Student beliefs about assessment may vary according to the level of schooling. The "Students Conceptions of Assessment" version 6 (SCoA-VI) inventory elicits attitudes towards four beliefs (assessment: improves teaching and learning, measures external factors, has affective impact/benefit, is irrelevant). Using multi-group confirmatory…

Using 3 diversified datasets, we explored the pattern-recognition ability of the Self-Organizing Map (SOM) artificial neural network as applied to diversified nonlinear data distributions in the areas of behavioral and physiological research. Experiment 1 employed a dataset obtained from the UCI Machine Learning Repository. Data for this study…

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an instrument through facet-factorial analysis to assess high school marching band performance. Forty-one items were chosen to define subscales for the Marching Band Performance Rating Scale - Music and 31 items for the Marching Band Performance Rating Scale - Visual. To examine the stability…

Traditional studies of posttraumatic growth center on the individual or close family members as they deal with traumatic events. The current study examines workers who experience posttraumatic growth when a coworker has a traumatic experience. The participants in this study were firefighters in suburban Cook County, Illinois. Participants were…

Teachers should be critical thinking agents who guide students to become better critical thinkers through teaching strategies (Halpern, 1999). The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which polytechnic lecturers in Malaysia incorporate critical thinking into their teaching strategies. The web-based survey, Qualtrics, was used to…

This study focused on developing a valid and reliable instrument that can not only identify successful co-teaching, but also the professional development needs of co-teachers and their administrators in public schools. Two general questions about the quality of co-teaching were addressed in this study: (a) How well did descriptors within each of…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore higher education faculty and staff perspectives on sustainability initiatives within their respective institutions. Subjects of this study were faculty and staff members from three rural two year institutions of higher education in Arkansas. Data was gathered using an electronically delivered…

The validity of the Italian version of the 28-items Resilience Scale for Adolescents (READ) was examined. A sample of 472 senior high school students between 18 and 20 years of age were used for this purpose. Reliability and validity were investigated by means of Cronbach's alpha, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. The…

Empirical examination of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS; C. R. Reynolds & R. W. Kamphaus, 2003a) has produced mixed results regarding its internal structure and convergent validity. Various aspects of validity of RIAS scores with a sample (N = 521) of adolescents and adults seeking psychological evaluations at a university-based…

Objective: To develop and test the validity of the Behavior, Environment, and Changeability Survey (BECS) for identifying the importance and changeability of nutrition, exercise, and stress management behavior and related aspects of the environment. Design: A cross-sectional, online survey of the BECS and selected validated instruments. Setting:…

The purpose of this study was to determine the workload and opinions about the workload of faculty members who work in faculties of education in public universities in Turkey. The sample of this study consisted of 67 of 159 faculty members (professors, associate professors, and assistant professors) from faculties of education of six universities…

Previous studies have shown that method effects associated with item wording produce artifactual factors and threaten scale validity. This study examines item wording effects on a scale of attitudes toward learning mathematics for Taiwanese and U.S. samples. Analyses from a series of CFA (confirmatory factor analysis) models support the presence…

Objective: Current diagnostic criteria specify that ADHD involves difficulties with inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity. Researchers using factor analysis have consistently found support for an inattention factor in both children and adults. Findings have been mixed regarding whether hyperactivity and impulsivity reflect one or two…

Within the realm of obesity prevention research, there have been many promising interventions to improve physical activity and nutrition among diverse target populations. However, very little information is known about the dissemination and replication of these interventions. In 2007 and 2008 as part of a larger obesity prevention initiative,…

Empathy is a core principle essential to social work. Despite this emphasis, minimal empirical research of empathy has been undertaken by social work researchers. The purpose of this study was to develop and initially validate the Empathy Scale for Social Workers (ESSW). The ESSW is a 41-item self-report inventory designed to assess empathy in…