A full structural equation model (SEM) typically consists of both a measurement model (describing relationships between latent variables and observed scale items) and a structural model (describing relationships among latent variables). However, often researchers are primarily interested in testing hypotheses related to the structural model while…

Introduction: In recent years, the incorporation of novelty as a psychological need and the study of the frustration of needs have become a recurring theme in the research on psychological needs in the educational environment. Currently, there are two scales available to assess the frustration of basic psychological needs (FBN) in the context of…

This study examined a modified version of the Student Engagement Scale, as adopted from the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement. It did so through examining model fit, predictive validity of the engagement factor, and testing of score reliability and measurement invariance across colleges and class years. Participants were volunteer…

The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV; Wechsler, 2012) represents a substantial departure from its predecessor, including omission of 4 subtests, addition of 5 new subtests, and modification of the contents of the 5 retained subtests. Wechsler (2012) explicitly assumed a higher-order structure with…

Objectives: The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Chinese Virtues Questionnaire (CVQ). The reliability, factor structure, construct validity, and temporal stability of the inventory were examined. Method: A university student sample ("n" = 878) and a working adult sample ("n" = 153) were recruited.…

Of the several measures of optimism presently available in the literature, the Life Orientation Test (LOT; Scheier & Carver, 1985) has been the most widely used in empirical research. This article explores, confirms, and cross-validates the factor structure of the Chinese version of the LOT with ordinal data by using robust weighted least…

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…

Five studies document the validity of a new 8-item scale designed to measure "positivity," defined as the tendency to view life and experiences with a positive outlook. In the first study (N = 372), the psychometric properties of Positivity Scale (P Scale) were examined in accordance with classical test theory using a large number of…