Validity

The present study was conducted with the aim of constructing and investigating the factor structure of students' research engagement questionnaire. The research method was survey and the statistical population includes all of the postgraduate students of humanities faculty (Literature and Humanities, Islamic Theology and Science, Sport Sciences, Education and Psychology, Administrative and Economic Sciences) at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (N=3199). Using Cochran formula, the sample size was estimated to be 343 student. The participants were selected by stratified random sampling. The theoretical model Linnenbrink and Pintrich (2002) was determined as the basis of scale construction. This model includes three components of cognitive, emotional, and leadership engagement. SPSS and AMOS software are used for data analysis. Content validity and confirmatory factor analysis were used to determine the validity of the questionnaire and Cronbach's alpha coefficient to check the reliability. The results showed that the alpha coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.89 and for cognitive (0.80), emotional (0.73) and behavioral (0.76). Content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by 8 experts of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (based on CVI) and inappropriate items were removed. Goodness indicators confirmed the fit of the model. According to the research results the research engagement questionnaire had good internal consistency and validity and this questionnaire can be used in research.

Modern-day zoos and aquariums market themselves as places of education and conservation. A recent study conducted by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) (Falk et al., 2007) is being widely heralded as the first direct evidence that visits to zoos and aquariums produce long-term positive effects on people’s attitudes toward other animals. In this paper, we address whether this conclusion is warranted by analyzing the study’s methodological soundness. We conclude that Falk et al. (2007) contains at least six major threats to methodological validity that undermine the authors’ conclusions. There remains no compelling evidence for the claim that zoos and aquariums promote attitude change, education, or interest in conservation in visitors, although further investigation of this possibility using methodologically sophisticated designs is warranted.

In this paper we present and discuss standardized T score systems for neuropsychological test data. Both linear and normalized T scores were calculated for 141 normal subjects and a group of 141 patients with diffuse or focal brain damage. Many standard neuropsychological tests have skewed raw score and linear T score distributions, and we argue that normalized T scores have practical advantages because they permit simple descriptions of both patient groups and individual test score distributions. We also argue that skewness can be partially explained by ceiling effects and other test construction artefacts and that skewed raw score distributions do not necessarily reflect skewed distributions of the underlying mental abilities. Consequently, use of normalized T scores seems appropriate in many research and clinical contexts.

Objective: Recognizing the prodrome of a first psychotic episode prospectively creates the opportunity of intervention, which could delay, ameliorate or even prevent onset. Valid criteria and a reliable methodology for identifying possible prodromes are needed. This paper describes an instrument, the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS), which has been designed for such a purpose. It has two functions: (i) to assess psychopathology thought to indicate imminent development of a first-episode psychotic disorder; and (ii) to determine if an individual meets criteria for being at ultra high risk (UHR) for onset of first psychotic disorder. This paper describes the pilot evaluation of the CAARMS.Method: Several methodologies were used to test the CAARMS. First, CAARMS scores in a group of UHR young people and the association between CAARMS scores and the risk of transition to psychotic disorder, were analysed. Second, CAARMS scores in a UHR group were compared to a control group. To assess concurrent validity, CAARMS-defined UHR criteria were compared to the existing criteria for identifying the UHR cohort. To assess predictive validity, the CAARMS-defined UHR criteria were applied to a sample of 150 non-psychotic help-seekers and rates of onset of psychotic disorder at 6-month follow-up determined for the CAARMS-positive (i.e. met UHR criteria) group and the CAARMS-negative (i.e. did not meet UHR criteria) group. The inter-rater reliability of the CAARMS was assessed by using pairs of raters.Results: High CAARMS score in the UHR group was significantly associated with onset of psychotic disorder. The control group had significantly lower CAARMS scores than the UHR group. The UHR criteria assessed by the CAARMS identified a similar group to the criteria measured by existing methodology. In the sample of non-psychotic help-seekers those who were CAARMS-positive were at significantly increased risk of onset of psychotic disorder compared to those who were CAARMS-negative (relative risk of 12.44 (95% CI = 1.5–103.41, p = 0.0025)). The CAARMS had good to excellent reliability.Conclusions: In these preliminary investigations, the CAARMS displayed good to excellent concurrent, discriminant and predictive validity and excellent inter-rater reliability. The CAARMS instrument provides a useful platform for monitoring subthreshold psychotic symptoms for worsening into full-threshold psychotic disorder.

Despite its long and auspicious place in the history of psychiatry, dissociative identity disorder (DID) has been associated with controversy. This paper aims to examine the empirical data related to DID and outline the contextual challenges to its scientific investigation. The overview is limited to DID-specific research in which one or more of the following conditions are met: (i) a sample of participants with DID was systematically investigated, (ii) psychometrically-sound measures were utilised, (iii) comparisons were made with other samples, (iv) DID was differentiated from other disorders, including other dissociative disorders, (v) extraneous variables were controlled or (vi) DID diagnosis was confirmed. Following an examination of challenges to research, data are organised around the validity and phenomenology of DID, its aetiology and epidemiology, the neurobiological and cognitive correlates of the disorder, and finally its treatment. DID was found to be a complex yet vali...

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the structural validity and reliability of a student’s behaviors’ self-evaluation scale (SBSS) in the physical education class. The SBSS was created in order to evaluate the effect of a physical education program in the context of the multicultural composition of the student population in the Greek elementary schools. First, the face validity of items was evaluated, second, the pool of the items selected was factor analyzed. Two hundred and thirty six (N = 236) students, aged 10 to 12 years old (M = 11, SD = 1.38) participated in this study. The participation consisted of 110 (46.6%) boys and 126 (53.4%) girls who attended the 5 th and 6 th grade of primary school. From the participants, 133 (56.4%) were Greeks and 103 (43.6%) were foreigners. Exploratory factor analysis yielded five factors (goals ‐ acquaintances ‐ reward ‐ help ‐ irresponsibility) accounting for 65.2% of the variance. The internal reliability index of the questi...

In this technical report, we provide reliability and validity evidence for the easyCBM® Reading measures for grade 2 (word and passage reading fluency and multiple choice reading comprehension). Evidence for reliability includes internal consistency and item invariance. Evidence for validity includes concurrent, predictive, and construct validities for performance level scores, as well as slope of improvement. Reliability of alternate forms and content validity were analyzed previously (references to previous technical reports are provided). Internal consistency, split-half reliability, and reliability of growth slopes were moderate. For concurrent and predictive validities, multiple choice reading comprehension was a better predictor of SAT10 scores than either word or passage reading fluency. Construct validity was supported by strong model fit indices. Overall, predictive validity coefficients for all students on all measures were positive and low. Technical Adequacy of the easyC...

There exists a well-known gap between occupants and building's energy-efficient designs. A comprehensive building evaluation which encompasses occupant's perspective may surpass the current evaluation method and reduce the gap between occupants and building's energy-efficient design. For these reasons, the aim of this research is to develop a survey instrument for the identification of problems in respect to energy-efficient design which affecting the occupants' comfort. This research will be conducted in Malaysian ...

This article explores how teachers, students and other stakeholders collaboratively develop classroom-based assessment procedures for the evaluation of oral skills. By considering crucial issues in assessment such as validity, teacher-learner collaboration, and contextual factors, the authors provide a checklist that will help ESL/EFL teachers develop meaningful assessment procedures for their own classrooms. The checklist addresses 16 questions worth considering in five test-developing stages: (a) identification of course objectives; (b) identification of skills, strategies, tasks and content; (c) design of rating procedures; (d) interpretation of learner performance; and (e) reflection on the impact of the assessment procedure. In all the stages the authors emphasize the significance of involving students in the assessment process, which promotes students' responsibility for their own learning.

The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the concurrent validity of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) with the Com- prehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP), and (b) explore the diag- nostic accuracy of the DIBELS in predicting CTOPP performance using suggested and alternative cut-scores. Eighty-six students were administered the DIBELS and the CTOPP in

A central issue in the use of rapid evaluation and assessment methods (REAM) is achieving a balance between speed and trustworthiness. In this article, the authors review the key differences and common features of this family of methods and present a case example that illustrates how evaluators can use rapid evaluation techniques in their own work. In doing so, the authors hope to (a) introduce readers to a family of techniques with which they may be unfamiliar, (b) highlight their strengths and limitations, and (c) suggest appropriate contexts for use. Ultimately, the authors hope that REAM becomes a valuable addition to evaluators' toolkits.

The present study evaluated the subjective happiness of Lebanese college youth using a multi-item rather than a single-item subjective happiness measure. An Arabic translation of the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) was administered to 273 Lebanese college youth from state- and private-run higher institutions of learning, as was the Arabic Adult Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (Arabic PARQ). The reliability and validity of the Arabic SHS was tested in terms of factor analysis, internal consistency, and correlation with Arabic PARQ scores, as was the factorial invariance and relation of the scale across age, sex, marital status, birth order, and college campus. The Arabic SHS showed a reliable unitary structure similar to those found in other cultures, and factorial invariance across sex, marital status, birth order and college campus. While age, sex, marital status and birth order were independent of happiness scores, college students attending the private university reported greater happiness than those from the state-run academic setting. It was concluded that the Lebanese Arabic SHS is a reliable and valid measure of global subjective happiness, its factor structure is similar across other translated versions of the scale, and its scores are independent of age, sex, marital status and birth order.

ObjectiveTo conduct a systematic review aimed at identifying and characterizing the experience-based household food security scales and to synthesize their psychometric properties.DesignSearch in the MEDLINE, LILACS and SciELO databases, using the descriptors (‘food insecurity’ OR ‘food security’) AND (‘questionnaires’ OR ‘scales’ OR ‘validity’ OR ‘reliability’). There was no limitation on the period of publication. All articles had their titles and abstracts analysed by two reviewers. The studies of interest were read in their entirety and the relevant information extracted using a standard form.ResultsThe initial bibliographic search identified 299 articles. Of these, the 159 that seemed to meet the criteria for inclusion were read fully. After consultation of the bibliographic references of these articles, twenty articles and five documents were added, as they satisfied the previously determined criteria for inclusion. Twenty-four different instruments were identified; all were b...