As targeted, single-conception curriculum research becomes more prevalent in physics education research (PER), the need for a more sophisticated statistical understanding of the conceptual surveys used becomes apparent. Previously, the factor structure of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and…

Purpose: Given that prior research has confirmed that students' mathematics values significantly affect their mathematics learning, understanding how students' values form and change, especially during different learning stages, is an important topic. Design/Approach/Methods: This study administered a questionnaire to investigate the values of…

This study explored the Junior Brixton Test (JBT), an executive function (EF) measure for children, in comparison to the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) in a sample of 6- to 8-year-olds, all attending the first 2 years of elementary school. Factor analyses indicated two main domains in both measures, namely concept formation and cognitive…

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the psychometric properties of The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS). The 50-item instrument was administered to 311 college students from a public institution in the United States enrolled in General Chemistry I Laboratory. Confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach's [alpha]…

There is a clear call in group counseling practice and training for evidence-based practice (ACA, 2005; ASGW, 2008; CACREP, 2009). At the same time, group counselors also are asked to keep clients' experience at the center of their work (ASGW, 2012). This article outlines the authors' effort to develop and study an instrument designed to measure…

Students must be sufficiently motivated in order to achieve the intended learning outcomes of their college courses. Research in education and psychology has found motivation to be context-dependent. Therefore, students' motivation is likely to differ from one semester to the next according to which courses students are taking. However, there are…

The present research examined five-year-old children's psychological self-concepts. Non-linear factor analysis was used to model the latent structure of the children's self-view questionnaire (CSVQ; Eder, 1990), a measure of children's self-concepts. The coherence and reliability of the emerging factor structure indicated that young children are…

This study of middle-school students in California focused on the effectiveness of using innovative teaching strategies for enhancing the classroom environment, students' attitudes and conceptual development. A sample of 661 students from 22 classrooms in four inner city schools completed modified forms of the Constructivist Learning Environment…

Research supported by a grant from the U.S. Office of Education. 1

Boehm's classification of test items on the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (BTBC) was examined from a factor analytic perspective. A single, general factor related to the acquisition of basic verbal concepts best described the instrument. This factor was constant across the two forms of the BTBC. (Author/GK)

This study reports a factor analysis of the data resulting from a 3-year longitudinal investigation into conservation of number and related mathematical type concepts. Conservation of number, which represents a subset within the concept of conservation, was measured by use of a 20-item, criterion-referenced testing device. The subjects, who were…

From a factor analysis of 33 variables on 83 first-grade children an animism factor, involving children's conceptions of life, was identified. Animism was found to be relatively independent of operational thought, Piagetian-type problem solving, and the ability to give causal explanations of physical phenomena. (Author)

A second-order factor analytic model of conceptual, instrumental, and symbolic use of evaluation information was developed and tested with 308 British Columbia school teachers. Results confirm a three-factor structure of conceptual, instrumental, and symbolic use. (SLD)

A three-year combined sample of 103 master's level counseling students was administered five measures of cognitive complexity, selected on the bases of previous factor analytic research and their potential relevance to counseling research. The instruments were designed to measure the processing of social stimuli, and included the Interconcept…

Thirty concepts from the areas of sets, division, and expressing relationships were studied with twelve tasks dealing with naming or selecting attributes or concepts involved. A factor analysis indicated that all concepts were measures of a single functional relationship and that all tasks measure a single underlying trait. (LS)