Construct Validation of Self-Determination Theory in Second Language Scale: The Bifactor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling Approach
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Alamer A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8514625 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:The few studies that have analyzed the factorial structure of early number skills have mainly used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and have yielded inconsistent results, since early numeracy is considered to be unidimensional, multidimensional or even underpinned by a general factor. Recently, the bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (bifactor-ESEM)-which has been proposed as a way to overcome the shortcomings of both the CFA and the exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM)-proved to be valuable to account for the multidimensionality and the hierarchical nature of several psychological constructs. The present study is the first to investigate the dimensionality of early number skills measurement through the application of the bifactor-ESEM framework. Using data from 644 prekindergarten and kindergarten children (4 to 6 years old), several competing models were contrasted: the one-factor CFA model; the independent cluster model (ICM-CFA); the exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM); and their bifactor counterpart (bifactor-CFA and bifactor-ESEM, respectively). Results indicated acceptable fit indexes for the one-factor CFA and the ICM-CFA models and excellent fit for the others. Among these, the bifactor-ESEM with one general factor and three specific factors (Counting, Relations, Arithmetic) not only showed the best model fit, but also the best coherent factor loadings structure and full measurement invariance across gender. The bifactor-ESEM appears relevant to help disentangle and account for general and specific factors of early numerical ability. While early numerical ability appears to be mainly underpinned by a general factor whose exact nature still has to be determined, this study highlights that specific latent dimensions with substantive value also exist. Identifying these specific facets is important in order to increase quality of early numerical ability measurement, predictive validity, and for practical implications.
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Project description:This study investigated the factor structure of the Work-Related Flow Inventory (WOLF) through the application of the bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (B-ESEM) framework. Using a sample of 577 Chinese teachers, we contrasted a series of competing models, including CFA, ESEM, bifactor CFA, and B-ESEM models. The results suggested that the B-ESEM structure with three S-factors (absorption, work enjoyment, and intrinsic work motivation) and one G-factor (global flow) was the best representation of the WOLF ratings. The results also supported the composite reliability and the strict invariance of this measurement structure between male and female groups. Relative to males, female teachers showed a higher level of global work-related flow experience. Finally, the nomological validity of WOLF ratings was supported by the statistical relationships of the WOLF factors with job satisfaction and autonomy.
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Project description:Fusion validity assessments employ structural equation models to investigate whether an existing scale functions in accordance with theory. Fusion validity parallels criterion validity by depending on correlations with non-scale variables but differs from criterion validity because it requires at least one theorized effect of the scale, and because both the scale and scaled-items are included in the model. Fusion validity, like construct validity, will be most informative if the scale is embedded in as full a substantive context as theory permits. Appropriate scale functioning in a comprehensive theoretical context greatly enhances a scale's validity. Inappropriate scale functioning questions the scale but the scale's theoretical embedding encourages detailed diagnostic investigations potentially challenging specific items, the procedure used to calculate scale values, or aspects of the theory, but also possibly recommends incorporating additional items into the scale. The scaled items should have survived prior content and methodological assessments but the items may or may not reflect a common factor because items having diverse causal backgrounds can sometimes fuse to form a unidimensional entity. Though items reflecting a common cause can be assessed for fusion validity, we illustrate fusion validity in the more challenging context of a scale comprised of diverse items and embedded in a complicated theory. Specifically we consider the Leadership scale from the Alberta Context Tool with care aides working in Canadian long-term care homes.
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Project description:While exploratory factor analysis (EFA) provides a more realistic presentation of the data with the allowance of item cross-loadings, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) includes many methodological advances that the former does not. To create a synergy of the two, exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) was proposed as an alternative solution, incorporating the advantages of EFA and CFA. The present investigation is thus an illustrative demonstration of the applicability and flexibility of ESEM. To achieve this goal, we compared CFA and ESEM models, then thoroughly tested measurement invariance and differential item functioning through multiple-indicators-multiple-causes (MIMIC) models on the Passion Scale, the only measure of the Dualistic Model of Passion (DMP) which differentiates between harmonious and obsessive forms of passion. Moreover, a hybrid model was also created to overcome the drawbacks of the two methods. Analyses of the first large community sample (N = 7,466; 67.7% females; Mage = 26.01) revealed the superiority of the ESEM model relative to CFA in terms of improved goodness-of-fit and less correlated factors, while at the same time retaining the high definition of the factors. However, this fit was only achieved with the inclusion of three correlated uniquenesses, two of which appeared in previous studies and one of which was specific to the current investigation. These findings were replicated on a second, comprehensive sample (N = 504; 51.8% females; Mage = 39.59). After combining the two samples, complete measurement invariance (factor loadings, item intercepts, item uniquenesses, factor variances-covariances, and latent means) was achieved across gender and partial invariance across age groups and their combination. Only one item intercept was non-invariant across both multigroup and MIMIC approaches, an observation that was further corroborated by the hybrid model. While obsessive passion showed a slight decline in the hybrid model, harmonious passion did not. Overall, the ESEM framework is a viable alternative of CFA that could be used and even extended to address substantially important questions and researchers should systematically compare these two approaches to identify the most suitable one.
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Project description:Motivational strategies have been recognized as a crucial but insufficiently explored component in second language (L2) learning. This study intends to explore the relationships between motivational strategies, language learning strategies, and literal and inferential comprehension in L2 Chinese reading. Data were collected from 547 international students of universities in mainland China through a strategy use questionnaire and a Chinese reading test. The analysis of the structural equation model indicated that motivational strategies indirectly affected literal comprehension through the mediation of learning strategies. Moreover, motivational strategies were found to directly affect inferential comprehension. The results emphasize the need for a more sophisticated analysis of the motivational strategies and language learning strategies in L2 Chinese reading.
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Project description:For practical and theoretical purposes, tests of second language (L2) ability commonly aim to measure one overarching trait, general language ability, while simultaneously measuring multiple sub-traits (e.g., reading, grammar, etc.). This tension between measuring uni- and multi-dimensional constructs concurrently can generate vociferous debate about the precise nature of the construct(s) being measured. In L2 testing, this tension is often addressed through the use of a higher-order factor model wherein multidimensional traits representing subskills load on a general ability latent trait. However, an alternative modeling framework that is currently uncommon in language testing, but gaining traction in other disciplines, is the bifactor model. The bifactor model hypothesizes a general factor, onto which all items load, and a series of orthogonal (uncorrelated) skill-specific grouping factors. The model is particularly valuable for evaluating the empirical plausibility of subscales and the practical impact of dimensionality assumptions on test scores. This paper compares a range of CFA model structures with the bifactor model in terms of theoretical implications and practical considerations, framed for the language testing audience. The models are illustrated using primary data from the British Council's Aptis English test. The paper is intended to spearhead the uptake of the bifactor model within the cadre of measurement models used in L2 language testing.
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Project description:OBJECTIVES:The purpose of this manuscript was to provide a substantive-methodological synergy of potential importance to future research in the psychology of sport and exercise. DESIGN:The substantive focus was the emerging role for, and particularly the measurement of, athletes' evaluations of their coach's competency within conceptual models of effective coaching. The methodological focus was exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), a methodology that integrates the advantages of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) within the general structural equation model. METHOD:The synergy was a demonstration of when a new and flexible methodological framework, ESEM, may be preferred as compared to a more familiar and restrictive methodological framework, CFA, by reanalyzing existing data. RESULTS:ESEM analysis on extant datasets suggested that for responses to the Athletes' Perceptions of Coaching Competency Scale II - High School Teams (APCCS II-HST), a CFA model based on the relevant literature plus one post hoc modification, offered a viable alternative to a more complex ESEM model. For responses to the Coaching Competency Scale (CCS), a CFA model based on the relevant literature did not offer a viable alternative to a more complex ESEM model. CONCLUSIONS:The ESEM framework should be strongly considered in subsequent studies validity studies - for new and/or existing instruments in the psychology of sport and exercise. A key consideration for deciding between ESEM and the accompanying rotation criterion and CFA in future validity studies should be level of a priori measurement theory.
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Project description:This study investigated Chinese English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners' use of vocabulary learning strategies (VLSs) and its relationship with vocabulary knowledge (VK), especially in relation to proficiency, gender, and discipline. Structural equation models were established following exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) procedures, and mediation analyses and multiple-group analyses, as well as analyses of variance, were conducted. Four hundred nineteen sophomores' strategy use frequency, Vocabulary Size Test (VST) scores (indicative of breadth of VK), Word Associates Test (WAT) scores (indicative of depth of VK), College English Test Band-4 scores, and gender and discipline categories were used as data. Proficiency significantly predicted Attention and Guessing positively but was a negative predictor of Socializing (asking others for help). Girls liked making notes while using dictionaries (DictNote) and Socializing, and students of arts also took more notes. Attention and Guessing significantly predicted VST and WAT positively, but Socializing significantly predicted the breadth and depth of VK negatively, and DictNote, Association, and Repetition had no significant relationship. The predictive power of Attention, Guessing, and Socializing, however, was achieved mainly, or for an important part, via the mediating or indirect effects of proficiency. Gender moderated the predictive power of Attention, Socializing, and DictNote over VST, greater for male students, whereas discipline moderated the relationship between Guessing and WAT, stronger for arts students. The findings are related to strategy features, gender characteristics, disciplinary influence, the EFL context and culture, and effective learning. This study reveals the complex relationships among use of VLSs, VK, and learner variables. Attention is called for to third-party factors in understanding VLSs-VK relationships. Given the important mediating effects of proficiency, it is proposed that vocabulary learning be strategically integrated into the accumulative process of English learning.
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Project description:BackgroundDetermining the core competence of advanced practice nurses is foundational for promoting optimal design and implementation of advanced practice nursing roles. Core competencies specific to the contexts of the advanced practice nurse in Hong Kong have been developed, but not yet validated. Thus, this study aims to assess the construct validity of advanced practice nurse core competence scale in Hong Kong.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional study using an online self-report survey. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the factor structure of a 54-item advanced practice nurse core competence scale through principal axis factoring with direct oblique oblimin rotation. A parallel analysis was conducted to determine the number of factors to be extracted. The Cronbach's α was computed to evaluate the internal consistency of the confirmed scale. The STROBE checklist was used as reporting guideline.ResultsA total of 192 advanced practice nurse responses were obtained. Exploratory factor analysis led to the final 51-item scale with a three-factor structure, which accounted for 69.27% of the total variance. The factor loadings of all items ranged from 0.412 to 0.917. The Cronbach's alpha of the total scale and three factors ranged from 0.945 to 0.980, indicating robust internal consistency.ConclusionThis study identified a three-factor structure of the advanced practice nurse core competency scale: client-related competencies, advanced leadership competencies, and professional development and system-related competencies. Future studies are recommended to validate the core competence content and construct in different contexts. Moreover, the validated scale could provide a cornerstone framework for advanced practice nursing roles development, education, and practice, and inform future competency research nationally and internationally.
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Project description:Objective:Common genetic variation spans schizophrenia, schizoaffective and bipolar disorders, but historically, these syndromes have been distinguished categorically. A symptom dimension shared across these syndromes, if such a general factor exists, might provide a clearer target for understanding and treating mental illnesses that share core biological bases. Method:We tested the hypothesis that a bifactor model of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), containing 1 general factor and 5 specific factors (positive, negative, disorganized, excited, anxiety), explains the cross-diagnostic structure of symptoms better than the traditional 5-factor model, and examined the extent to which a general factor reflects the overall severity of symptoms spanning diagnoses in 5094 total patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective, and bipolar disorder. Results:The bifactor model provided superior fit across diagnoses, and was closer to the "true" model, compared to the traditional 5-factor model (Vuong test; P < .001). The general factor included high loadings on 28 of the 30 PANSS items, omitting symptoms associated with the excitement and anxiety/depression domains. The general factor had highest total loadings on symptoms that are often associated with the positive and disorganization syndromes, but there were also substantial loadings on the negative syndrome thus leading to the interpretation of this factor as reflecting generalized psychosis. Conclusions:A bifactor model derived from the PANSS can provide a stronger framework for measuring cross-diagnostic psychopathology than a 5-factor model, and includes a generalized psychosis dimension shared at least across schizophrenia, schizoaffective, and bipolar disorder.
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