Exploring the Dimensionality of "Religiosity" and "Spirituality" in the Fetzer Multidimensional Measure

Reliable and valid measures of religiosity and spiritual dimensions appropriate for ethnically diverse groups are needed. I examine the factor structure of the relatively new Fetzer multidimensional measure (Fetzer Institute 1999). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) of national data collected in the 1998 General Social Survey are conducted to (1) test the fit of the proposed dimensionality of the Fetzer measure, specifically comparing the Fetzer structure with a simpler single-factor model suggested by preliminary exploratory factor analyses; and (2) evaluate ethnic differences in factor structure of the Fetzer items. Data from 1,201 adults, 1,019 whites and 182 African Americans, are examined to compare the fit of the multidimensional Fetzer model against an alternative single-factor ("unitary spirituality") model. CFA analyses indicated that only the Fetzer models had acceptable fit indices (NFI and/or NNFI approaching or reaching 0.90). Ethnic differences in loadings, while significant, were not substantively different. These findings suggest that a multidimensional measure like the Fetzer is useful for multiethnic research and that combining the daily spirituality and values/beliefs dimensions into a single factor provides a simpler model overall (compared to the Fetzer model separating these dimensions out) while providing acceptable fit.     

The Employment Interview Workshop: A Focus on Communication Skills

The employment interview is essentially a communication situation in which skill in communication is the important determinant of success. In a workshop that focuses attention on those critical interview communication skills that often distinguish the successful applicant, the authors discuss what makes a competent communicator and describe possible workshop components and their integration into successful training workshops.     

Guidance Services for Children and a Right to Education Law: Results of a Longitudinal Study

A sizeable proportion of elementary school children studied received guidance services for emotional and behavioral problems. Differences emerged between children with transitory and persistent problems.     

Schools and Newcomers: A National Survey of Innovative Programs

This article presents the findings of a national survey of coordinators of counseling services in public middle schools concerning American children who change residence.     

EXPLAINING ROLE CONFLICT AND ROLE AMBIGUITY VIA INDIVIDUAL AND INTERPERSONAL VARIABLES IN DIFFERENT JOB CATEGORIES

The relationships between experienced role conflict and ambiguity and four individual and interpersonal variables were examined within a multivariate framework. The regressions of role conflict and ambiguity on these variables were significant and were generally supported across three job categories in one organizational setting. Differences were noted across the job categories in terms of the regression equation predicting role perceptions. Hence, it appears that the underlying equations regarding the influence of individual and interpersonal variables on role perceptions do vary in different job categories. Task characteristics are offered as plausible reasons for these variations and suggested as variables for inclusion in a model of role conflict and ambiguity.     

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF STUDIES COMPARING BEHAVIORALLY ANCHORED RATING SCALES (BARS) AND OTHER RATING FORMATS1

All published studies comparing behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) with other rating formats were reviewed. Results indicate that BARS and other formats appear to differ relatively little (if at all) with regard to psychometric characteristics (leniency, halo, interrater agreement, ratee discriminability, validity and “accuracy”). Other variables, such as degree of rater participation in scale construction and rater preferences for different rating scale formats, also exhibited relatively little differences between BARS and other formats. A close examination of the studies, however, reveals numerous methodological problems confounding interpretations of results, making conclusions about the superiority or inferiority of BARS quite tenuous. Suggestions are made for more appropriate research directions and questions which seem more appropriate for rating scale investigations.     

Self-Administered Treatments of Public Speaking Anxiety

This article reports on two do-it-yourself treatment programs for dealing with stage fright. One program followed a systematic desensitization paradigm; the other was a handout listing 16 strategies for understanding stage fright.