Towards Lessening Learners’Aversive Emotions and Promoting Their Mental Health:Developing and Validating a Measurement of English Speaking Demotivation in the Chinese EFL Context

While a plethora of studies has been conducted to explore demotivation and its impact on mental health in second language(L2)education,scanty research focuses on demotivation in L2 speaking learning.Particularly,little research explores the measures to quantify L2 speaking demotivation.The present two-phase study attempts to develop and validate an English Speaking Demotivation Scale(ESDS).To this end,an independent sample of 207 Chinese tertiary learners of English as a Foreign Language(EFL)participated in the development phase,and another group of 188 Chinese EFL learners was recruited for the validation of the scale.Exploratory Factor Analysis(EFA)and Confirmatory Factor Analysis(CFA)were employed to determine the factor structure of the scale.The EFA results revealed a six-factor solution with Teacher-related Factors in Learning Spoken English(TFLSE),Interest and Valence in Learning Spoken English(IVLSE),Self-efficacy in Learning Spoken English(SELSE),Negative Peer Influence in Learning Spoken English(NPILSE),Undesirable Environment for Learning Spoken English(UELSE),and Negative Influence of Assessment and Learning Materials in speaking class(NIALM).In the validation phase,Confirmatory Factor Analysis(CFA)was performed to validate the internal structure of the scale.The CFA results showed that the model fits the data well.Overall,the ESDS is a robust and trustworthy psychometric tool that could be utilized to examine L2 speaking demotivation.Implications for diminishing EFL learners’demotivation,lessening their aversive emotions and promoting their mental health are also discussed.

Hospital-acquired insomnia scale:A validity and reliability study

BACKGROUND Sleep breathing,one of the basic human needs,is a physiological need that affects cardiac functions,body temperature,daily vitality,muscle tone,hormone secretion,blood pressure,and many more.In the international literature,studies reported that patients have had sleep problems in the hospital since the 1990s,but no measurement tool has been developed to determine the causes of hospitalacquired insomnia in individuals.These findings suggest that sleep remains in the background compared to activities such as nutrition and breathing.Although patients generally experience hospital-acquired sleep problems,there is no measurement tool to determine hospital-acquired sleep problems.These features show the originality of the research.AIM To develop a measurement tool to determine the sleep problems experienced by patients in the hospital.METHODS A personal information form,hospital-acquired insomnia scale(HAIS),and insomnia severity index(ISI)were used to collect research data.The study population consisted of patients hospitalized in the internal and surgical clinics of a research hospital in Turkey between December 2021 and March 2022.The sample consisted of 64 patients in the pilot application stage and 223 patients in the main application stage.Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis(CFA)analyses were performed using the SPSS 20 package program and the analysis of moment structure(AMOS)package program.Equivalent forms method used.RESULTS The HAIS consisted of 18 items and 5 subscales.The Cronbach alpha values of the subscales ranged between 0.672 and 0.842 and the Cronbach alpha value of the overall scale was 0.783.The scale explained 58.269%of the total variance.The items that constitute the factors were examined in terms of content integrity and named as physical environmental,psychological,safety,socioeconomic,and nutritional factors.CFA analysis of the 5-factor structure was performed in the AMOS package program.The fit indices of the obtained structure were examined.It was determined that the values obtained from the fit indices were sufficient.A significant correlation was determined between the HAIS and the ISI,which was used for the equivalent form method.CONCLUSION The HAIS is a valid and reliable measurement tool for determining patients’level of hospitalacquired insomnia.It is recommended to use this measurement tool to determine the insomnia problems of patients and to adapt it in other countries.

Towards a profile-based writing scale for a local post-admission ESL writing assessment

Post-admission language tests tend to have a restricted range of proficiency levels among test-takers due to considerations made during the admission selection process.Although range restriction can present challenges for proficiency-focused assessment,it can also bring opportunities to zoom in on fine-grained performance profiles of test-takers.This study reports on the validation of a profile-based rating scale for an ESL writing placement test in a US university.The profile-based rating scale was created by employing a three-staged,hybrid scale development approach,to provide not only accurate placement decisions but also fine-grained diagnostic information regarding ESL students’writing performance profiles.The scale strikes a balance between argument development and lexico-grammar,to better account for the range of writing performances among test-takers.To gather validity evidence for the profile-based rating scale,this study employs a sequential,mixed-methods approach to examine the quality of test-taker performances across profiles and rater perceptions on the scale.Nine certified raters were recruited to conduct independent evaluations of lexicogrammar and argumentation on a sample of 150 test-taker performances.These evaluations were subjected to many-facet Rasch measurement analysis to examine the differences across writing performance profiles included in the rating scale.Next,semi-structured,follow-up interviews were conducted with the raters,to complement the quantitative findings on the usability and effectiveness of the scale.The findings provide supportive evidence for the validity of the profile-based rating scale.I argue that by focusing on performance profiles,post-admission language tests can strengthen the alignment across curriculum,instruction,and assessment in ESL writing programs.

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Ethical Behavior for Thai Nurses Scale

Background:Ethical problems in the nursing profession are mostly found in the undesirable ethical behavior(EBE)of nurses.If there is no concern about these problems,it may negatively affect the quality of nursing care,patients’safety,and trust in the nursing profession.In assessing nurses’EBE,it is important to develop an instrument that reflects the actual EBE of nurses.Objectives:To develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Ethical Behavior for Thai Nurses Scale(EBTNS).Methods:The construct definition,5 sub-constructs,43 items,and the hypothesized model were synthesized and generated from a comprehensive literature review and existing research instruments by using document analysis.The EBTNS was verified for content validity by 4 experts.Of the 43 items,37 items were retained for psychometric testing.The construct validity was tested by using second-order confirmatory factor analysis(CFA).The EBTNS was tested on 1500 professional nurses working at tertiary,secondary,and primary hospitals in 6 regions(the central,northern,northeast,eastern,western,and southern)of Thailand.Proportional quota sampling was applied to recruit participants.Results:The hypothesized model fitted the empirical data.All 37 first-order indicators and 5 second-order sub-constructs showed significantly standardized factor loadings and effect sizes.The standardized factor loadings of 37 first-order indicators ranged from 0.58 to 0.89,and the construct reliabilities were moderate to substantial(R2=0.34-0.79).The 5 second-order sub-constructs displayed the standardized effect sizes,ranging from 0.81 to 0.96,and accounted for 65%-96%of the total explained variance.In addition,the construct validity was supported by convergent validity and discriminant validity.It also satisfied Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 5 sub-constructs from 0.87 to 0.94,and a full scale was 0.97.Conclusions:The psychometric properties of the EBTNS are acceptable.This instrument has the potential to be used for evaluating and monitoring to prevent ethical problems of Thai nurses.

Development and psychometric evaluation of the nurse behavior toward confirmed and suspected HIV/AIDS patients (NB-CSHAP) scale

There is a scarcity of literature discussing nurses’ behaviors toward caring for suspected or confirmed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. The development of a scale specific to measure nurses’ behaviors will allow health institutions to assess the disposition of their nurses in terms of HIV care. This study aims to present the rigors of developing and validating a reliable instrument to contextualize these nurses’ behaviors. This study utilized a sequential exploratory mixed method design to develop the NB-CSHAP scale. Thematic analysis was done on the qualitative data from the interviews with persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) from which items were selected to be included in the scale. Exploratory factor analysis was utilized to extract the factors and Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess the reliability of the instrument. Four factors were extracted and are categorized as either caring or discriminatory behaviors. These include: (1) service-oriented, (2) openhanded, (3) perceptive, and (4) discriminatory. The scale has an internal consistency of 0.73. The scale shows acceptable psychometric properties, hence can be used to assess the nurses’ behaviors in caring for confirmed or suspected HIV clients. The scale may be used by health institutions to determine the quality of the patient care provided by their nurses to clients with confirmed or suspected HIV .

Development of a frailty scale for elderly people in China

Objective：The aim of this study was to develop a frailty scale for the elderly in China and to examine its reliability and validity.Methods：The method of convenient sampling was used to select 375 elderly individuals in different communities of Tianjin,China.EuroQpl-5D was used to evaluate the criterion validity.Cronbach＇s αcoefficients,correlation analysis,exploratory factor analysis,criterion-related validity,and internal consistency were used to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scale.To evaluate the test—retest reliability,30 old people were re-evaluated after 2 weeks.Results：The final version of the frailty scale（FI-35） consisted of 35 items.Eleven factors were extracted by a principal factor analysis and varimax rotation,with a cumulative contribution of 86.00%.Eleven dimensions were positively correlated（r = 0.130-0.541,P 〈 0.01）.Cronbach＇s α coefficient was 0.952,and the alpha coefficients of 11 dimensions ranged from 0.730 to 0.992.The test-retest reliability was0.874 for the total scale.The split-half reliability of the scale was 0.808.Structural equation modeling was used to perform a confirmatory factor analysis,and various parameters were all acceptable.Conclusions：FI-35 met the requirement of scale development and showed good reliability and validity;thus,it can be used as an efficient frailty measurement tool for Chinese elderly.

Development and Initial Validation of the Personal and Social Responsibility Scale in Physical Education Settings

This study aims to develop a valid instrument measuring personal and social responsibility in physical education settings that is suitable for Chinese high school students age 14 and above.This instrument consists of eight aspects,which builds upon the levels of responsibility in Hellison’s(2011)[9]Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Model(TPSR).The eight aspects in the measurement include goal,responsibility,respecting the rights and feelings of others,participation and effort,self-direction,caring,and value.The validation of the measurement was conducted based on the responses from 1091 high school students in Macao,China.The convergent and discriminant validity tests and a maximum likelihood confirmation factor analysis were performed using AMOS 21.The Bollen-Stine bootstrapping model was applied to adjust nonnormality data.Results supported a good validity and reliability of the items in the instrument.

Spatio-temporal Evolution and Driving Factors of the High-quality Development of Provincial Tourism in China

Accelerating the promotion of high-quality development of tourism(HQDT) is of great significance to the sustainable development of tourism. This paper defined the concept of HQDT, and then built an evaluation system for HQDT measurement to analyze the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of China’s HQDT based on provincial panel data from 2010 to 2019, using Geodetector to explore the similarities and differences between driving factors of HQDT and tourism development scale(TDS). The results show that:1) Taking the development concepts of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing as the guidance, and considering the organic unity of quantity and quality, the evaluation index system of the HQDT consists of six dimensions of economic stability, innovation driving, coordination and linkage, green and sustainability, openness and cooperation, and sharing and harmony, which respectively represent the basis, momentum, means, orientation, direction and purpose of the HQDT;2) The level of China’s HQDT shows an upward trend, presenting the characteristics of eastern region > central region > western region > northeastern region in 2019. The regional differences in China’s HQDT show a downward trend, and the intra-regional differences have replaced the inter-regional differences as the main source of regional differences;3) China’s HQDT shows the characteristics of higher in the east and lower in the west along the Hu line, while the improvement speed of HQDT shows the characteristics of faster in the west and slower in the east, making the decline of east-west differentiation of China’s HQDT and the movement of the gravity center towards southwest;4) Both HQDT and TDS are obviously driven by tourism capital investment and regional consumption. In terms of differences, the HQDT is more driven by government guidance, innovation driving force, and opening up, while the main driving factors of TDS are more biased toward capital elements and hardware facilities, including informatization, tourism resource, traffic, and eco-environment.

中国传统价值观对于消费行为影响研究——以上海手机市场为例(英文)

This study investigates how traditional Chinese values influence Chinese consumer behavior directly and indirectly through the impact on people's lifestyles and perceived values.The empirical research is conducted in the context of the mobile phone market in Shanghai.The study establishes measurement scales of Confucian value,lifestyle,and customer perceived value for Chinese market.Relationships of multiple factors are tested in the structural equation model and their impacts on consumer behavior are elaborated.Findings indicate that Confucian values not only have a direct impact on Chinese consumer behavior but also indirectly influence this behavior through impacting people's lifestyles and perceived values.

Development of a Tool for Assessment of Post-Myocardial Infarction Fatigue

Introduction: After treatment for myocardial infarction (MI) quite a few persons will experience different symptoms, including fatigue, during the recovery phase. The aim of the present study was to construct the multidimensional Post-Myocardial Infarction Fatigue (PMIF) scale, based on empirical data gathered in coronary heart disease contexts. Methods: The construction of the post-MI fatigue scale was conducted in seven steps, ending in a psychometric evaluation of the internal structure of the scale, using confirmatory factor analysis, as well as testing of convergent and discriminant validity, using correlational analysis, in a sample of 141 persons treated for MI. Results: The results showed that the PMIF scale represents three dimensions: physical, cognitive and emotional fatigue. It was also found that the scale is suitable for summing the items to obtain a total score representing a post-MI global fatigue dimension. Conclusion: The PMIF is a brief and easily completed scale for identifying persons experiencing post-MI fatigue. Early identification of fatigue, together with health behavior support, might prevent progression toward a more severe state of fatigue.

Using Sieve of Eratosthenes for the Factor Analysis of Neutrosophic Form of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire as an Alternative Confirmatory Factor Analysis

In this study,the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire which was adapted from the short form of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire was evaluated and this scale into neutrosophic form was converted and the results of the scale were compared for proposing new type confirmatory analysis procedure as well as developing neutrosophic scales.The exploratory factor analysis was used in the analysis of the data.Besides,test results were analyzed for Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin and Bartlett values,common factor variance values,scree plot graphs,and the principal component analysis results.The sample of the study consists of 194 students in mathematics departments at Bitlis Eren University and Igdır University in Turkey by convenience sampling method.A convenience sampling is a kind˘of non-probability sampling procedure in which the sample is obtained from a group of individuals easily accessible or reachable.The convenience sampling method was chosen in this study because the study aims to examine the structure of the measurement tool rather than the psychological characteristics of a particular population.First of all,it is observed that if any classical scale can be converted into a neutrosophic one.It is observed that the sub-dimensions of a neutrosophic scale as agree,disagree,and undecided might not have a similar factor structure to the classical one.Interestingly,in the factor analysis of the neutrosophic scale,both classical and the agreement part of the neutrosophic scales have the same factors,implying that the one-dimensional classical scale measures the agreement degree of the participants.When the factor analysis was conducted to disagreement and vagueness dimensions,it seemed that some factors were eliminated and even some new factors emerged,indicating that in human cognition those three dimensions can be taken as independent of each other,just as assumed by neutrosophic logic.The another important implication of the factor analysis is that the neutrosophic forms of any questionnaire can be used for the validity of the classical ones.Loads of items or their accumulation into factors are compared to the classical scale and the three-dimensional neutrosophic scale in the factor,so that the corresponding ones in the same factors and the items or factors that do not correspond to each other are eliminated.It is very similar to the Sieve of Eratosthenes,which is an ancient algorithm for finding prime numbers up to any given limit where each prime is taken as an independent base or dimension and multiples of the selected primes in a given interval are eliminated until there are only prime numbers left.Finally,the reliability of three independent dimensions of the neutrosophic forms of any questionnaire can also be used to check whether the measurement This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License,which permits unrestricted use,distribution,and reproduction in any medium,provided the original work is properly cited.954 CMES,2021,vol.129,no.2 tool is reliable.Low-reliability results in any dimensions may imply that the scale has some problems in terms of meaning,language,or other factors.

Development of a Canadian Adaptation of the Facts on Aging Quiz

Accurate knowledge about older adults is desirable for research into aging populations. The Palmore Facts on Aging Quiz (FAQ) has been one of the most widely used measures of knowledge about aging that has been used in English-speaking countries. The original true-false version has largely been replaced by the current multiple-choice format. Here I present data on a Canadian multiple-choice FAQ from 172 older adult residents in the community with a mean age of 70.3 years old (SD = 8.88). The mean percentage correct on the Canadian FAQ-2C was 54.4%, a proportion higher than the recent Australian data and some older American data on older adults. The Canadian adaptation of the modified Australian multiple-choice version demonstrates the value of the local verification of FAQ items’ scoring key if the knowledge assessed by the FAQ is to be used accurately in a different country or if the local scoring key was developed several years earlier.