samples identified three replicable factors which correlated with ESI-R dimensions in a manner supportive of convergent validity. The paper concludes with a discussion of the meaning of the findings and directions needed for future research. PMID:25734921

Exploratory factor analysis of the Oral Health Impact Profile.

PubMed

John, M T; Reissmann, D R; Feuerstahler, L; Waller, N; Baba, K; Larsson, P; Celebić, A; Szabo, G; Rener-Sitar, K

2014-09-01

Although oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) as measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) is thought to be multidimensional, the nature of these dimensions is not known. The aim of this report was to explore the dimensionality of the OHIP using the Dimensions of OHRQoL (DOQ) Project, an international study of general population subjects and prosthodontic patients. Using the project's Learning Sample (n = 5173), we conducted an exploratory factor analysis on the 46 OHIP items not specifically referring to dentures for 5146 subjects with sufficiently complete data. The first eigenvalue (27·0) of the polychoric correlation matrix was more than ten times larger than the second eigenvalue (2·6), suggesting the presence of a dominant, higher-order general factor. Follow-up analyses with Horn's parallel analysis revealed a viable second-order, four-factor solution. An oblique rotation of this solution revealed four highly correlated factors that we named Oral Function, Oro-facial Pain, Oro-facial Appearance and Psychosocial Impact. These four dimensions and the strong general factor are two viable hypotheses for the factor structure of the OHIP. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form 50 in a predominantly minority sample.

PubMed

Hepner, Kimberly A; Sechrest, Lee

2002-12-01

The Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form 50 (CHQ-PF50; Landgraf JM et al., The CHQ User's Manual. Boston, MA: The Health Institute, New England Medical Centre, 1996) appears to be a useful method of assessing children's health. The CHQ-PF50 is designed to measure general functional status and well-being and is available in several versions to suit the needs of the health researcher. Several publications have reported favorably on the psychometric properties of the CHQ. Landgraf et al. reported the results of an exploratory factor analysis at the scale level that provided evidence for a two-factor structure representing physical and psychosocial dimensions of health. In order to cross-validate and extend these results, a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted with an independent sample of generally healthy, predominantly minority children. Results of the analysis indicate that a two-factor model provides a good fit to the data, confirming previous exploratory analyses with this questionnaire. One additional method factor seems likely because of the substantial similarity of three of the scales, but that does not affect the substantive two-factor interpretation overall.