Measurement equivalence/invariance

Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. -Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research -You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain -You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal If you believe that this document breaches copyright, please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.

This study describes the cross-cultural applicability of a multidimensional inventory of students' evaluation of critical thinking dispositions (California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory). The goal was to assess the cross-cultural psychometric equivalency of the CCTDI through testing measurement invariance across American and Turkish linguistic populations. Based on the data from 583 Turkish students and 448 American students from different teacher education programs, the translated Turkish version and the original English version of the CCTDI displayed positive psychometric properties, thus supporting the applicability of the CCTDI in a Turkish educational context with alpha coefficients ranging from .81 to .90 for the sub-scales of the CCTDI Turkish and ranging from .85 to .91 for the sub-scales of the CCTDI English. Results also supported high content validity across cultural versions of the inventory with minimum content validity indices of .81 and .97 for both the Turkish and American versions of the inventory, respectively. However, a cross-cultural comparison of the factorial structure produced a poor fit of the hypothesized multidimensional model of CCTDI to the combined sample. Further analysis, based on the modification indices, supported the use of a four-factor model with reduced items for cross-cultural comparative research studies. Reasons for poor model fit and non-invariance across cultural groups were elaborated.

This article presents a meta-analysis of the relationship between cognitive intelligence (CI) and the Big Five assessed by
quasi-ipsative forced-choice inventories (QIFC). The results showed small effect sizes between CI and the Big Five, assessed
with QIFC inventories, ranging from ρ = -.02 to ρ = .10. It has been found that only openness to experience shares validity
with CI, showing slight moderate correlations (ρ = .18). Moreover, the multiple regression analysis carried out indicated
that personality increases its incremental validity over CI for predicting job performance. Lastly, the contributions and
practical implications of these findings are discussed.

The importance of leadership in today's society cannot be underestimated. However, the usage of theories and models that have existed for decades without change has not only created real-world challenges but also fails to ignore the ever expanding concept of leadership in a disruptive world. Whilst the Full Range Leadership Model and its measurement through the MLQ remains valid, its usage has been in doubt in recent years especially in light of practical issues that have arisen as a result of its overuse. To overcome these limitations, a new approach proposed by Barry A. Vann, Aaron N. Coleman and Jennifer A. Simpson is given attention so that future studies regarding leadership can focus on the concept of hybrid leadership. This paper also adds to the conversation regarding the potential of hybrid leadership, which remains under-researched in leadership research today. A simplified conceptual model is proposed to provide impetus to researchers to begin conducting more studies regarding the concept of hybrid leadership and how it may fill a gap that exists within literature.

Around the coffee klatch and the water cooler, gossip often turns to control freaks, hot heads, power mongers, egomaniacs, and people with low self-esteem. The five-factor model of personality asserts that personality differences can be described by the five independent factors of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. How do these five factors combine to create some of the popularly described personality types? Personality Zimbardo defines personality as the psychological qualities that bring continuity to an individual's behavior in different situations and at different times. It is the thread of continuity in an individual in different situations. Some theories attribute personalities to stable patterns known as traits, types, and temperaments. Traits are the stable personality characteristics that are presumed to exist within the individual and guide his or her thoughts and actions under various conditions. (Zimbardo). Not all words that d...

The degree to which applicant personality test faking constitutes a real world threat is a topic of considerable debate among industrial and organizational psychologists. Researchers have investigated the faking problem using a variety of methodologies, but have found inconclusive results. One method for studying faking involves the use of impression management scales, which are designed to detect individuals' use of intentional response distortion. However, most scales designed to detect applicant faking are too lengthy, too general, or otherwise impractical for use in applied settings. The current applied research involved the development, implementation, and validation of an eight-item impression management scale for use with the Fitability 5a, a Big Five personality test used for screening job applicants. Applicants' (n = 21,017) scores on the new scale were found to have satisfactory reliability and correlated as one might expect with the five personality scales. Applicants considered to be -fakers‖ produced meaningful score differences on the agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness scales, but not the extraversion scale. Additional tests for measurement equivalence were performed using the item response theory-based differential functioning of items and tests framework developed by . Most personality items (35 of 55) demonstrated differential item functioning (DIF). Only items on the extraversion scale did not exhibit significant DIF. Significant differential test functioning (DTF) was found for each of the iii scales that contained DIF items. Correction for DTF by eliminating items with significant DIF was impossible, as DIF was uniform across all items in that the high impression management group demonstrated a higher probability of responding positively to the items (or negatively, for neuroticism) than the low impression management group. These findings suggest that applicant faking is a real world threat to the Fitability 5a, because impression management strongly affected the construct validity of personality measure.

A great deal of research has been carried out on the assessment of the eudaimonic perspective of psychological well-being and the hedonic perspective of subjective well-being. The Flourishing Scale (FS) has been extensively used in research and practice, as it assesses the fundamental aspects of social psychological functioning. Nevertheless, the psychometric properties of Urdu versions of eudaimonic measures, such as the FS, have not yet been ascertained. The translation and validation of the FS in the Urdu language was not available, and hence this study was planned with the aim to validate the Urdu version of the FS. We assessed the psychometric properties of the FS in a sample of adults aged 18 years and above in Pakistan ( = 130) using exploratory factor analysis based on principal component analysis with varimax rotation and confirmatory factor analysis. The exploratory factor analysis confirmed the unidimensional nature of the 8-item FS. We assessed that the Urdu version of t...

Forty items four-point likert-type questionnaire and five-point Osgood semantic adjectival scale on the two construct were administered on a sample of 50 senior school students. The correlational design was adopted. Among research questions set was; is there any significant correlation between measures of self-concept and anxiety? Data generated was first subjected to a split half reliability test for internal consistency to determine the reliability of the instruments while the MTMM approach was further used to test the hypotheses. The result demonstrated moderate convergence for measures of self-concept and anxiety between two likert-type and Osgood scale for the same construct meaning that there is no significant correlation between measures of self-concept and anxiety. The study thus recommended that in determining convergent and divergent validity of measures of constructs the MTMM approach should always be adopted.

Objective: Analyze the evidence of validity of scores of the Academic Procrastination Scale (APS), its measurement equivalence based on nationality, its reliability of the scores, and its validity in relation to other variables in university students from Ecuador, Venezuela, and Peru. Method: This paper involves a quantitative, descriptive, psychometric, and cross-sectional study. Participants: Seven hundred and sixty-two university students from Ecuador (n = 370), Peru (n = 202), and Venezuela (n = 190). Results: The two-factor oblique structure of the APS is confirmed. There is evidence of validity in the APS scores through its relationship with scores of other measures, such as Academic Self-Efficacy. It is identified that the APS has evidence of measurement invariance (strong) according to nationality, as well as adequate internal consistency in the scores of the items and discriminant validity. Conclusion: The scores of the APS are valid for analysis in university students from Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela for the study of academic procrastination, showing resistance to the cultural variations of these three countries.

The Big Five Inventory-15p (BFI-15p) is a relatively new 15-item version developed for Hispanic populations; however, evidence of its cross-cultural equivalence is lacking. This study examined the clarity of item phrasing (Study 1) and measurement invariance (Study 2) in university students from Argentina, Spain, and Peru. Two studies were conducted: one to assess perceived item clarity (n = 70) and another to evaluate the internal structure (n = 737), including dimensionality, reliability, and measurement invariance. In Study 1, consistent item clarity was observed across the three groups, though one item required minor revision. In Study 2, the fivefactor structure showed a good fit in the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), while exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) provided slightly better results. However, differences between CFA and ESEM were not substantial, as cross-loadings were close to zero. Omega reliability varied across country groups but was predominantly acceptable for three-item subscales (approximately 0.60). Differential item functioning (DIF) by sex within each country was predominantly negligible. Measurement invariance was supported at the configural, metric, and scalar levels. The findings highlight the implications of measuring the Big Five model in university students across diverse cultural contexts.

To identify cross-cultural validity evidence for the Spanish version of the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) in a sample of university students from six Latin American countries. Method: This study employed a descriptive, psychometric, and cross-sectional design to examine the factorial validity of the GAD-7, its measurement equivalence across nationalities, and item-level discrimination and difficulty parameters. Participants: The sample consisted of 2278 university students from six Latin American countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Paraguay) with a mean age of 21.9 years (SD = 5.41, range = 16-59). The sample was composed of 37.4 % men (n = 851) and 62.6 % women (n = 1427). Results: The findings confirmed the unidimensional structure of the GAD-7, along with measurement equivalence across nationalities from the six countries. The instrument demonstrated excellent internal consistency, and the discrimination and difficulty parameters for the items were found to be appropriate. Conclusions: The GAD-7 is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing generalised anxiety in university students from Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Paraguay. Nationality does not introduce variability in the measure, supporting its cross-cultural applicability.

This study examined the measurement equivalency (ME) of the job embeddedness (JE) instrument for rural and urban registered nurses (RNs) using a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional mailed survey. JE represents the sum of reasons an employee remains at the present job. RNs from both rural and urban areas returned a 40-item JE instrument designed to assess their level of embeddedness. Analysis was performed using a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis for JE ratings of rural and urban RNs. The findings indicated that the original 40-item JE instrument needed to be respecified to achieve adequate fit for the sample of rural and urban RNs. This 32-item respecified instrument demonstrated that rural and urban RNs use the same metric when giving ratings for JE items. The findings of ME across rural and urban RNs facilitate comparisons between the two groups. The implications of these findings are that differences in ratings between rural and urban RNs may be attributed to real dif...

Multiple group confirmatory factor analysis has become the most common technique for assessing measurement invariance. However, higher-order factor modeling is less frequently discussed in this context. In particular, the literature provides only very general guidelines for testing measurement invariance of second-order factor models, which is a prerequisite for conducting meaningful comparative research using higher-order factors. The current paper attempts to fill this gap. First, we explicate the constraints required for identification of the invariance levels in a multiple group second-order factor model. Second, in addition to the conventional interpretation of the results of this assessment, we suggest an alternative view on the invariance properties of a second-order factor as evidence of structural rather than measurement invariance. Third, we present an empirical application of the test which builds on Seeman’s alienation scale and utilizes data from eight countries collect...

Engagement at work is a positive mental and dispositional state characterized by Vigor, Dedication and Concentration. The aim of this study was to adapt and get evidence of validity for the Brazilian version of the utrecht work engagement scale (UWES). Participated in the study 1167 workers between 18 and 70 years (M = 36.8, SD = 10.3) in the Brazilian regions. Studies to establish content and construct validity with the 17-item and the 9-item scales were performed. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyzes showed that the best solution is unifactorial. Internal consistency was high. Age differences in engagement were found. The results also indicate that the present version of UWES is valid for use in Brazil and reinforce the idea that engagement at work is a universal construct. Although most of the results agree with the findings reported in the literature, some cultural differences appeared and they are discussed in this paper.

In recent years, styles of transformational and transactional leadership have become an important area of research because of its significant impact on teachers’ outcomes such as commitment, job satisfaction, self-efficacy. However, the relationships between transformational and transactional leadership styles of school principals and teachers’ organizational commitment have been rarely investigated in the educational context in Vietnam. This study aimed to determine how transformational and transactional leadership styles influence the organizational commitment of Vietnamese high school teachers. The study employed two standardized surveys to collect data from 387 teachers at 24 public high schools in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The results of correlation coefficient analyses indicated that teachers’ organizational commitment was positively influenced by transformational leadership and negatively influenced by transactional leadership. In addition, the results of multiple regression analyses showed that the organizational commitment of teachers was predicted by all components of both leadership styles of principals. The present study suggested that school leaders might combine both transformational and transactional leadership styles in their leadership practices to improve teachers’ organizational commitment.

Background and aims: Despite the last decade’s significant development
in the scientific study of work addiction/workaholism, this
area of research is still facing a fundamental challenge, namely
the need for a valid and reliable measurement tool that shows
cross-cultural invariance and, as such, allows for worldwide studies
on this phenomenon. Methods: An initial 16-item questionnaire,
developed within an addiction framework, was administered
alongside job stress, job satisfaction, and self-esteem measures in a
total sample of 31,352 employees from six continents and 85 cultures
(63.5% females, mean age of 39.24 years). Results: Based on
theoretical premises and psychometric testing, the International
Work Addiction Scale (IWAS) was developed as a short measure
representing essential features of work addiction. The seven-item
version (IWAS-7), covering all seven components of work addiction,
showed partial scalar invariance across 81 cultures, while the
five-item version (IWAS-5) showed it across all 85 cultures. Higher
levels of work addiction on both versions were associated with
higher job stress, lower job satisfaction, and lower self-esteem
across cultures. The optimal cut-offs for the IWAS-7 (24 points)
and IWAS-5 (18 points) were established with an overall accuracy
of 96% for both versions. Discussion and conclusions: The IWAS is
a valid, reliable, and short screening scale that can be used in
different cultures and languages, providing comparative and
generalizable results. The scale can be used globally in clinical and
organizational settings, with the IWAS-5 being recommended
for most practical and clinical situations. This is the first study to
provide data supporting the hypothesis that work addiction is a
universal phenomenon worldwide.

This study evaluates the Children's Worlds Psychological Well-Being
Scale (CW-PSWBS) within a diverse international cohort of children aged 10 and 12, utilising Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT) methodologies. Through a detailed psychometric analysis, this research assesses the CW-PSWBS's structural integrity, focusing on its unidimensionality and measurement invariance across gender and age groups. The study also analyses the scale's item discrimination and difficulty levels using IRT. Participants: The sample consisted of children from 30 countries, aged 10 and 12 years, offering a broad perspective
on psychological well-being across different cultures and developmental stages. The CW-PSWBS demonstrates a unidimensional structure, ensuring consistent measurement across genders and age groups. The scale's items exhibit strong discrimination and appropriate difficulty, highlighting its effectiveness in capturing the latent trait of psychological well-being, particularly at low and average score ranges. Validated by a comprehensive analysis grounded in both CTT and IRT, the CW-PSWBS
emerges as a reliable tool for assessing the psychological well-being
of children aged 10 and 12 across a wide array of cultural contexts. The
study affirms the scale's robustness and cross-cultural validity, making a significant contribution to the field of child psychology.

Data equivalence refers to the extent to which the elements of a research design have the same meaning, and can be applied in the same way, in different cultural contexts. Failure to establish data equivalence in cross-cultural studies may bias empirical results and theoretical inferences. Although several authors have encouraged researchers to ensure high levels of data equivalence, no study has assessed the status of the field in relation to compliance with data equivalence standards. Accordingly, this study examines three aspects of data equivalence (construct equivalence, measurement equivalence, and data collection equivalence) within 167 studies that involve cross-cultural data

Research on gender differences in intelligence has led to inconsistent results. Different methods seem to provide different estimates using the Wechsler scales. The present study analyzed WAIS-IV and WAIS-R standardization data. We assessed gender differences in subtest scores, indices, and IQs and used a Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MGCFA) to investigate whether gender differences were due to differences in ability factors or test bias. The larger effect sizes in favor of men were found in the Arithmetic subtest and the Working Memory Index of the WAIS-IV. Likewise, for the WAIS-R, Arithmetic, Information, and Block Design subtests and all IQ scores were the larger effect sizes. The MGCFA supported the metric invariance of both editions. For the WAIS-IV, partial scalar invariance was achieved by releasing intercept equality for Information, Comprehension, and Arithmetic. For the WAIS-R, also Coding and Digit Span intercepts had to be unconstrained. Men outperformed women on the perceptual reasoning ability factor. No gender differences were found for the processing speed factor. Men had higher working memory ability, while no difference emerged for verbal comprehension. However, the latent mean differences could be affected by a lack of scalar invariance. A comparison of observed effect sizes at the subtest level to those expected according to MGCFA revealed that Information, Arithmetic, and Comprehension subtests were gender-biased in both editions. As a whole, gender differences appeared more pronounced in the WAIS-R. Gender differences in perceptual reasoning seem genuine, as does their absence in processing speed. Implications for clinical assessment are discussed.

Ráda bych tímto poděkovala PhDr. Jiřímu Vinopalovi, Ph.D., který tuto práci vedl, za to, že se nebál svěřit takto lákavé, zajímavé a komplikované téma do rukou studenta. Také bych mu ráda poděkovala za to, že mě přesvědčil, abych nahlédla do světa metodologie, což se ukázalo jako mnohem zábavnější, než by se mohlo zdát. A děkuji také za všechny nadšené diskuze nad tématem, které jsme spolu vedli. Dále bych chtěla poděkovat PhDr. Petře Anýžové, Ph.D. za to, že prošlapala ekvivalenci cestičku do české sociologie a děkuji jí také za hodinové konzultace a všechny nápady a dobré rady, které mi věnovala. V neposlední řadě děkuji své kolegyni, spolužačce a skvělé kamarádce Jarmile za to, že jsem si měla o ekvivalenci s kým popovídat. Děkuji svému příteli za nevyčerpatelnou dávku trpělivosti a veškerou podporu a pomoc. Prohlašuji, že jsem tuto diplomovou práci vypracovala samostatně a výhradně s použitím citovaných pramenů, literatury a dalších odborných zdrojů. V Praze, dne 29. července 2016 Práce se věnuje indikátoru subjektivní kvality pracovního života (SQWLI) a testování ekvivalence měření tohoto nástroje v čase. V teoretické části práce je představen pojem ekvivalence, od jeho vzniku, přes definici, druhy, metody využívané k testování ekvivalence různých druhů a programy, které je za tím účelem možné využívat. Dále jsou představeny testované datové soubory z roku 2009, 2011, 2013 a 2014. Analytická část práce obsahuje pojednání o konfirmační faktorové analýze pro více skupin, která je nejčastěji využívanou metodou testování ekvivalence měření v čase. Prezentovány jsou výsledky několika metod, pomocí kterých byla data testována. Jde o analýzu reliability, explorační faktorovou analýzu a konfirmační faktorovou analýzu pro více skupin. Na základě dosažených výsledků je pak naznačeno, jakým způsobem je možné přistupovat ke srovnávání v čase a ohodnocen je i vývoj nástroje SQWLI a jednotlivé změny z pohledu funkčnosti celku.

We estimate a finite mixture model in which countries are sorted into groups based on the similarity of the conditional distributions of their growth rates. We strongly reject the hypothesis that all countries follow a common growth process in favor of a model in which there are two classes of countries, each with its own distinct growth process. Group membership does not conform to the usual categories used to control for parameter heterogeneity such as region or income. However, we find strong evidence that one country characteristic that helps to sort countries into different regimes is the quality of institutions, specifically, the degree of law and order. Once institutional features of the economy are controlled for, we find no evidence that geographic characteristics play a role in determining the country groupings.

There is a set of characterological attributes thought to be associated with developing success at critical thinking (CT). This paper explores the disposition toward CT theoretically, and then as it appears to be manifest in college students. Factor analytic research grounded in a consensus-based conceptual analysis of CT described seven aspects of the overall disposition toward CT: truth-seeking, open-mindedness, analyticity, systematicity, CTconfidence, inquisitiveness, and cognitive maturity. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI), developed in 1992, was used to sample college students at two comprehensive universities. Entering college freshman students showed strengths in openmindedness and inquisitiveness, weaknesses in systematicity and opposition to truth-seeking. Additional research indicates the disposition toward CT is highly correlated with the psychological constructs of absorption and openness to experience, and strongly predictive of ego-resiliency. A preliminary study explores the interesting and potentially complex interrelationship between the disposition toward CT and CT abilities. In addition to the significance of this work for psychological studies of human development, empirical research on the disposition toward CT promises important implications for all levels of education.

The mission of the JRC-IPSC is to provide research results and to support EU policy-makers in their effort towards global security and towards protection of European citizens from accidents, deliberate attacks, fraud and illegal actions against EU policies.

Facilitating Active citizenship is one of the European Commission's strategies for increasing social cohesion and reducing the democratic deficit across Europe within the context of the wider Lisbon process. In this context, this paper provides an evidence base for policy development, identifying the socio-demographic characteristics and determinants of active citizens and those who for one reason or another participate much less. The paper provides a detailed identikit of the active citizen from 2002 across 14 European countries Austrian,

Equivalence – Equivalence responding (Barnes et al., 1997), based on derived or non-explicitly trained relational responding, supports a behaviour-analytic model of analogical reasoning. Conditional discriminations are the most common procedure used to train its prerequisites. In this exploratory work we test Vaughan’s (1988) simple discrimination procedure instead to derive Eq-Eq responses in children. Two factors were assessed: type of reinforcer used (primary or secondary) and age of participants (9-10 or 12-13 years). The procedure successfully leaded to the derivation of equivalence – equivalence responses, and both factors influenced the results: selecting older children and applying primary reinforcement leaded to faster learning and better results in the equivalence – equivalence test. No interaction between factors was found. This training procedure can provide a new way to investigate the behavioural prerequisites of this important ability

In this article, we assess the structural equivalence of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) across 26 samples from 24 countries (N = 12,200). The ZTPI is proven to be a valid and reliable index of individual differences in time perspective across five temporal categories: Past Negative, Past Positive, Present Fatalistic, Present Hedonistic, and Future. We obtained evidence for invariance of 36 items (out of 56) and also the five-factor structure of ZTPI across 23 countries. The short ZTPI scales are reliable for country-level analysis, whereas we recommend the use of the full scales for individual-level analysis. The short version of ZTPI will further promote integration of research in the time perspective domain in relation to many different psycho-social processes.

Equivalence – Equivalence responding (Barnes et al., 1997), based on derived or non-explicitly trained relational responding, supports a behaviour-analytic model of analogical reasoning. Conditional discriminations are the most common procedure used to train its prerequisites. In this exploratory work we test Vaughan’s (1988) simple discrimination procedure instead to derive Eq-Eq responses in children. Two factors were assessed: type of reinforcer used (primary or secondary) and age of participants (9-10 or 12-13 years). The procedure successfully leaded to the derivation of equivalence – equivalence responses, and both factors influenced the results: selecting older children and applying primary reinforcement leaded to faster learning and better results in the equivalence – equivalence test. No interaction between factors was found. This training procedure can provide a new way to investigate the behavioural prerequisites of this important ability

This paper presents a systematic review of published data on the performance of sub-Saharan Africans on Raven's Progressive Matrices. The specific goals were to estimate the average level of performance, to study the Flynn Effect in African samples, and to examine the psychometric meaning of Raven's test scores as measures of general intelligence. Convergent validity of the Raven's tests is found to be relatively poor, although reliability and predictive validity are comparable to western samples. Factor analyses indicate that the Raven's tests are relatively weak indicators of general intelligence among Africans, and often measure additional factors, besides general intelligence. The degree to which Raven's scores of Africans reflect levels of general intelligence is unknown. Average IQ of Africans is approximately 80 when compared to US norms. Raven's scores among African adults have shown secular increases over the years. It is concluded that the Flynn Effect has yet to take hold in sub-Saharan Africa.

Equivalence – Equivalence responding (Barnes et al., 1997), based on derived or non-explicitly trained relational responding, supports a behaviour-analytic model of analogical reasoning. Conditional discriminations are the most common procedure used to train its prerequisites. In this exploratory work we test Vaughan’s (1988) simple discrimination procedure instead to derive Eq-Eq responses in children. Two factors were assessed: type of reinforcer used (primary or secondary) and age of participants (9-10 or 12-13 years). The procedure successfully leaded to the derivation of equivalence – equivalence responses, and both factors influenced the results: selecting older children and applying primary reinforcement leaded to faster learning and better results in the equivalence – equivalence test. No interaction between factors was found. This training procedure can provide a new way to investigate the behavioural prerequisites of this important ability

Teachers need to improve their teaching skills to increase the learning beneficts of their students. Professional learning communities not only cater to the needs of individual teachers and the whole staff,, but also improve the quality of their teaching, and through this, boost their students' achievement. In a professional teaching community, the key to improved learning for students is the continuous learning of teachers (Bryk, Camburn & Louis, 2009). Thee professional learning community (PLC) is becoming a popular technique for teachers' professional development, and, as a result, there is a need for research that explores their impact. Theis study aims to map the eff,ects of the implementation of professional learning communities at a Myanmar Education College, how they impact on the quality of teacher educators' work, and, hopefully, in turn, on their student teach-ers' achievements. Methodically, the study used a qualitative approach and a random sample to obtain data from teacher educators at Monywa Education College, who answered open-ended interview questions. Thee data revealed that there is a need for more PLCs of teacher educators to nurture their professional development and for the provision of extensive pedagogical support for the operation of PLCs in the current situation.

Various international and national tests are applied to assess curricula across the world. About 250.000 students' knowledge and skills are tested via Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Many international and national comparisons are made with the test results. However, to compare the test results of such a big crowd of people, the test results must not differ because of any other variable but achievement; in short, they must represent the same results of measurement. In the presence of measurement invariance, the structure in question will be similar in all subgroups. In light of this information, the purpose of the study is to examine the measurement invariance of the model of the science affective factors of the eighth graders who participated in TIMSS 2015 Turkey, which is constructed via structural equation modeling, among Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics -Level 1 regions and genders in Turkey, through multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. The sample of this research consists of 5344 students. As a result of this study, the model met strict invariance for genders and scalar invariance for regions.

The purpose of this study was to examine the measurement invariance of the Self-Compassion Scale by IRT differential test functioning in ten distinct populations (n = 13623 participants) from ten different countries: Australia (n = 517), China (n = 321), Czech Republic (n = 5081), Germany (n = 2510), Italy (n = 384), Portugal (n = 512), Slovakia (n = 1181), South Korea (n = 1813), Turkey (n = 471), and USA (n = 833). We assessed differential test functioning for the two SCS subscales, Self-compassionate responding and Self-uncompassionate responding separately, because previous bifactor and two-tier analyses of the scale showed the best fit with two separate general factors, and not for the overall score. Only 13 of the 45 comparisons for Self-compassionate responding and 13 of the 45 comparisons for Self-uncompassionate responding (analyses of every pair) demonstrated measurement invariance (no differential test functioning). Generally, our results revealed that the two subscales o...

We explored how a constellation of factors affected vocabulary development of infants (N=556; 49.6% male) from families comprising the control group of the Early Head Start Research Evaluation project. Predictors assessed at age 14 months accounted for 23.5%, 25.8%, and 30.6% of variance in receptive vocabulary (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) at 36 months, Pre-K, and Grade 5, respectively. Joint engagement, assessed during free play (3-bags task), and infant cognitive ability (Bayley Mental Development Index) had direct associations with vocabulary knowledge. Gestational age was indirectly associated with vocabulary knowledge via infant cognitive ability. Home environment, maternal education, maternal distress, and child gender had variable direct and/or indirect effects. Latent factors were partially invariant for subgroups with Black/African American and White/European American mothers. Findings suggest a long-term impact of joint engagement on vocabulary growth at least through Grade 5, highlighting the importance of interventions to support mothers and infants living in poverty.

The study aimed at Predictive Accuracy of Social Comparison, Five Big Factor of Personality in predicting of Mood Contagion among Social Networking Users of Universities students. The sample consisted of 288 students from volunteers' university stage students. The scales application was performed electronically by the google form platform. The study depended on a correlational approach. The paper used the Mood contagion, five big factors of personality in social networking scales, then the study produced the social comparison scale. The findings proved that two factors Neuroticism and Extraversion had positive effects on mood contagion. Finally, the social comparison had a positive effect on mood contagion.

Úvod: Tato studie hodnotí psychometrické vlastnosti české adaptace Škály suicidální ideace (Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale, SIDAS) vyvinuté za účelem snadné online administrace a hodnotí její použití u LGBT+ osob.
Metody: Pomocí konfirmační faktorové analýzy jsme zkoumali faktorovou strukturu a invarianci měření napříč jednotlivými LGBT+ skupinami ve výběrovém souboru 1 778 zúčastněných.
Výsledky: Naše data podporují jednofaktorovou strukturu SIDAS a částečnou invarianci měření, což umožňuje porovnávání suicidální ideace mezi jednotlivými skupinami LGBT+ osob. SIDAS koreluje se škálami měřícími pocit osamělosti, dysregulaci emocí, vnímaný stres, ruminaci a životní spokojenost.
Diskuse: SIDAS představuje cenný nástroj pro hodnocení sebevražedných myšlenek u LGBT+ osob, je vhodný pro online použití a má potenciál usnadňovat vývoj, plánování i vyhodnocování účinnosti cílených intervencí. Budoucí výzkum by měl prozkoumat stabilitu skóru v čase a vývoj dalších proměnných pro hodnocení závažnosti suicidality.

Research on gender differences in intelligence has led to inconsistent results. Different methods seem to provide different estimates using the Wechsler scales. The present study analyzed WAIS-IV and WAIS-R standardization data. We assessed gender differences in subtest scores, indices, and IQs and used a Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MGCFA) to investigate whether gender differences were due to differences in ability factors or test bias. The larger effect sizes in favor of men were found in the Arithmetic subtest and the Working Memory Index of the WAIS-IV. Likewise, for the WAIS-R, Arithmetic, Information, and Block Design subtests and all IQ scores were the larger effect sizes. The MGCFA supported the metric invariance of both editions. For the WAIS-IV, partial scalar invariance was achieved by releasing intercept equality for Information, Comprehension, and Arithmetic. For the WAIS-R, also Coding and Digit Span intercepts had to be unconstrained. Men outperformed women on the perceptual reasoning ability factor. No gender differences were found for the processing speed factor. Men had higher working memory ability, while no difference emerged for verbal comprehension. However, the latent mean differences could be affected by a lack of scalar invariance. A comparison of observed effect sizes at the subtest level to those expected according to MGCFA revealed that Information, Arithmetic, and Comprehension subtests were gender-biased in both editions. As a whole, gender differences appeared more pronounced in the WAIS-R. Gender differences in perceptual reasoning seem genuine, as does their absence in processing speed. Implications for clinical assessment are discussed.

Bu çalışma kapsamında PISA 2006 öğrenci anketinde yer alan fen bilimlerine ilişkin tutum maddeleri, cinsiyete göre ve kültüre göre değişen madde fonksiyonu gösterip göstermediğini incelenmektedir. Değişen madde fonksiyonu (DMF)'nun cinsiyetler arası farklılıklardan kaynaklanabileceği gibi, kültürel farklılıklardan ve testlerin başka bir dile çevrilmesinde karşılaşılan sorunlardan da kaynaklanabilmektedir. Bu nedenle araştırmanın çalışma grubu PISA uygulamasına katılan ABD'den 5611 öğrenci ve Türkiye'den 4942 öğrenci olarak belirlenmiştir. Cinsiyete göre yapılan analizlerde her iki yöntemde ortak ve önemli düzeyde DMF gösteren madde sayısı Türkiye'de 7, ABD' de 13'tür. Đki ülke arasında kültüre göre her iki yöntemde yapılan analizlerde 30 maddede önemli düzeyde DMF görülmüştür. Analizler sonucu iki yöntem karşılaştırıldığında, yöntemlerin DMF belirlemede bir uyum gösterdiği; ancak düzeylerinde farklılıklar olabileceği sonucuna varılmıştır.

A great deal of research has been carried out on the assessment of the eudaimonic perspective of psychological well-being and the hedonic perspective of subjective well-being. The Flourishing Scale (FS) has been extensively used in research and practice, as it assesses the fundamental aspects of social psychological functioning. Nevertheless, the psychometric properties of Urdu versions of eudaimonic measures, such as the FS, have not yet been ascertained. The translation and validation of the FS in the Urdu language was not available, and hence this study was planned with the aim to validate the Urdu version of the FS. We assessed the psychometric properties of the FS in a sample of adults aged 18 years and above in Pakistan ( = 130) using exploratory factor analysis based on principal component analysis with varimax rotation and confirmatory factor analysis. The exploratory factor analysis confirmed the unidimensional nature of the 8-item FS. We assessed that the Urdu version of t...

The aim of this study is to investigate the measurement invariance of PISA 2012 mathematical literacy among the OECD member countries, and gender and region groups in Turkey. Among cognitive test booklets implemented in PISA 2012, booklet 8 which was used commonly by all countries was selected for this correlational survey study. The study was conducted using the dataset belonging to 23.311 students that took booklet 8 in the OECD member countries and 377 students that took this booklet in Turkey. Initially, measurement models were verified for all groups by performing a confirmatory factor analysis separately for OECD member countries, gender and region groups. The research then proceeded with the phase of testing the measurement invariance by testing the equivalence of covariance matrices for all groups. The measurement invariance was tested by means of a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. The results revealed that the measurement invariance held true for the gender and reg...

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.

This quasi-experimental study compares the equivalence of proctored Web-based tests to paper-and-pencil tests in a selection setting. The predictor battery was composed of measures of Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Emotional Stability, a biodata form, and a situational judgment test. Three samples were administered the same test items, but differed with respect to context and test format: 425 incumbents completed a paper-and-pencil version, 2,544 applicants completed a paper-and-pencil version, and 2,356 applicants completed an identical Web-based version (although these individuals were not randomly assigned to test format, the job and organization were the same for all samples). The results found effects for both context and test format. Relative to the applicants completing the paper-and-pencil measures, the Web-based measures showed (a) better distributional properties, (b) lower means, (c) more variance, (d) higher internal consistency reliabilities, and (e) stronger intercorrelations. Although the applicant context resulted in higher mean responses than the incumbent context, this difference was about twice as large for the paper-and-pencil test than for the Web-based test. All such differences were greater for personality measures than for biodata and situational judgment tests. Overall, these results suggest that proctored Web-based testing has some positive benefits relative to paper-and-pencil measures, and we identify several implications of these findings for research and practice. The increased use of computers and the interconnectivity achieved through the World Wide Web (WWW) have led to a revolution in test-We thank Michael Harris for his helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. We also thank James Smither and two anonymous reviewers for their many helpful suggestions.