Research on Positive Youth Development (PYD) has been hampered by lack of a valid measure for the construct, particularly for research in sport. The Youth Experiences Scale for Sport (YES-S) [1], is a five-factor meas...Research on Positive Youth Development (PYD) has been hampered by lack of a valid measure for the construct, particularly for research in sport. The Youth Experiences Scale for Sport (YES-S) [1], is a five-factor measure of positive youth outcomes specifically designed for the sport context. The YES-S is a promising instrument that fills an important niche in PYD research, and MacDonald et al. provided support for many of its psychometric properties. However, the factor structure of the scale is currently based on an exploratory factor analysis and has not yet been subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The present study was designed to confirm the five-factor structure of the YES-S. A sample of 350 youth sport athletes (196 male, 153 female) completed the YES-S. A CFA showed that a modified version of the five-factor YES-S had excellent fit of the model to the data. An analysis of invariance showed no differences in responses in terms of gender. It is concluded that this short-form YES-S offers excellent psychometric properties while retaining the original factor structure of the YES-S. The results offer further support for the validity of the factor structure of the YES-S while providing a shorter version of the scale, which may be appealing for research with younger sport participants.展开更多
Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) refers to the FA procedure with some loadings constrained to be zeros. A difficulty in CFA is that the constraint must be specified by users in a subjective manner. For dealing with ...Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) refers to the FA procedure with some loadings constrained to be zeros. A difficulty in CFA is that the constraint must be specified by users in a subjective manner. For dealing with this difficulty, we propose a computational method, in which the best CFA solution is obtained optimally without relying on users’ judgements. The method consists of the procedures at lower (L) and higher (H) levels: at the L level, for a fixed number of zero loadings, it is determined both which loadings are to be zeros and what values are to be given to the remaining nonzero parameters;at the H level, the procedure at the L level is performed over the different numbers of zero loadings, to provide the best solution. In the L level procedure, Kiers’ (1994) simplimax rotation fulfills a key role: the CFA solution under the constraint computationally specified by that rotation is used for initializing the parameters of a new FA procedure called simplimax FA. The task at the H level can be easily performed using information criteria. The usefulness of the proposed method is demonstrated numerically.展开更多
This study examines the construct validity and reliability of the Malay language questionnaire for urinary incontinence diagnosis (QUID) in women. Study Design: Random sampling design was used in this cross-sectional ...This study examines the construct validity and reliability of the Malay language questionnaire for urinary incontinence diagnosis (QUID) in women. Study Design: Random sampling design was used in this cross-sectional survey. Materials and Methods: The Americanized English language questionnaire was translated to the Malay language and distributed to community-dwelling Malaysian women living in various locations in Selangor. The construct validity was tested using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The reliability was determined using Cronbach’s α. Results: A total of 111 women completed the Malay language QUID in this pilot study. The Keiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy of 0.675 and Bartlett’s test of sphericity (χ2 = 284.633, df = 15, p = 0.001) indicated that the EFA was possible. The total variance and the scree plot identified two factors above the initial eigenvalue of 1 while a third factor was just below it (0.758). The CFA output showed a recursive model with the solution being not admissible because two unobserved and exogenous variables had negative variance estimates. The following values of absolute fit indices showed an acceptable level of fit: 1) Chi-square test with χ2 = 4.997, df = 5, p = 0.416, indicated a smaller difference between the expected and observed covariance matrices;2) GFI = 0.986, AGFI = 0.939, RMR = 0.021 and CMIN/DF = 1.0 indicated acceptable level of fit;3) The baseline comparison values of NFI = 0.983 and CFI = 1.0 also indicated a good fit to the data;4) RMSEA = 0.000 was considered a perfect fit indicating that the hypothesized model was a good fit to the observed data. Under the hypothesis of “close fit”, the probability of getting a sample RMSEA as large as 0.000 was 0.567. The Cronbach’s α coefficient of 0.823 indicated good reliability. Conclusion: The Malay language QUID is a valid and reliable instrument for diagnosing female urinary incontinence in the Malaysian population.展开更多
This paper discusses the utilization of latent variable modeling related to occupational health and safety in the mining industry.Latent variable modeling,which is a statistical model that relates observable and laten...This paper discusses the utilization of latent variable modeling related to occupational health and safety in the mining industry.Latent variable modeling,which is a statistical model that relates observable and latent variables,could be used to facilitate researchers’understandings of the underlying constructs or hypothetical factors and their magnitude of effect that constitute a complex system.This enhanced understanding,in turn,can help emphasize the important factors to improve mine safety.The most commonly used techniques include the exploratory factor analysis(EFA),the confirmatory factor analysis(CFA)and the structural equation model with latent variables(SEM).A critical comparison of the three techniques regarding mine safety is provided.Possible applications of latent variable modeling in mining engineering are explored.In this scope,relevant research papers were reviewed.They suggest that the application of such methods could prove useful in mine accident and safety research.Application of latent variables analysis in cognitive work analysis was proposed to improve the understanding of human-work relationships in mining operations.展开更多
Stakeholders’concern towards the ecological damage arising out of emissions from the industrial processes has raised serious issues before the industrial sectors.Environmentalists and researchers are raising these is...Stakeholders’concern towards the ecological damage arising out of emissions from the industrial processes has raised serious issues before the industrial sectors.Environmentalists and researchers are raising these issues in various forums.Few industrial sectors are well informed about environmental protection and act accordingly to address these issues by complying with environmental norms.However,some firms are more ethical in their business and proactively redefine their operations and policies beyond the regulatory requirements.What factors compel these firms to go beyond the extant laws to protect the environment?This study statistically analyses India’s cement sector for the factors that may be the drivers of environmental proactivity.Using Structural Equation Modelling(SEM),eight hypotheses were tested.The study’s findings can be helpful for the policymakers,environmental managers,and industrial sectors to frame policies for environmental protection,which will redound to societal benefit.展开更多
本技术报告基于中国济南参加2023年社会与情感能力(Survey on Social and Emotional Skills,SSES)的测评数据,对第二轮测评工具在中国文化下的心理测量学特征进行分析。本报告简要介绍了学生问卷的开发和实施过程、社会与情感能力指标...本技术报告基于中国济南参加2023年社会与情感能力(Survey on Social and Emotional Skills,SSES)的测评数据,对第二轮测评工具在中国文化下的心理测量学特征进行分析。本报告简要介绍了学生问卷的开发和实施过程、社会与情感能力指标体系、问卷主要组成部分、数据集的主要内容,并对数据质量进行了分析。分析结果表明,济南参试学生参试态度认真积极,参试率和有效应答率高,但是10岁组产生了高分翘尾现象;采用ω系数和α系数来衡量分量表的信度,结果表明绝大多数分量表信度良好;运用验证性因子分析逐一检验社会与情感能力各个分量表的效度,发现拟合度较为满意;多组验证性因子分析表明,这些分量表跨性别测量等值性好于跨年龄组等值性,故在考察青少年社会与情感子能力的年龄差异时,对于等值性较差的分量表数据应慎重使用。展开更多
文摘Research on Positive Youth Development (PYD) has been hampered by lack of a valid measure for the construct, particularly for research in sport. The Youth Experiences Scale for Sport (YES-S) [1], is a five-factor measure of positive youth outcomes specifically designed for the sport context. The YES-S is a promising instrument that fills an important niche in PYD research, and MacDonald et al. provided support for many of its psychometric properties. However, the factor structure of the scale is currently based on an exploratory factor analysis and has not yet been subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The present study was designed to confirm the five-factor structure of the YES-S. A sample of 350 youth sport athletes (196 male, 153 female) completed the YES-S. A CFA showed that a modified version of the five-factor YES-S had excellent fit of the model to the data. An analysis of invariance showed no differences in responses in terms of gender. It is concluded that this short-form YES-S offers excellent psychometric properties while retaining the original factor structure of the YES-S. The results offer further support for the validity of the factor structure of the YES-S while providing a shorter version of the scale, which may be appealing for research with younger sport participants.
文摘Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) refers to the FA procedure with some loadings constrained to be zeros. A difficulty in CFA is that the constraint must be specified by users in a subjective manner. For dealing with this difficulty, we propose a computational method, in which the best CFA solution is obtained optimally without relying on users’ judgements. The method consists of the procedures at lower (L) and higher (H) levels: at the L level, for a fixed number of zero loadings, it is determined both which loadings are to be zeros and what values are to be given to the remaining nonzero parameters;at the H level, the procedure at the L level is performed over the different numbers of zero loadings, to provide the best solution. In the L level procedure, Kiers’ (1994) simplimax rotation fulfills a key role: the CFA solution under the constraint computationally specified by that rotation is used for initializing the parameters of a new FA procedure called simplimax FA. The task at the H level can be easily performed using information criteria. The usefulness of the proposed method is demonstrated numerically.
文摘This study examines the construct validity and reliability of the Malay language questionnaire for urinary incontinence diagnosis (QUID) in women. Study Design: Random sampling design was used in this cross-sectional survey. Materials and Methods: The Americanized English language questionnaire was translated to the Malay language and distributed to community-dwelling Malaysian women living in various locations in Selangor. The construct validity was tested using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The reliability was determined using Cronbach’s α. Results: A total of 111 women completed the Malay language QUID in this pilot study. The Keiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy of 0.675 and Bartlett’s test of sphericity (χ2 = 284.633, df = 15, p = 0.001) indicated that the EFA was possible. The total variance and the scree plot identified two factors above the initial eigenvalue of 1 while a third factor was just below it (0.758). The CFA output showed a recursive model with the solution being not admissible because two unobserved and exogenous variables had negative variance estimates. The following values of absolute fit indices showed an acceptable level of fit: 1) Chi-square test with χ2 = 4.997, df = 5, p = 0.416, indicated a smaller difference between the expected and observed covariance matrices;2) GFI = 0.986, AGFI = 0.939, RMR = 0.021 and CMIN/DF = 1.0 indicated acceptable level of fit;3) The baseline comparison values of NFI = 0.983 and CFI = 1.0 also indicated a good fit to the data;4) RMSEA = 0.000 was considered a perfect fit indicating that the hypothesized model was a good fit to the observed data. Under the hypothesis of “close fit”, the probability of getting a sample RMSEA as large as 0.000 was 0.567. The Cronbach’s α coefficient of 0.823 indicated good reliability. Conclusion: The Malay language QUID is a valid and reliable instrument for diagnosing female urinary incontinence in the Malaysian population.
基金Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada(NSERC)(ID:236482)for supporting this research
文摘This paper discusses the utilization of latent variable modeling related to occupational health and safety in the mining industry.Latent variable modeling,which is a statistical model that relates observable and latent variables,could be used to facilitate researchers’understandings of the underlying constructs or hypothetical factors and their magnitude of effect that constitute a complex system.This enhanced understanding,in turn,can help emphasize the important factors to improve mine safety.The most commonly used techniques include the exploratory factor analysis(EFA),the confirmatory factor analysis(CFA)and the structural equation model with latent variables(SEM).A critical comparison of the three techniques regarding mine safety is provided.Possible applications of latent variable modeling in mining engineering are explored.In this scope,relevant research papers were reviewed.They suggest that the application of such methods could prove useful in mine accident and safety research.Application of latent variables analysis in cognitive work analysis was proposed to improve the understanding of human-work relationships in mining operations.
文摘Stakeholders’concern towards the ecological damage arising out of emissions from the industrial processes has raised serious issues before the industrial sectors.Environmentalists and researchers are raising these issues in various forums.Few industrial sectors are well informed about environmental protection and act accordingly to address these issues by complying with environmental norms.However,some firms are more ethical in their business and proactively redefine their operations and policies beyond the regulatory requirements.What factors compel these firms to go beyond the extant laws to protect the environment?This study statistically analyses India’s cement sector for the factors that may be the drivers of environmental proactivity.Using Structural Equation Modelling(SEM),eight hypotheses were tested.The study’s findings can be helpful for the policymakers,environmental managers,and industrial sectors to frame policies for environmental protection,which will redound to societal benefit.
文摘本技术报告基于中国济南参加2023年社会与情感能力(Survey on Social and Emotional Skills,SSES)的测评数据,对第二轮测评工具在中国文化下的心理测量学特征进行分析。本报告简要介绍了学生问卷的开发和实施过程、社会与情感能力指标体系、问卷主要组成部分、数据集的主要内容,并对数据质量进行了分析。分析结果表明,济南参试学生参试态度认真积极,参试率和有效应答率高,但是10岁组产生了高分翘尾现象;采用ω系数和α系数来衡量分量表的信度,结果表明绝大多数分量表信度良好;运用验证性因子分析逐一检验社会与情感能力各个分量表的效度,发现拟合度较为满意;多组验证性因子分析表明,这些分量表跨性别测量等值性好于跨年龄组等值性,故在考察青少年社会与情感子能力的年龄差异时,对于等值性较差的分量表数据应慎重使用。
