A Structural Equation Model for the School Reinforcement Survey Schedule: Italian and American Early Adolescents

The School Reinforcement Survey Schedule (SRSS) was administered to 2,828 boys and girls in middle schools in the United States and an Italian translation was administered to 342 boys and girls in middle schools in Northern Italy. An exploratory factor analysis using half the American data set was performed using maximum likelihood estimation with a promax rotation. This analysis produced a structural equation model with six interpretable latent variables. This analysis was confirmed by results demonstrating a good fit with the other half of the American sample and separately with the Italian sample. Scores for the six latent variables were constructed and information about the distribution of scores was obtained. Multiple comparisons of the means were performed by gender, within each national sample, for each of the six latent variables. American and Italian girls report obtaining greater enjoyment from a wider variety of school activities compared to American and Italian boys.     

Analysis of the factor structure of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ-3) in Spanish secondary-school students through exploratory structural equation modeling

The aims of the present study were: (1) to assess the factor structure of the SATAQ-3 in Spanish secondary-school students by means of exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) models; and (2) to study its invariance by sex and school grade. ESEM is a technique that has been proposed for the analysis of internal structure that overcomes some of the limitations of EFA and CFA. Participants were 1559 boys and girls in grades seventh to tenth. The results support the four-factor solution of the original version, and reveal that the best fit was obtained with ESEM, excluding Item 20 and with correlated uniqueness between reverse-keyed items. Our version shows invariance by sex and grade. The differences between scores of different groups are in the expected direction, and support the validity of the questionnaire. We recommend a version excluding Item 20 and without reverse-keyed items.     

教师成就目标的测量及其与学校目标结构的关系

首先,依据Elliot关于成就目标的能力界定标准和能力效价的理论构想,提出教师成就目标的理论结构。浙江省内外十多所中小学523份有效调查数据的探索性和验证性因素分析的结果表明,教师成就目标由6个因素构成,即:绝对-回避目标、个人-回避目标、参照-回避目标、个人-接近目标、参照-接近目标、绝对-接近目标。然后,利用浙江省内外另外十多所中小学625份调查问卷的结果,采用结构方程模型技术对教师成就目标和学校目标结构之间的关系进行了分析。结果表明,掌握目标结构对绝对-接近目标、个人-接近目标具有显著正效应,对绝对-回避目标具有显著负效应;成绩目标结构对绝对-接近目标、参照-接近目标、个人-回避目标和参照-回避目标具有显著正效应。     

制造行业管理胜任力与绩效关系的实证研究

通过对571名制造型企业管理者的问卷调查,探索并验证了制造业管理胜任力结构维度,检验了不同背景因素对管理胜任力的影响。结果表明:制造业管理胜任力具有六维结构,包含22个指标,其信度和效度较好;不同管理层次的管理者在制造过程控制和市场营销策划维度上的评价有显著性差异,不同企业规模下的管理者在行业核心理念和产品系统管理维度上的评价有显著性差异;产品系统管理与市场营销策划能力对制造业管理者绩效有良好的预测力。同时发现,制造业管理胜任力不能较好地解释周边绩效的变异量。     

Comparing self-esteem and perceived control as predictors of first-year college students’ academic achievement

Due to its widespread popularity, self-esteem is continually being promoted to students despite limited empirical support for its effectiveness in improving their academic achievement. As a result, constructs that are potentially more salient to academic performance, such as perceived control, have gone relatively unnoticed. Although past research has examined the link between students’ academic achievement and either their self-esteem or perceived control, few studies have compared both constructs simultaneously to elucidate which one is more important to academic success. This longitudinal study directly contrasted the effects of self-esteem and perceived control on the academic performance of 802 first-year college students. After accounting for incoming ability (high school grades), age, and gender, a structural equation model showed perceived control positively predicted students’ GPA. In contrast, the predictive effect of self-esteem on GPA was non-existent. Findings indicate that compared to self-esteem, perceived control is a more powerful predictor of first-year college students’ GPA. Implications for utilizing educational interventions to boost perceived control among college students are discussed.     

Identifying Variables Responsible for Data not Missing at Random

When data are not missing at random (NMAR), maximum likelihood (ML) procedure will not generate consistent parameter estimates unless the missing data mechanism is correctly modeled. Understanding NMAR mechanism in a data set would allow one to better use the ML methodology. A survey or questionnaire may contain many items; certain items may be responsible for NMAR values in other items. The paper develops statistical procedures to identify the responsible items. By comparing ML estimates (MLE), statistics are developed to test whether the MLEs are changed when excluding items. The items that cause a significant change of the MLEs are responsible for the NMAR mechanism. Normal distribution is used for obtaining the MLEs; a sandwich-type covariance matrix is used to account for distribution violations. The class of nonnormal distributions within which the procedure is valid is provided. Both saturated and structural models are considered. Effect sizes are also defined and studied. The results indicate that more missing data in a sample does not necessarily imply more significant test statistics due to smaller effect sizes. Knowing the true population means and covariances or the parameter values in structural equation models may not make things easier either. The research was supported by NSF grant DMS04-37167, the James McKeen Cattell Fund.     

项目组合在结构方程模型中的应用

项目组合（itemparceling）是对同一量表中的若干项目进行整合并形成新的观测指标的过程。虽然一直以来它都是一个有争议的议题,但随着其在结构方程模型中的应用日益广泛,它越来越受到研究者重视。文章从项目组合的基本逻辑、优缺点以及具体方法等方面对项目组合的研究进行了概括,并在此基础上提出了使用的具体建议：（1）根据研究的目的与具体情境选择是否需要组合;（2）组合之前必须首先确定概念的维度性;（3）项目组合最好建立在一定的理论基础上等等。未来的研究可以深入探讨各种组合方法对模型拟合以及参数估计的影响以及项目组合在一些SEM高阶应用中的效果,并进一步与项目反应理论等测量理论相结合     

非英语专业大学生CET4成绩影响因素的结构模型

以501名参加过CET4的非英语专业大学生为研究对象,通过英语自我效能感问卷（ESEQ）、英语学习焦虑量表（ELAS）和英语学习策略量表（ELSI）的测量,探讨CET4成绩与其主要影响因素性别、英语自我效能感、英语学习焦虑和英语学习策略之间的结构关系模型。结果显示：（1）非英语专业大学生的英语学习焦虑存在显著的性别差异（女生低于男生）;（2）性别除与英语学习策略不存在直接路径作用外,与CET4成绩、英语自我效能感、英语学习焦虑间均存在直接路径作用;（3）英语学习焦虑对CET4成绩既存在直接路径作用,又通过英语自我效能感、英语学习策略和英语自我效能感的中介产生问接路径作用;（4）英语学习策略仅通过英语自我效能感的中介对CET4成绩产生间接路径作用。研究还表明英语自我效能感在CET4成绩影响因素的结构模型中起着瓶颈作用。     

表面特征和结构特征在故事类比通达中的作用

在基于相似性的迁移研究中,表面特征和结构特征在类比提取过程中的作用是研究者关注的中心课题。自20世纪90年代以来,不同的研究者在故事类比通达研究的基础上,得出有关表面特征和结构特征的作用的不同结论。文章以表面特征和结构特征的概念为切入点,主要介绍表面特征和结构特征在故事类比通达中的作用的理论分歧与类比通达模型,指出当前的研究中存在的问题,并提出新的类比通达研究的框架。