Studying language learning beliefs plays an important role in language learning research. The aim of our study was to reconstruct the system of meanings that underlie the gender differences in the beliefs about people involved in foreign language learning. In our study, we used the semantic differential to study beliefs about people involved in…

The purpose of this paper was to clarify the features of teachers' image on normalisation and inclusive education. The participants of the study were both mainstream teachers and special teachers. One hundred and thirty-eight questionnaires were analysed. (1) Teachers completed the questionnaire of SD (semantic differential) images on…

Aims of science education are concerned not only with students' cognition but also with students' affect, an umbrella term for emotions, feelings, moods, and attitudes. Many studies have been conducted on student attitudes toward learning science in general; however, studies concerning attitudes toward chemistry are limited in number. The purpose…

Beyond the standard definitions found in the dictionary, words commonly used in the recreation field have subtle, yet powerful connotations of which senders and receivers of information may not be consciously aware. These words elicit different conscious and subconscious reactions that likely bear significant consequences for recreation agencies…

In this quantitative study, a shortened version of the Attitude toward the Subject of Chemistry Inventory (ASCI) created by Bauer (2008) was used to identify the chemistry attitudes of two populations of general chemistry students at two universities. The ASCIv2 contained just two factors from the original instrument. These factors measured…

The present study used the German Aging Semantic Differential (ASD) to assess attitudes toward younger and older adults in a heterogeneous sample of n = 151 younger and n = 143 older adults. The questionnaire was administered in two versions, one referring to the evaluation of younger adults, the other to the evaluation of older adults.…

Positive teacher attitudes toward computers are widely recognized as a necessary condition for effective use of information technology in the classroom (Woodrow, 1992). To measure attitudes toward technology, it is important to have valid and reliable instruments. In this study, the authors used confirmatory factor analysis to verify construct…

To determine how early "the stuttering stereotype" is assigned, 160 university students rated a hypothetical vignette depicting either a 3-, 4-, 5-, or 6-year-old with or without the statement "He stutters". A factor analysis of the semantic differential scale showed a three-factor solution comprised of 17 of the 25 bi-polar adjective pairs. The…

The purpose of this article is twofold: (a) to describe a unique teacher licensure program for grades 7-12 that integrates mathematics, science, and technology education and (b) to explore the attitudes and perceptions related to the integration of mathematics, science, and technology education of three cohorts of preservice teachers enrolled in…

By centralizing the issue of test fairness in language proficiency assessments, this study responds to a call by researchers for developing greater social responsibility in the language testing agenda. As inquiries into language attitude and psychology indicate, there is an underlying uncertainty pertaining to the validity of test use and score…

The Kaiser Measures of Sampling Adequacy (MSA) were derived for a typical six-concept Semantic Differential. The overall indices indicated that both concept and total correlation matrices would lead to comparable decisions regarding the psychometric quality of the sample data sets. The individual MSA's, however, revealed considerable variability…

The development of a 20-item semantic differential assessment instrument for measuring student attitudes toward the subject of chemistry is described (Attitude toward the Subject of Chemistry Inventory-ASCI). Instrument subscales and survey items pertain to interest and utility, anxiety, intellectual accessibility, emotional satisfaction, and…

Multitrait-Multimethod analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to investigate differences in Likert, Thurstone, and Semantic Differential techniques. Results indicated that these measurement techniques are not completely interchangeable. (JKS)

A frequent reason for teachers not making special provisions for a gifted child is that the child is "not fitting in socially." The conjecture that a psychological source of such negative affect has evolved along with human language was tested with a large sample (N = 377) of teachers in England, Scotland, and Australia who were…

Underlying factor structure of 10 concepts rated by 67 students in an introductory advertising course was examined. Dimensions of relevance were found to conform to results reported by Menges and Trumpeter (1971) suggesting the potential for a university of basic dimensions of educational relevance across diverse fields of learning. (Author/RC)