The existing maximum likelihood theory and its computer software in structural equation modeling are established on the basis of linear relationships among latent variables with fully observed data. However, in social and behavioral sciences, nonlinear relationships among the latent variables are important for establishing more meaningful models…

Higher education institutions need to ascertain whether their stakeholders understand the school's mission, vision, and values. In the present study, the psychometric properties of a mission identity and activity measure were investigated with two staff samples. Using a principal component factor analysis (varimax rotation), respondents in Sample…

This study represents a beginning step in research that may ultimately show that the multitudes of human behavior that educators currently encounter may be reduced to three broad human attributes: arousal, affect, and cognition. The resulting simplicity should lead to improved understanding and better decision making by practitioners. Four…

This study develops a quality of life instrument for older Japanese people experiencing dementia (QLDJ). Quality of life (QL) for these older adults is defined as a three dimensional construct including 1) interacting with surroundings, 2) expressing self, and 3) experiencing minimum negative behaviors. From 53 items in the initial item pool, 24…

The current study further validates the Quality of Relationships Inventory (QRI; G. R. Pierce, I. G. Sarason, & B. R. Sarason, 1991) by evaluating its factor structure in a sample of 572 partners from 286 couples. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to compare 3 different models of the QRI and to investigate the invariance of the factor…

In this article, the authors describe the refinement and preliminary evaluation of the Dimensions of Change in Therapeutic Community Treatment Instrument (DCI), a measure of treatment process. In Study 1, a 99-item DCI, administered to a cross-sectional sample of substance abuse clients (N = 990), was shortened to 54 items on the basis of results…

We used a prepublication version of the Supports Intensity Scale (SIS), the Adaptive Behavior Scale-Residential and Community, and the Inventory for Client and Agency Planning to examine the relationship between support needs and adaptive behavior for 80 people with intellectual disabilities. Dimensionality of the SIS Support Needs Scale (Section…

This study factor analytically examined the convergence of three questionnaires used in previous research to measure night-sky related attitudes and behaviors in a sample of 72 college students. One factor emerged accounting for the majority of variance in responses. It was concluded that the single factor found across separate measures used in…

The Cross-Cultural Coping Scale, a scenario-based instrument, was developed in 3 studies. Exploratory factor analyses with Chinese Canadian adolescents (N = 506) showed a 3-factor structure: Collective, Avoidance, and Engagement Coping. The model was reproduced very well in a confirmatory factor analysis. Participant acculturation,…

There is paucity of original research that explains phenomena related to content organization and site design of educational Web sites. Educational Web sites are often used to provide Web-based instruction, which itself is a relatively recent phenomenon for business schools, and additional research is needed in this area. Educational Web sites are…

We tested the structure of the Pictorial Scale of Competence and Social Acceptance (PSPCSA) across groups of first and second grade children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. We used confirmatory factor analysis, including latent mean structures analysis, to test the fit of competing PSPCSA factor models and examined invariance across…

This contribution explores the relationship between teacher-centred and student-centred learning environments from a student's perspective. Three different views with respect to this relationship can be retrieved. The "balance" view suggests that the more teacher-centred a learning environment is, the less student-centred it is and vice versa. The…

Claims are frequently made that practice should be based on evidence. However, the nature of what should count as "evidence" depends on purpose and context. In the case of curriculum development, decisions may rest on local and provisional evidence. This article takes an area of contemporary political interest--enhancing student…

The main purpose of this study was to examine the effect of teachers' and students' thinking styles on students' satisfaction with the course followed and on their learning process. The sample was made up of 102 instructional psychology college students who responded to two administrations of the Thinking Style Inventory, one about their teacher…

Two studies were conducted to investigate the construct validity of a measure of teachers' achievement goals. The first study involved 143 teachers. Factor analysis of responses to the measure revealed three factors assessing mastery, performance approach, and performance avoidance goals. In the second study, a nationally representative sample of…